Envisioning better wellbeing and a future where LGBTQI+ lives can flourish
LGBTQI+ Futures
What is this project about?
LGBTQI+ Futures is a European study researching the wellbeing of young adults, and how they navigate and imagine collective futures in a time of crisis.
We will be working with LGBTQI+ young adults across the UK, Estonia, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland using creative and discursive activities to think about how we live our lives and what needs to change in order for LGBTQI+ young adults to all be able to live good lives now and into the future.
As a team of queer, feminist, and trans researchers, we believe it is more important than ever to make sure that LGBTQI+ people are at the centre of research about wellbeing – that organisations and policy makers are listening to our lived experiences, and that we make space for discussions of resilience, resistance, hope and joy.
FAQs and Workshop Information
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We are looking for LGBTQI+ people aged 18-24, living in England or Wales, to take part in this research.
We’d love to hear from everyone. We are looking to hear from a diverse range of people, particularly those whose voices/experiences are often marginalised in academic research on LGBTQI+ lives: trans people, disabled, working class and racially marginalised queers, and LGBTQI+ people who live in rural areas/small towns.
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Your participation will involve two-three group workshops (in person or online), where we’ll cover a variety of topics around wellbeing and how you are thinking about and navigating the future, personally and collectively.
The workshops will involve a mixture of group discussion and creative activities. For instance we might do mindmapping in groups, make individual collages, and finish by creating a collective digital story or zine.
No prior experience in creative activities is necessary! There will always be options for involvement and you’ll only do what you’re comfortable with.
We hope this workshops will be fun spaces where you’ll be able to meet and hear from other LGBTQI+ young adults.
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We will be holding in person workshops around the UK (more info on locations soon) and also online for anyone unable to join in person. They will be taking place from March/April 2026 onwards.
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All participants will receive a £120 voucher as a small token of appreciation for their time.
There is also the possibility to be involved in the research as a ‘peer researcher’, with opportunities to develop your research, presentation, and creative skills. We’ll have individual conversations with you if there are any skills you’d like to use or develop throughout the workshops.
These workshops are an opportunity for LGBTQI+ young adults to have a voice and a say in the decisions that are being made about them and their wellbeing. We will also be connecting with young people across Europe, so you will also be able to hear more about their lives and share your experiences with them.
If you need to travel to the workshop we will pay for your costs and will provide lunch and snacks on the day!
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We will only hold the workshops in physically accessible venues. We will check in with you before and during the workshops about any accessibility needs, and to work with you to make participation as comfortable and easy as possible!
We will also give you as much information as possible about what to expect on the day so you are prepared.
At the beginning of the workshops we will develop guidelines as a group for how we will create a space that works for everyone.
There will also be some workshops online if you’d be unable to participate in person.
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Your participation in this research would be fully anonymous and your data will be protected.
The only reason you would not be anonymous is if i.e. you chose to co-write an article with us or be more involved as a public-facing ‘peer researcher’. We will discuss this option with you further.
This project has been ethically approved by the School of Geography and Planning at the University of Sheffield.
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Go to the bottom of this page where there is a link you can follow to our sign up form! More information also found through that link and on the rest of the website.
Need more information, need the form in a different format, or some assistance filling it in? Contact Ames: ames.clark@sheffield.ac.uk
Who is leading this project?
The UK team is being run by Dr Eleanor Wilkinson (she/her) and Dr Ames Clark (they/them). We are both researchers from the University of Sheffield.
Ames is a research associate at the University of Sheffield. Their research has explored community care practices, queer housing justice, and solidarity movements across the UK. They live in London with their girlfriend and (slightly evil) cat, and are involved in trans community organising. They also live up to many stereotypes by playing rugby and knitting.
Eleanor is a Senior Research Fellow in Human Geography at the University of Sheffield where also co-directs the Sheffield Gender Research Network. Her research has explored queer networks of care in mid-to-later life, and housing insecurity in young adulthood. As a geographer, she’s interested in how space and place shape our access to queer networks of friendship and support.