The Institute for Social Justice October 2022 Newsletter
October 6, 2022
Dear Colleagues,
The Institute for Social Justice (ISJ) works across the University to support social justice research, projects and partnerships which endeavour to create a fairer society. In this newsletter you will find the latest information about ISJ research funding, projects and events taking place in 2022/23.
To learn more about previous and ongoing activity, visit the main Institute for Social Justice website.
Research Funding Opportunities
The ISJ is offering two internal funding schemes in 2022/23.
- The first is the ‘Impact through Partnerships’ stream, which provides funding opportunities for projects that connect YSJ research and practice with external partners. Up to £4,000 is available for projects that receive match funding from Schools.
- The second is an opportunity to apply for Project Researcher funding. This would enable the appointment of a Grade 6 researcher on a 0.4FTE contract for 7 months from January-July 2023. Two roles are on offer, which can be used for whatever would most benefit your research. This scheme will prioritise applications that have strong external engagement and the potential to generate future external research grant applications.
The deadline for both these opportunities is Monday 14 November. If you are interested in either, please get in touch with the ISJ.
The ISJ has a successful track record in securing external funding. In 2021/21 projects attached to the ISJ received £150,000 of funding to support activity over the next three years. If you have a project that you think fits within the ISJ’s remit which you would like to discuss, please get in touch.
Community Research Grants
In 2022 the ISJ launched a new Community Research Grant scheme, which invited Voluntary, Charity and Social Enterprise sector organisations to propose issues or themes that are important to them and which they would like help researching. The objective was to ensure that research undertaken is relevant and impactful and to conduct research in a more open and democratic manner.
In 2022/23 the ISJ is providing £45,000 of funding to six projects in collaboration with the following VCSE partners: Open Country, Bolshee CIC, York Archaeological Trust, Inclusive Equal Rights, Healthwatch North Yorkshire and York in Recovery.
The Community Research Grant scheme will be repeated in 2023, with a call for proposals from VCSE organisations to be launched in late February.
ISJ Blog and Podcast
The Institute for Social Justice blog welcomes contributions from across the University. Blogs might focus on research, community partnerships or social justice activity within the curricula. These can be submitted at any time and contributions from students or PGRs are also encouraged.
For each of our monthly podcasts, ‘Conversations in Social Justice’, we feature a different colleague from YSJ as host along with an invited external guest. Podcasts are recorded, edited and produced from a team of staff and students from YSJ’s journalism course. If you’d like to feature in a podcast, all you need to do is come up with the idea and have a stimulating conversation. You can listen back to previous podcasts and themes on Spotify. Email the ISJ to explore potential blog or podcast ideas.
Events and conferences
In 2021/22, the ISJ hosted or co-sponsored seven events, ranging from a PGR symposium titled ‘Making Waves’ to conferences on asylum seekers, equality and diversity, arts and mental health and more. One date for your diary already is:
Wednesday 15 March 2023
Archbishop of York Social Justice Lecture
Fozia Irfan, Civil society leader and Director of Children and Young People at Children in Need.
We are currently finalising plans for 22/23, but if you would like to co-host an event with the ISJ, let us know.
Students and Social Justice
As a university, one of our biggest social justice impacts is through the choices and careers of our graduates. The ISJ therefore seeks to maximise and celebrate student engagement with social justice.
The ISJ conducts projects with partner organisations – including charities, social enterprises, the creative sector, schools and more. These provide opportunities for students to gain experience working with communities and individuals through cross-school projects, such as the Living Lab (described below), and student internships and student-as-researcher roles. An annual internship connected to the ISJ facilitates student voice through sitting on the Institute’s Steering Group.
The ISJ also seeks to use its profile and cross-university status to celebrate and amplify student achievements and outcomes that relate to social justice, both within the curriculum and beyond. This includes awarding an annual student graduate prize in social justice.
As a new initiative, in 2023 the Archbishop of York’s Annual Lecture in Social Justice will be preceded by a student showcase, providing an opportunity to profile student engagement with social justice at a high-profile public facing event. We will be looking for student activity to present, so please get in touch if you have things to suggest.
Living Lab: Feeding the Campus
Living Lab is an interdisciplinary network of students and staff from all five Schools of the university as well as many professional services departments. In 2022/23 we will be collaborating to investigate how to create a campus food system that better meets the needs of both people and planet. Living Lab will include a series of events, film screenings, talks, workshops and student opportunities. Staff and students can explore more about the Living Lab on the Moodle page or by contacting Dr Cath Heinemeyer.
Read the full report into last year’s successful project, Living Lab: Learning at the Junction
And finally… One of the best aspects of my role as ISJ Director is learning about all the amazing projects and impactful activities that are going on across the University, and I’d love to hear from you. If you have any questions about the work of the ISJ or would like to get involved, please feel free to contact me, Matthew Reason, directly.
Best wishes,
Matthew Reason
Director, Institute for Social Justice
