“I could write a book about how YSJ has brought about positive social change in me personally”

The Institute for Social Justice are currently inviting responses from our alumni, students, staff and external stakeholders to a survey asking for their perspectives on what social impact means to them, the contribution the university is making to social impact, and why it matters. We are, after all, ‘The University for Social Impact’, so exploring what this means to our community is vital.

In this blog we explore what our alumni said. Their insights are unique because they have lived the YSJ experience, carried its values into their communities and workplaces, and can see with clarity what endures long after graduation.

So what did they say?

Well their reflections on social impact are thoughtful, honest, and deeply connected to the kind of university they believe we are. In defining social impact our alumni focused on the importance of enhancing the lives of individuals and communities, by improving well-being and going beyond financial or economic outcomes. They also repeatedly emphasised the importance of fairness, inclusion, and opportunity, connecting social impact to access and widening participation, and to equity and belonging:

“fairness in society regardless of someone’s financial status”

When we asked them what they thought we did well, our alumni spoke about our community engagement, teaching quality, inclusion, and values; and in describing examples of social impact ‘in action’ our alumni focused on the importance of staff contributions – in teaching, support, research, partnerships, and everyday interactions.

In addition our alumni demonstrated that they care deeply about YSJ’s relationship with the local community. This theme was everywhere across the responses! It shows that community engagement is not seen as simply an abstract strategic priority, rather it is something that our alumni expect and value:

“supporting community impact such as working to clear litter, support schools, support the elderly”

“maintain links to the community (e.g. YSJ Communities Centre)”

Their pride in the work we do at YSJ is also evident in their desire for us to do more to strengthen the visibility of our social impact work, as well as to communicate more about what we are doing well:

“Present its social impact strategies to a wider audience and celebrate these”

“Create easy to understand resources about what work is being done and why”

In addition, our alumni see themselves as part of the story: they don’t just want to comment, they want to contribute:

“I will always respond to helping support such activities where possible.”

Finally, when we asked alumni to comment on where we could focus our efforts further, they talked about the need to have more community partnerships, to make our social impact work more visible, to offer stronger support for students, to continue to widen participation, and to ensure we support post-graduate employability and life‑chances.

“Local charities, support for students having mental health/ emotional difficulties, support for students facing financial difficulties”

“Community, employability and connect-ability- making sure students have a structured career after they leave your education services”

So why does this matter?

Of course there were more critical comments from our alumni, about things we are not doing, should do better, or have failed to do in the past. However, just as with the more positive comments, the survey responses remind us that social impact is not just a strategy or a set of initiatives; it is the long-term difference we make in people’s lives, and the legacy our students carry with them long after they leave.

The emphasis on fairness, inclusion, community engagement, and staff contribution makes clear that social impact is not experienced as an institutional ‘brand’, but as a set of everyday practices that shape people’s lives. Their desire for us to strengthen the visibility of our work, deepen our partnerships, and support students and graduates more effectively is a call to action – one that aligns with our ambition to be a university for social impact in practice as well as in name.

Listening to our alumni is therefore not simply an exercise in consultation. It is a form of accountability and a source of strategic insight. If we want to continue to build a future‑facing university that is trusted, values‑driven, and socially engaged, then the voices of those who carry our impact into the world are essential in shaping what comes next. Their perspectives help us understand whether our commitments are credible, whether our actions are felt, whether our commitments translate into lived experience, and how and where we need to go further.

In short, our alumni are telling us what social impact looks like when it works – as well as when it doesn’t – and what we need to do for YSJ to continue learning, improving, and leading in this space.

What comes next?

We are continuing to collect more data, through surveys, focus groups, interviews as well as participation in an online Delphi consensus-making panel. We will then produce a set of resources to help us develop and evidence our impact more. We are also interested in continuing to hear what our whole YSJ community has to say, so if you would like to participate in our research further please get in touch with me: Jacqueline Stevenson (j.stevenson@yorksj.ac.uk)