Blog
Research Digest: Enough of the ‘grands projects’
24 May 2022
Hang around the ‘community development scene’ for more than a few years and you’ll probably develop a weary resignation about the endless cycling and recycling of well-meant policy interventions. I last saw this at the recent Local Trust levelling up conference
The rise and rise of participatory research
24 May 2022
Our CEO reflects on the knowledge shared at our recent Hive conference – and makes the case for peer research as an approach that is ripe for these times…
People shaping places, places shaping people: Community asset ownership
16 May 2022
Catch up on this roundtable that brought together policymakers, community business leaders, researchers and sector experts to explore how asset ownership encourages communities to become more effective stewards in their places.
‘Fat people face discrimination that affects them for the rest of their lives’
15 May 2022
New research from Kickstart peer research trainees uncovers prejudice and discrimination and explores its impact.
Research digest: ‘Lessons in navigation’
29 March 2022
Nearly a quarter of a century after Google introduced the world to the joys of online searching (and the dangers of the filter bubble), user experience is all – and as we add ever more material to the Institute for
‘Putting young people in the driving seat of research can steer better youth support’
28 March 2022 | Authors: Helen Goulden OBE,
Helen Goulden shares a new report, and celebrates greater participation of young people in the research sector.
‘Greater diversity among councillors matters. Here’s why.’
22 March 2022
Victoria Boelman asks what we can all do to increase the diversity of people putting themselves forward for local elections.
Research digest: ‘Variety is the spice of life’
25 February 2022
Good news! If you’re looking for a break from endless critiques of the government’s Levelling Up White Paper, you’ve come to the right place. This series of research digests is all about taking the longer view and making sense of
Exploring marginalisation with ‘compassion and empathy’
25 February 2022
In an ambitious project, undergraduate students from the faculties of Arts and Humanities and Social Science and Public Policy at Kings College London, were partnered with community researchers to identify issues of marginalisation or exclusion in their local areas. Funded by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the
‘More must be done to confront online racism’
18 February 2022
Research led and directed by peer researchers on the Kickstart scheme explores the role social media plays in amplifying discrimination, hate and abuse.
Research digest: ‘None of us is as smart as all of us’
25 January 2022
We at the Institute for Community Studies are an ambitious bunch. In the summer of 2021, we embarked on a project to collect in one place everything we know about what’s working in communities across the UK and beyond. Six
‘Empowering young people will drive better mental health support’
25 January 2022
Having struggled with her own mental health, 16-year-old Eva Woods is currently working as a peer researcher in secondary schools, talking to other young people seeking support.