INDEPENDENT ACADEMIC RESEARCH STUDIES

IMPACT REPORT 2011-2012

Community-led solutions for a fairer society

Contents

Contents
Welcome by our Founder & Director Looking at the world through the IARS window What we do A year on The proof of the pudding is Where does our money come from and go to? Thank you from our Chair Meet the IARS team 01 02 03 04 06 07 08 09

Who we are
IARS is a leading, international think-tank with a charitable mission to give everyone a chance to forge a safer, fairer and more inclusive society. We achieve our charitable aims by producing evidence-based solutions to current social problems, sharing best practice and by supporting young people and the community to shape decision making. IARS is an international expert in criminal justice, restorative justice, human rights and inclusion, citizenship and user-led research.

Impact Report 2011-2012 Independent Academic Research Studies

Welcome

Welcome by our Founder & Director

here is always a point in an organisations history when you know that it is special. I look back at 2011-12 with much pride and indeed emotions for what we have achieved. This was the year, when young IARS established itself as a world class thinktank recognised for its expertise and passion in enabling communities, irrespective of their location, characteristics or background, to participate in civic life and inform, inuence and shape decision making, policy, legislation and practices. It hasnt been easy! So, welcome to this years impact report! For those who have followed IARS for some time, it will become apparent that the language and style we chose for this report is rather different from previous years. This is because we came to realise that producing high quality, peer review publications with complex arguments and ground breaking research is not enough. We need to be able to communicate with everyone and for everyone, and yet without losing sight of what we are respected for.

This year we also undertook a review of our services and membership. We recruited a new Chair and Vice Chair who then went on to refresh the Board and lead on developing a new 3 year Strategic Plan which we are putting into effect from April 2012. Having run formally since 2004 and with enough projects and successes under our belt, we proceeded with condence to pin down what we are really good at. We cleared our language and constructed a common dictionary that articulates the reason for our existence and what we do on a day-to-day basis to materialise our charitable mission. Founded in the principle of individual empowerment, IARS exists to give everyone a chance to forge a safer, fairer and more inclusive society. Reaching over 2,000 volunteers, 300 interns and thousands of organisations from around the world, we can safely say that the year that has passed was successful. We found ourselves presenting our work in Canada, Greece, Lithuania, France, Belgium, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt and in all corners of the United Kingdom. As a truly

international think-tank, I saw my team working passionately to materialise our charitable aims, believing in my own vision and making me proud as if I am heading a big Greek family who, though may sometime live in each others pockets, we do so because of love. The new year is indeed exciting, but not without its challenges. We need to think outside the box particularly when it comes to income generation. More partnerships need to be formed while we have to look at business models that allow us to deliver our charitable aims. I look forward to working with our new Chair, John Palmer, my Board, staff team, interns and volunteers, and of course our members and services users. Much gratitude goes to our funders and all the individuals and organisations that entrust us by working with us, sponsoring our projects or donating to our charity. Prof. Dr. Theo Gavrielides

Professor Vasso Artinopoulou f. Vice Rector, Professor of Criminology at Panteion University (Greece)

Impact Report 2011-2012 Independent Academic Research Studies

IARS mission for community-led solutions to current social problems helps us as academics, to develop new lines of thoughts and methods of research and scientific dialogue

Dr. Theo Gavrielides and Professor Artinopoulou

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Through the IARS window...

Looking at the world through the IARS window

ike most charities and voluntary organisations, IARS was set up to ll a gap in service provision and help make the world a better place. We view our society as a place where everyone is given a chance to actively participate in social problem solving. We have evidence to believe that there is still a long way to go before marginalised groups and indeed every individual feels that they are given their fair chance to have a voice and indeed contribute to society through its democratic structures.

Human rights, equality and fairness cannot be materialised without inclusion in decision making processes that directly affect us. Democracy will remain an empty shell, if citizens are not provided with a genuine chance and the infrastructure to participate and engage in civic life. This is particularly true for young people. IARS founding principle is individual empowerment. We believe that the best solutions can be found in the individuals whose lives are affected by the problem we are trying to address - whatever that is let it be crime related, public service provision or integration. While enabling individuals to produce their own community-led solutions, IARS staff, Board, interns and volunteers act in the spirit of partnership, dignity, integrity and honesty and we remain independent, fearless and respectful of diversity and equality issues. We are determined to be known for our strong organisational ethos rooted in our founding value of individual empowerment as well as our professionalism and expertise driven by values, integrity, dedication and passion.

Gillian Walnes MBE Co-Founder and Executive Director The Anne Frank Trust UK

Sporting Sisters film launch event at the Womens Library

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The current economic climate forces everyone to revisit their business plans. Charities are no exception. But as Anne Frank said nobody needs wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. The Anne Frank Trust highly values its partnership with IARS and look forward to delivering our joint 5 year Realising Ambition programme. There is no time to lose, and we are glad that we can join forces with a likeminded charity that places emphasis on evidence and communities

What we do

What we do

aving a vision is not enough. We also need the necessary action to materialise it. In fact, social action and community leadership have never been more needed in society. At IARS, we deliver our mission to give everyone a chance to forge a safer, fairer and more inclusive society: By carrying out action research that is independent, credible, focused and current By acting as a network that brings people and ideas together, communicates best practice and encourages debates on current social policy matters By supporting the individual (with an emphasis on young people) to carry out their own initiatives to shape decision-making By being an authoritative, independent and evidence-based voice on current social policy matters.

After a very difficult second year at university, I was at a low point in my life. I took a gap year and thats when I found IARS. IARS gave me confidence and a feeling of personal achievement. My confidence was grown further when I was offered a position to support the running of IARS 99% youth-led campaign. Being entrusted with this role was a huge incentive to do well; for the IARS team, the campaign and for myself. Since I left IARS in August 2011, I have completed my bachelors degree. This is a real achievement considering I was very close to dropping out altogether. I have also accepted a job at Royal Bank of Scotland and I will be applying for the Civil Service Fast Stream and the HM Prison Service Graduate Scheme. I am looking forward to the life ahead! Clare Askew IARS Intern

As an independent, advocacy organisation we have a mission to transform young peoples lives by enabling them to have a better future, and participate equally and democratically in civic life. IARS young people learn to inform policies and practices affecting them whether at a local, regional, national or international level.

IARS 99% Campaign young volunteers with Lewis Parle, Programme Director
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A year on...

A year on

ooking at our 4 core services, in the year that has passed, we achieved the following:

1. Independent Credible Focussed Current Action Research

Published the book Restorative Justice & the Secure Estate: Alternatives for Young People in Custody Published Volume 2, Issue 2 of our peer reviewed Youth Voice Journal Published in partnership with de Sitter Publications the book Rights and Restoration within Youth Justice Carried out research and published in peer review journals and newsletters in the areas of restorative justice, criminal justice, child sexual abuse, violence against women, riots, equality and human rights.

2. Bringing people & ideas together sharing best practice encouraging debates
Set up the international Restorative Justice Research Network disseminating cutting edge research, training and grant information to over 1000 individuals worldwide Continued the Youth Policy Response Group bringing together 15 youthfocused organisation to coordinate policy responses to government Shared news and views via our website visited by over 14,300 people Shared best practice via our e-newsletters reaching over 2000 subscribers per month Held a national conference for 100 people on restorative justice and prisons Held a lm screening for 100 people focusing on Muslim womens history in sports Spoke at various national and international conferences and held workshops Through the Youth in Action EU programme, we acted as a panEuropean network on youth matters and social policy affecting the young people of Europe.

Mail subscribers LinkedIn following 20000 18000 16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 99% Campaign Twitter following IARS Twitter following IARS Website (unique followers)

Some statistics do matter! IARS social media following

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A year on...

3. Supporting the individual & young people to shape decision making

Continued the youth-led 99% campaign serving over 2,000 volunteers Provided 72 part time internships at our ofces and volunteering opportunities for 775 young people to be involved in community and education outreach activities and another 554 young people to get involved in research Produced the youth-led lm Sporting Sisters: Stories of Muslim Women in Sports watched by over 3,000 viewers and disseminated to schools and libraries Set up the new 99% Campaign blog website and various social media accounts visited and followed by at least 2,000 people per month.

4. Being an authoritative independent evidence based voice on current social policy matters
We submitted over 20 consultation responses covering policing, the prison service, restorative justice, education, citizenship, youth services and justice We established IARS Publications as an independent small publisher We maintained our seats in key decision making bodies nationally and internationally.

For the last 9 months I have been volunteering for IARS on the Muslim Women in Sport project. This has been a fantastic opportunity for me. I had never managed a project before and IARS gave me the opportunity to try something new and prove myself. Ive learnt a great deal about managing projects and I am no longer afraid to delegate tasks, assign people roles and work with what youve got! Volunteering with IARS has changed my perspective on my career path. Having worked on the project, I now want to go into documentary film making and research, something that I would not have found out if it were not for this project! Saa Abdullah IARS Intern

IARS VOLUNTEERS, Sultana Zesmin, Safia Abdullah, Zeenat Rahim, Eirteqa Sultan
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The proof of the pudding...

The proof of the pudding is

lthough numbers do matter, what we are mostly passionate about is monitoring our qualitative impact on the individual and the society. In the end, our measure of success is how close we come to our vision and indeed in delivering our mission as a charity and as an international think-tank. Some highlights from the year include: In May 2011, we provided support to one of our volunteers to speak on a panel at a community consultation about Stop and Account. Danni spoke effectively about the importance of maintaining records of Stop and Accounts from a young persons perspective. The Metropolitan Police took seriously her views and the evidence we submitted and as a result they agreed that no changes should be made to the way in which information is recorded during a Stop and Account. This was a success both in terms of the impact it had on London based policing policy and also for Dannis own personal development in having the condence to speak in front of a large audience at the Mayors Ofce at the age of 19. Danni said: This was not something I thought I would have been able to do prior to my time volunteering with IARS.

In October 2011, our consultation response to the UK Governments Positive for Youth paper was picked up by Parliamentary Under Secretary for Children and Young People, Tim Loughton. He was particularly interested in the arguments we made about how to promote a more positive image of young people through the 99% Campaign. Three young people were invited to meet with the Minister to discuss their ideas. In the nal Positive for Youth policy, a direct reference was made to the 99% campaign.

Minister Tim Loughton MP meets IARS 99% Campagn volunteers

IARS and RJC conference on restorative justice in prisons

In December 2011, we launched our book Restorative Justice & the Secure Estate: Alternatives for Young People in Custody at a national conference where 100 people attended along with representatives from government, policy and academia attended. Subsequently, the UK Parliamentary Under Secretary with responsibilities for prisons and youth justice wrote to us explaining how our research ndings will help the Ministry of Justice develop their strategy for restorative justice in prisons. Soon after, the UK government announced the commissioning of 1.5 million to be spent on training of prison staff on restorative justice. The book was later presented at a European conference in Budapest where 200 experts from around the world commented on its ndings. It is now being referenced as a key resource for researchers, policy makers and practitioners worldwide.

IARS Interns in action

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The proof of the pudding...

At the beginning of their IARS journey, we ask all our interns and volunteers to set three goals; we review their progress at the end of their placement. Heres what some said about how they progressed: I feel like I've progressed in meeting facilitation skills. I've learned to voice my opinion a bit more and also to be patient and hear out other opinions. My condence wasn't that good before I joined IARS but since I started attending the meetings and doing dierent activities, I have improved a lot and I am able to participate in any debate or discussion that goes on. My condence level is very high now.

99% Campaign award winner receives his prize from Bexley CEO and the Mayor of Bexley in the middle of the football pitch
At the end of their volunteering with IARS 100% of volunteers surveyed rated both their self-motivation skills and team working skills as between 7-10/10, an increase of nearly 10% since they started. 97% volunteers surveyed feel that their voices are listened to within the organisation.

Where does our money come from and go to?

Where money came from in 2011-12: Where money went to in 2011-12:
Fundraising Costs (8,752) Support Costs (36,216) Governance Costs (926)

Donations & Sponsors (56,001)

Statutory Grants (61,617)

Social Enterprising (62,147)

Total: 375,669

EU Grants (70,448)

Total: 301,680

Trusts & Foundations (125,456)

Programme Costs (292,002)

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From the Chair

Thank you from our Chair

s you read this report its been a busy, challenging and successful year for our charity. Speaking as a relative newcomer, it is gratifying to see how widely our impact has been spread across an extensive range of topical issues. For example we have developed unique insights into last years riots, continued our youth-led 99% campaign, looked into issues focusing on youth safety on public transport, worked with young women in the criminal justice system, established ourselves as a leading thought leader on restorative justice and youth volunteering. I was particularly impressed by the Sporting Sisters project, focusing on the heritage of Muslim women in sport. This project gave a group of young Muslim women, opportunity to produce an entertaining lm and develop a great new learning resource that has now been viewed on youtube by over 3,000 people and is disseminated widely and freely to schools in England. One of my rst priorities as Chair has been to help IARS renew its vision, mission and core business objectives. Rather than produce the new strategy in isolation, we ran a robust process, which involved an away day and in-depth consultation with past and present trustees, our outstanding staff team,

dedicated volunteers, attentive peers and generous supporters. I strongly believe that we have developed a new strong and achievable strategy for the organisation. Our vision of a society in which everyone is given a chance to actively participate in social problem solving, is a particularly relevant aspiration given the challenges that we all face in these difcult times. At IARS, we believe that everyone should have a chance to contribute to forging a safer fairer and more inclusive society. As you will see from this report, we produce evidence-based solutions to current social problems, we share best practice, and also support young people in their communities, enabling them to shape policies and practices that directly impact on their lives. Despite the challenging economic, political, and funding climate, IARS has continued to grow, deliver successful outcomes, and innovate projects across a wide range of social justice issues. Our impactful work would not be possible without the total dedication of our staff and volunteer team, led by Dr Theo Gavrielides. We are fortunate to have an energetic and visionary leader who is totally dedicated, ensuring that IARS continues to achieve excellent outcomes for our society. As I

IARS Chair, John Palmer, giving a Jack Petchy Award to IARS volunteer
have got to know the team better, I have become even more inspired by their dedication and commitment. I would also like to use this opportunity to thank our departing trustees, Helen Deakin, Jack Lewars and Stephanie Drakes. They have all greatly contributed to shaping IARS future success. Myself and the Board, team and volunteers remain indebted to our funders, patrons and supporters who trust and believe in our work and who through their funding and other means of support have assisted IARS in engendering change and retaining our high standard. As we look back over the past years successes, it is important to be clear about the challenges that we will face in the future. We must continue to deliver successful outcomes to the projects which are currently underway, we have to continue focus on growth, in particular widening our funding and income generation opportunities, and we must develop strategies which will raise our prole, to ensure that decision makers and opinion formers are inuenced by our work. I am really looking forward to working with the IARS team, our new Trustees and indeed showing even greater impact over the coming 12 months. John Palmer, Chair of the IARS Board of Trustees

Dr. Margaret Greenelds Research Director of the Institute for Diversity Research, Inclusivity, Communities and Society (IDRICS) at Buckinghamshire New University

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Our partnership with IARS enables our two organisations to exchange ideas, staff, resources and knowledge which help us to support each other in our shared mission of enhancing community strengths through action research and recognition of the value young people bring to their local areas

The IARS Team

Meet the IARS Team

IARS Patrons Board of Trustees
John Palmer (Chair) Keith Grifths (Vice Chair) Elise Leclerc Maria Stephens Francoise Ghaly Adam Fellows

Research Associates
Lord Charlie Falconer Sir George Newman Matina Marougka | Saa Abdullah | Rakshita Patel Ben Lyon | Zeenat Rahim | Dr. Margaret Greenelds

Academic & Editorial Board

Prof. John Winterdyk | Dr. Lee Hudson | Dr. Sabine Selchow Sinclair Coward | Prof. Maria Hadjipavlou | Dr. Borbala Fellegi Dr. Margaret Greenelds | Rod Earle | Prof. Richard Grimes Prof. Vaso Artinopoulou | Prof. Gerry Johnstone Dr Loretta Trickett

Staff Team
Sir Bert Massie CBE Trevor Phillips OBE

Part-time Volunteers & Interns

Kamer Dunnus | Jocelyn Xavier, Sua Shahnawaz | Jane Namugwana | Grace Anstey | Shruti Morzaria | Tosin Ajaayi | Andrea Charalambous | Asha Ali, Annalise Amoako | Awel Akuei | Megham Bidwell | Krystal Sommah | Mariam Serrokh | John Teamrat | Ifeatu Nnaobi | Jabrane Iguider | Tatiana Garavito | Danni Briggs, Alex Amileke | Charley Bird, Ben Hickey | Ruth Onuoha | Anna Lose | Joyce Ogechi Okezie | Layla Ferguson | Sonia Akthar | Saleha Begum | Nicole Zhao | Isabel Chapman | Aaron Thompson | Shere Prospere | Sakib Rashid | Ladan Dirie | Rubaiya Yasmin | Sabrina Jahan | Sultana Zesmin | Asma Ali Farah | Noorjahan Begum | Russi Akther Khanom | Fatima Alrayes | Saa Abdullah | Roma Khatun | Clara Collingwood, Natasha Mellersh | Zeenat Rahim | Sophia Kosmider | Eirteqa Sultan | Sean Illing | Elias Papadopoulos | Yolanda Shamash | Chang Li | Stefania Morozini | Halimat Afolabi | Lamiat Sabin | Andrew Manganelli | Lilian Lin | James Childs | Denise Akindele | Ashley Major | Angie Lai | Parisa Karbassi | Matt Corr, Sophie O'Neill | Manon Sell | Calvin Mcleish.
Founder & Director: Dr. Theo Gavrielides Programme Director: Lewis Parle Research & Policy Coordinator: Rachel Cass

Project Coordinator: Holly Challenger

Comms & Marketing Ofcer: Mathew Corr

IT Manager: Steve Rose

Finance Manager: Besa Hasaj

P/A to the Director & Ofce Administrator: SarahTopa

Finance Ofcer: Hatixhe Demushi

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As a charity, IARS relies on grants, sponsors and charitable funds to deliver its charitable aims and make a difference for society. We work closely with our funders and sponsors to ensure that their expectations and vision are met. If you would like more information on how to support our mission please contact IARS Director, Dr. Theo Gavrielides T.Gavrielides@iars.org.uk COMPANY NO: 5348191 | CHARITY NO: 1124590 In 2011 2012 IARS was funded and sponsored by:

159 Clapham Road, London SW9 0PU, UK +44(0) 20 7820 0945, contact@iars.org.uk www.iars.org.uk @_IARS_ /IARScommunity