Blog
‘Let’s seize the optimism of this moment’
5 December 2022
Advisory Board member Page Nyame-Satterthwaite reflects on her recent visit to Parliament to discuss the youth-led Civic Journey programme.
Telling the whole story: why we must be open about the complexities of citizen science research
31 October 2022
Dr Helena Hollis says support structures can be developed to build participatory research capacities for the future.
‘In our quest for environmental sustainability, social responsibility is key’
19 October 2022 | Authors: Helen Goulden OBE,
Previewing our upcoming report, Helen Goulden looks for the ‘S’ in ESG – and asks if political and economic turbulence could knock it into the long grass?
‘Perceptions of “good” have shifted – and insights are stronger for it’
5 October 2022 | Authors: Zoe Dibb,
Peer research can meaningfully involve communities in generating evidence – but Zoe Dibb says more must be done to evaluate quality and effectiveness.
£3.7m award will support universities to maximise their local impact
30 September 2022
An ambitious, three-year programme will support universities to maximise their local social and economic impact.
Civic Journey documentaries
28 September 2022
Join us at locations around the UK, where we’re screening short films made by young people exploring their civic journey At the Institute for Community Studies, we have been working across the UK to support young people aged 16 to
‘Change starts with people like me’
23 September 2022
Mark Pepper is driving climate action at Ambition Lawrence Weston, a housing estate on the outskirts of Bristol.
‘Communities can power a fair transition’
23 September 2022 | Authors: Helen Goulden OBE,
Helen Goulden and Tim Davies-Pugh, say a fairer, greener future is not only possible, but advantageous for UK plc.
Navigating the ‘postcode lottery’ of volunteering opportunities
15 September 2022
Lack of opportunity, patchy citizenship education, and an outdated view of why young people engage hinder volunteering, finds a new report.
Research Digest: What can quantitative approaches learn from The Beatles?
22 August 2022
I’ve written before about the growing use of more rigorous quantitative approaches to community and third sector research. A great example is the way the School for Social Entrepreneurs used control cohorts to evaluate its pioneering Match Trading programme. By doing
Building meaningful relationships between researchers and society
9 August 2022
Our evaluation of UKRI-funded research projects seeks to better understand the value and scope of ‘citizen science’.
‘If the research sector is to truly reflect our diverse communities, we need new forms of partnerships’
20 July 2022 | Authors: Emily Morrison,
Tom Saunders and Emily Morrison stress the need for more equitable and sustainable models of community engagement in research