Blog
‘Communities must be at the heart of a people-powered transition to net zero’
11 May 2023 | Authors: Samanthi Theminimulle,
The recent independent review calls for widespread participation in our shift to low carbon living – yet government policy hasn’t changed, says Samanthi Theminimulle.
‘Health equality has been de-prioritised for decades’
13 March 2023 | Authors: Emily Morrison,
Emily Morrison highlights the ‘triple injustice’ in knowledge and evidence, gender identity, and social policy that perpetuates health inequity.
‘Our transition to net zero must be government-led and people-powered’
10 March 2023 | Authors: Emily Morrison,
To achieve the UK’s net zero goals, we need a united department at the heart of Westminster, says Emily Morrison
‘A human-centred approach in an uncertain world’
21 February 2023 | Authors: Professor Matthew Flinders,
Young people need ‘pragmatic and solution-orientated design-thinking’ as they develop skills, knowledge and behaviour on their Civic Journeys, says Professor Matt Flinders
‘Young people need “social scaffolding” to reach their full potential’
17 February 2023 | Authors: Professor Matthew Flinders,
When thinking about support for the challenges young people face, Professor Matt Flinders says it’s right to use the language of access and growth.
Getting beyond the jargon
25 January 2023 | Authors: Richard Harries,
The Levelling Up White Paper brought the term ‘social infrastructure’ out of the shadows. But what does it mean, and why is it important? Richard Harries shares his thoughts.
‘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.
£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
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Lack of opportunity, patchy citizenship education, and an outdated view of why young people engage hinder volunteering, finds a new report.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 | Authors: Richard Harries,
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’.