Co-creative research with children and young people: A conversation about practice

Abstract

This curated conversation brings together four researchers to explore the complexities, ethics and lived realities of co-creative research with children and young people. While participatory and co-produced approaches are widely championed as best practice, the contributors highlight how such work is inevitably relational, contextual and often messy. Together, we interrogate concepts such as authenticity, voice, agency and the »other adult« role, exploring how genuine co-production can be achieved when time pressures, hierarchical norms and adult cultural values shape encounters. We challenge the notion of »giving voice«, arguing instead for deep, sustained listening that recognises both the expressive multiplicity of children including non-verbal and embodied forms — and the constraints adults must acknowledge transparently. Playfulness emerges as a crucial research modality, enabling relationality, emergent thinking and shared discovery in ways that resist linear, adult-centred approaches. We hope our dialogue demonstrates that co-creative research is less a fixed method than an ongoing, relational process — dynamic, unfinished and grounded in mutual curiosity, humility and the vibrant cultures of children and young people.