
Research & Projects
The Manchester Centre for Youth Studies (MCYS) is a world leader in youth-informed and youth-led research that positively influences the lives of young people.

‘Race’, Disproportionality and Diversion From the YJS
New MCYS member Dr Anne Marie Day is currently co-investigator…

Young People’s Experiences of Starting Secondary School
In early 2023, Dr Lucy Newby and Dr Paul Gray…

Huế English Project
“Taking inspiration from the Manchester Voices project, the one-year project…

Ancient History, Contemporary Belonging
Ancient History, Contemporary Belonging is an arts-research collaboration across disciplines,…

Greater Manchester VRU
In 2023, MCYS partnered with the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction…

Participatory Youth Framework
In April 2023, Professor Hannah Smithson, Dr Lucy Newby, and…

Delivering Community Resolutions:the role of youth offending services
MCYS was commissioned by HM Inspectorate of Probation to explore…

Poverty, Vulnerability and Family in the Ancient World
Supported by the European Commission’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship and jointly…

Research: Voices of the Future
Collaborating with childrenand young people to re-imagine treescapes. Research summary…

COVID-19 and Youth Justice
The Youth Justice System’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The…

Reclaiming the Narrative: Challenging Islamophobia and empowering young British Muslims
This collaboration between the British Muslim Heritage Centre, the Manchester…

Serious Youth Violence
By working in close collaboration with young people and youth…
Our research
We believe young people should have the opportunity to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect them. MCYS employs participatory approaches to engage with young people across a range of contemporary and historical issues. As an interdisciplinary research centre, the MCYS team brings together academics and practitioners from a range of disciplines, including Sociology, History, Criminology, Linguistics, Politics, English and Classics. We use our expertise in participatory and creative methodologies to explore areas such as:
- Identity and belonging
- Health and wellbeing
- Marginalisation and exclusion
- Migration and diversity
- Youth Justice
- Youth Language
In addition to collaborating with young people and their communities, MCYS works with agencies and organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors, both in the UK and internationally. We welcome opportunities to work with third sector organisations, government bodies, the education sector, universities, professional societies, non-departmental public bodies, and advocacy groups.

Contact us to get involved
You can also reach out via email at mcys@mmu.ac.uk