York St John University describes itself as “the University for Social Impact”. To understand what this really means in practice, the Institute for Social Justice is undertaking a programme of work to build a clearer, more evidence based picture of what we are doing, and how our activities contribute to our student and staff communities, our external organisations, and to the wider region.
This includes exploring the social impact of our practice; reviewing how we communicate our contribution; and developing new ways to understand the value created through collaboration.
Since much of a university’s impact happens beyond its campus and is experienced from the outside as much as from within, we want to understand how our contribution is perceived by those who see our work from different standpoints.
We are therefore inviting external partners, organisations, and community members to share their thoughts on what “social impact” means to you, and where you feel York St John University currently makes – or could make – a meaningful difference.
Your insights will help us understand how the social impact of YSJ is perceived, where our strengths genuinely matter, and where our contribution could be more meaningful. This will, in turn, help inform our social impact strategy.
We are also undertaking research with staff, students, and alumni to explore how social impact is understood across different groups, and where expectations, experiences, and opportunities align – or diverge. Through this work we hope to build a more accountable, transparent, and shared understanding of social impact; one that reflects not only what we do, but what we contribute to the region and the people we work both with and for. Your perspective is a vital part of that picture. Thank you for taking the time to complete our survey.
If you would like to discuss our work on social impact further please contact Professor Matthew Reason M.Reason@yorksj.ac.uk or Jacqueline Stevenson j.stevenson@yorksj.ac.uk
For me, York St John’s social impact means using education and the community as a platform to genuinely improve people’s lives, extending far beyond the university itself. It is about moving beyond conversation and actually making things happen for the better, encouraging people to find their gift and give it away for good. York St John’s commitment to social impact shaped both me and Menfulness, with our joint research helping us grow our reach across the UK. Developed in collaboration with the university, this work led to significant funding and expansion, enabling wider support for communities. (Jack Woodhams, graduated YSJU 2004).
What was the social impact of York St John University when I was there? In particular, the University promoted a set of principles and values to guide its curriculum design and delivery and to inform how it expected all members of its community to behave towards one another and towards the outside world. It would be all-too-easy now to point to the University’s Christian Church foundation as the explanation for this social impact. In my experience, this foundation certainly played a part in establishing the University’s core principles and values – thereby underpinning its social impact. However, these values stretched beyond the Christian tradition. They embraced many traditions and in so doing brought the power of inclusivity to the University’s identity and social impact. (Professor Stuart Billingham, York St John University PVC 2006-10)
