A group of people are gathered around a table in St Denys, engaged in discussion. The table is set with food and drinks, and pens and notepads. The setting suggests a collaborative and informal meeting.

Engaging with people with direct experience of the issues that affect them is a powerful way to build trust, connections and enable change. We host spaces as a way of developing relationships between individuals, community organisations and public bodies to improve understanding and action the needs of the community. We make sure that we focus on solutions that address root causes and create lasting impact that can benefit the entire community.

We actively collaborate with people with direct experience of issues to help make changes where most needed. By using tried and tested community engagement techniques, we can help organisations listen to different perspectives, hear from individuals with direct experience of issues and map ways for shared action, with the aim to deliver change-informing outcomes.

Community Engagement Case Studies

A photo of the Research Café at St. Deny's Church Hall on Walmgate.

Research Cafe

Our research cafe, held at St Deny’s community support hub, is a relaxed, judgement free space where people who are experiencing homelessness or are marginalised can come and sit, get warm, eat and chat.
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colour photo of Kate who is wearing glasses and a lanyard, with shoulder-length hair in a middle parting, Kate is looking into the camera.

Community Reporters

We're creating a network of community researchers and reporters — a space for people to connect, share skills, and have a voice in shaping conversations that matter.
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A photo taken inside a local food bank, showing a row of tables with various food items on the table tops. The room is dimly lit, with the curtains closed. There are no people in the photo.

Food Insecurity Community Research

We have spent time with our community food banks as part of a North Yorkshire County Council and SkyBlue Research and Evaluation, facilitating direct experience research into food insecurity.
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Illustration of a pink smiley face wearing a yellow hat, with the words 'Roundhouse Connection' curved in a semicircle above and around the face.

Mental Health Service access in North Yorkshire

We are undertaking direct experience research into people's experiences of accessing mental services in North Yorkshire, part of the North Yorkshire Transformation fund.
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A photo of 5 people - part of the York MCN project - in the nursery room at York CVS with a collage in the background.

York’s Multiple Complex Needs Network (MCN)

Lived Insights is hosting York's Multiple Complex Needs Network (MCN), capturing the success of the MCN, strengthening what works and using learning to guide what’s next.
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View our Community Engagement Archive