INDEPENDENT ACADEMIC RESEARCH STUDIES
IMPACT REPORT 2013 Community-led solutions for a fairer society
Impact Report 2013
Contents Welcome by IARS’ Founder & Director
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An international think-tank and a research centre with a twist
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Our “business”
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A year on: Looking at our 4 core services
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The proof of the pudding is …
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Where does our money come from and go to?
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A little thank you for the Board
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Meet the IARS team
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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.
shape decision making. IARS is an international expert in criminal justice, restorative justice, human rights and inclusion, citizenship and user-led research.
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
IARS is a registered charity No: 1124590 and a non-profit company limited by guarantee No: 5348191.
Independent Academic Research Studies
Welcome by IARS’ Founder & Director elcome to our 2013 Impact Report! Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS) is a well-recognised, international think-tank known for its bottomup engagement methods of citizen participation, as well as its strong and independent evidence-base approach to social problem solving.
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I’ve had the pleasure of directing IARS since I founded it in 2001. The journey hasn’t always been easy. But the support and thus the impact have been incredible. Little I knew what to expect, when I put the first IARS website together with no funding or any HTML knowledge. I did not have a business plan or a clear idea about how I was going to fundraise or sustain an organisation. What I had was the support of other volunteers as well as the guiding light of three key principles upon which IARS was founded. I feel that in this Impact report I need to reiterate the founding values of my charity. I believe that these values still define IARS’ work, our projects and services, internal and external relationships and our entire modus operandi. This is what makes IARS, its people and services special. The day we breach them will be the day we stop being special. It will also be the day I will step down. Hopefully, this Report reflects the collective progress that we have made, while it also gives
you the information as well as the inspiration to get involved in what we do.
restorative circles for our staff meetings and I am particularly proud of our restorative justice projects.
User & civic participation Our first founding value is based on the belief that strong democracies are not those that elect and maintain systems of governance that cultivate and enforce power over others, but those that truly share that power with those who need it. This cannot be done by dictating how one should participate in civil life. This is especially true for those groups that have traditionally been disenfranchised let that be our young people or the victims of our overt or explicit biases. True empowerment happens when we let go of our own power and allow its organic transition into the hands of others. Despite the risks involved, when this happens the results can be incredible. I have seen it in the internal structures of my own organisation. When I let go, the staff team, our interns and volunteers see IARS as a ‘flower pot’ with fertile soil where they can grow their ideas and projects. And it is with these flowers and with flower after flower that I believe we can make demo(δήμος)-cracy(κράτος) more meaningful and worthy of its name. User participation and bottom up approaches to society’s problems also offer something very practical which cannot be captured by ‘experts’ living in ivory towers. And that is the grounded and lived experiences of those facing the problem that we are asked to solve. Hence, our strapline “Community-led solutions for a better society”.
Individual empowerment & responsibility
I am particularly proud of our user led projects including our youth-led 99% campaign and indeed the user-led research methods that we have pioneered around the world.
Restorative justice & dialogue When we feel that we have been wronged, we tend to go down the adversarial road, to shut down, to avenge and to punish. If there is one thing that I have learned from my research and personal experiences it is that contest breeds contest while harm is never truly restored. Healing is ignored and the powerful manifest their power even more. I have championed the restorative justice values of dialogue, equality, empowerment, negotiation, forgiveness, empathy and respect throughout my academic career and I would be disingenuous if I did not to adopt them for my own organisation. I hold
I see this principle as the glue and binding force for the other two. If we are to pursue a shift in power and demand a voice through participation in civic life or through dialogue in justice processes, then we must do so responsibly. This responsibility comes in many forms and in IARS’s case it is translated in the way we advocate for change. This has to be through evidence and the application of robust research methods. We are mindful, however, that certain truths can be discovered only through in-depth research methods and thus we have argued in favour of qualitative approaches to social problem solving. We publish our own peer reviewed Youth Voice Journal and maintain a small publishing arm. We are also proud of our non political and independent voice and programmes. We take responsibility for the result of the work that our funders and supporters empower us to do, and we teach this responsibility to those with whom we work. Professor Theo Gavrielides, IARS Founder & Director
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Impact Report 2013
An international think-tank and a research centre with a twist esearch in itself is not a charitable object. Research that can enhance the quality of life and indeed bring balance to distorted power structures within our society is a worthwhile and much needed charitable activity. Yes, we are proud for establishing ourselves as an international think-tank with a strong emphasis on evidence. But we are not just any research centre. There is a twist. Everything that we do, all the projects that we start and the processes that we adopt internally and with our partners are bottom up. We are user led through and through.
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As a victim and now a member of the RJE Independent Advisory Group of IARS, I have found any discussion encourages participation from all interested parties, in equal measure. This engenders positive and constructive debate from which to proceed. IARS brings significant intellectual thinking to its projects but has an evidence based accessible approach.
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Our stated mission is “Giving everyone a chance to forge a safer, fairer and more inclusive society”. We do this not from high ivory towers, but by empowering affected communities to produce evidence themselves and through engagements with their peers effect change. After all who is best placed to understand a problem? Usually those who are experiencing it in their daily lives let that be an issue of crime, human rights, domestic violence, immigration, covic participation or education. Our user groups includes young offenders, university and school students, refugee and asylum seeking women, young people, victims and anyone who wants to have a voice in society.
Emmanuel Ferguson
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Less than a year ago I was in a dark place, heavily involved in gangs and other underground illegal activities. I had been in and out of prison from an early age, some would say “a product of my environment”. The last time I was in prison I took the decision to try and break this dark cycle, essential to this change has been identifying what support I needed and getting access to that support quickly and effectively. A key to this whole turn around has been applying to work at IARS and the opportunity of a life time of being offered the job. I am now able to give back to the society that I had thought had turned its back on me. I have been working for IARS now for three months as the Youth Project Officer
for the Big Lottery funded ‘London Youth Now’ project. By IARS giving me this opportunity it has given me the chance to sustain good change in my life, it has helped me to believe in myself and reminds me that there is always a way out. Working on this project has enabled me to give back to the community after taking so much from it and given other young people chances I was unable to access so that they may choose to never go through what I had to.
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Gabrielle Browne
Independent Academic Research Studies
Our “business”
Here at IARS, we have focused our energy on what we know we do well. Where others are in a position to deliver better services, we support them. Our business model revolves around our central charitable mission of giving everyone a chance to forge a fairer and more inclusive society.
By supporting the individual (with an emphasis on young people) to carry out their own initiatives to shape decisionmaking
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The best thing about IARS’s project has been able to reach out to other women and getting to know them.
Project volunteer, Comic Relief, Abused no more Project
Sandra
Giving everyone a chance to forge a safer, farer and more inclusive society
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For me the best thing has been to be able to communicate without being interrupted, I’ve been able to be listened to, and give my opinion freely and that anyone can take into consideration.
By being an authoritative, independent and evidence-based voice on current social policy matters
Brooke Kinsella OBE
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Young people’s voices matter, but with so many challenges facing them around education and employment, it is easy for those voices to be lost. The work IARS is continuing with the 99 per cent campaign is an important step in giving our youth the chances they need to develop as individuals and contribute to the growth and strength of Britain, and I am pleased to support their on-going efforts to affect change through a youth-led structure.
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This has now changed. In fact the current climate has forced hundreds of charities in the UK and internationally to shut down. Those that survived must think differently, more professionally and competitively. However, this should not be at the cost of losing their charitable mission or their partners.
By carrying out action research that is independent, credible, focused and current
By acting as a network that brings people and ideas together, communciates best practice and encourages debates on current social policy matters
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Yemi
Our business model
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uring the 1980s and 90s, charities suffered bad reputation. The private sector also saw them as the product of naïve thinking by dreamers and people wanting to change the world. They were not seen as serious market competitors, but as small groups of friends acting with warm hearts and most of the times no qualifications.
Project volunteer, Comic Relief, Abused no more Project 3
Impact Report 2013
A year on: Looking at our 4 core services 2. Bringing people & ideas together – sharing best practice – encourage debates
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Published four new books: – Waves of Healing: Using Restorative Justice with Street Group Violence. – Listening to Young Women in Police Custody: mental health needs and the police response. – Race in Probation: Achieving better outcomes for black minority ethnic users of probation services. – Abused No More: The Voices of Refugee and Asylum-seeking women. Continued to publish our Youth Voice Journal making it available online for free. 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. Started a new pan-European project on the implementation of the Victims’ Directive focusing on the delivery of its restorative justice articles and by leading five other countries to create an evidence base to empower professionals and safeguard users.
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Held a national conference on race in probation. Held our annual conference debating community led solutions on race and gender inequality, immigration and crime. Continued our international Restorative Justice Research Network. Continued the Youth Policy Response Group. Shared news and views via our website visited by over 3000 new people per month. Shared best practice via our e-newsletters reaching over 2000 people per month. Spoke at various national and international conferences and held workshops. Through the Youth in Action EU programme we acted as a pan-European network on youth matters and social policy affecting the young people of Europe.
Holly Andersen Whittaker
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I joined the 99% campaign by chance as I was searching for an organisation that I could volunteer with to help make a difference and also raise my confidence. I had no idea that joining the 99% campaign would be so rewarding and in the short time that I’ve been with them I’ve achieved much more than I ever thought I could, and have had opportunities to get involved with some really amazing events. Being able to make a difference is what makes being part of the 99% campaign so great, and in the time that I’ve volunteered with them I’ve really seen some positive changes in myself as well.
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1. Independent – Credible – Focussed – Current – Action – Research
Team Member, Nominet Trust, 99% Campaign 4
Independent Academic Research Studies
Gwanwyn Mason
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Annika Small
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At a time when negative perceptions of young people are increasing, the 99% Campaign is vital in dispelling negative stereotypes of young people and promoting their involvement in civil society. Nominet Trust is excited by the role of technology in giving young people a voice and in scaling up the 99% Campaign across the UK.
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Continued the youth-led 99% campaign. Published the first 99% Campaign Magazine. Held for the second time the IARS Research and Leadership Awards. Provided 300 part time internships at our offices and 1,500 volunteering opportunities. Held youth consultations and events on issues such as hate crime. Continued the 99% blog website and various social media accounts visited and followed by at least 3,000 people per month.
CEO of the Nominet Trust
Alex McDonald
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I joined the 99% campaign last September. It was a strange time for me, as I was making the decision whether or not to go back to university. I made the decision to go back, on the condition that I got involved is sufficient activities beyond my studies that the graduate job market would be (hopefully) more malleable to me in a years’ time than it was then. The 99% campaign became a fundamental part of this. It has given me the opportunity to get my work published online, to engage with policy makers and work with young people. I fully anticipate that it will continue to give me many wonderful opportunities in the forthcoming months.
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4. Being an authoritative – independent – evidence based voice on current social policy matters
Team Member, Nominet Trust, 99% Campaign
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We maintained our seats in key decision making bodies nationally and internationally covering issues of crime, human rights, restorative justice and equality. We met with Ministers, MPs, government officials and service providers. Acted as advisors and expert consultants to London Probation, Greater Manchester Probation, Surrey and Sussex Probation, the Ministry of Justice, the Metropolitan Police. We submitted over 15 consultation responses covering restorative justice, education, citizenship, youth services and justice.
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As lead for Youth Engagement in the MPS I fully support the messages of the 99% campaign in highlighting all the positive contributions that young people make to our communities and society overall. I am privileged to spend a lot of time with brilliant young people who continually inspire me by dedicating their time to helping us to make life better and safer for Londoners. I believe we must do all we can to celebrate and publicise the large number of brilliant young role models we have in order to inspire more young people to fulfil their potential in similar ways. The 99% campaign provides us with an important and exciting opportunity to do just that.
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3. Supporting the individual & young people to shape decision making
Head of Youth Crime and Engagement Strategy, Metropolitan Police Service 5
Impact Report 2013
The proof of the pudding is …
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Evaluation of the Big Lottery Fund Realising Ambition project The Anne Frank Trust’s Schools and Ambassadors programme. Evaluation of the Young Mayors scheme in 5 boroughs of London. Evaluation of various restorative justice interventions in probation, the community, prisons and schools. Evaluation and review of probation services delivered by the London Probation Trust.
In the year that has passed we know that:
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Decision makers, practitioners, policy makers and academics attended our conferences and events.
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Young people and marginalised members of our community took internships at IARS to influence their democratic structures.
Membership
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continues to grow while we have increased the benefits but kept the price the same.
2,200
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Mail subscribers per month.
Theo Gavrielides and Shéree Prospere, IARS Volunteer 2013 Awards. 6
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20,000
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Unique visitors came to our website and over 1,600 people follow the IARS Tweeter account while another 2,500 follow our 99% campaign tweeter.
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300
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We also help others to measure the impact of their work. Working in partnership with them to make the most of their funds and ours, we use the Theory of Change to demonstrate their impact on their benecifiaries and our society. We support funding applications covering the evaluation side of proposed projects, while also providing tailored services to already resourced programmes.
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Examples of current and previous external evaluation projects
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hen it comes to reporting back to our supporters and members, what we are mostly keen on is monitoring our qualitative impact on the individual and our society. In the end, our measure of success is how close we come to our vision of the world and indeed in delivering our mission as a charity and as a world class think-tank.
Independent Academic Research Studies
Where does our money come from and go to? Lord Charles Falconer of Thoroton
Social Enterprising (£26,050)
Where money came from in 2013 Donations & Sponsors
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The current financial climate has hit young people the hardest. I encourage you to support IARS, a charity I am a Patron of. IARS has a mission to enable young people to reach their potential and participate in society as equal citizens independently of their background. But they can’t do it alone. I look forward to joining you in supporting their cause.
(£96,391)
Trusts & Foundations (£149,514)
Total: £ 387,810 Statutory Grants (£39,637)
Fundraising Costs (£9,045) Governance Costs (£552)
European Commission (£76,218)
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Support Costs (£28,354)
Total: £ 301,680
IARS Patron and Lord Chancelor (2003-7)
Where money went to in 2013
Programme Costs (£347,488)
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Impact Report 2013
A little thank you for the Board
On behalf of the IARS Board Gary Stack, IARS Trustee
IARS Trustees
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As a member of the IARS family for 2 years, it has been a truly amazing journey. Excited and passionate about the future, we aim to increase our impact by effectively communicating our valuable work across the sector, policy makers and the public by providing them with evidence-based solutions to current social problems. Led by the principle of individual empowerment, we aim to forge and nurture strong partnerships acting as a network that encourages bottom up dialogue and participation on decision making at local, national and international level, always remaining independent and true to our founding values and ethos.
Andriana Ntziadima, IARS Resources & Promotions Manager Pavan Dhaliwal
Gary Stack
IARS Patrons
Prof. Margaret Greenfields
Richard Harries
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In the past 5 months working for IARS, I have become passionate about the charity’s international and national work. We look forward to IARS using all that it has learnt on its ever growing international platform and focusing its expertise and heart on even more vital and needed niche areas in the global community that we are all a part in building.
Nicholas Faraday, IARS Projects Manager
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It has been a privilege and an honour to work for IARS since April 2011. I have increased my personal development, gained different skills and increased my knowledge along the way, both in my profession and also in relation to IARS projects. I look forward to continue supporting the excellent IARS team.
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IARS is an organisation that is forever evolving, and those who regularly follow us will know that we never rest on our laurels. This report proves exactly that, as the team have built on some amazing work over the past 12 months. The impact that third sector organisations like IARS have on real life at a grass roots level should never be underestimated, and as police officer and a front line public sector worker myself, I have seen first-hand the very positive
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank members, sponsors and supporters of IARS for your financial contributions. Without you, the work of IARS and subsequent outcomes and the positive outcomes on society would not be possible. In the year that has passed, IARS in consultation with its members and supports and through the leadership of its Founder and Director, has taken some bold steps in refreshing its team and focus. The future could not be more exciting. We look forward to continue working with our current members but also to welcoming new supporters.
IARS Managers
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impact IARS has on real life, particularly around criminal justice outcomes.
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know I speak for the whole board when I say how proud we are of the achievements to date of IARS and it is with great pleasure that I extend our sincere thanks and congratulations to Theo and the team who work so hard to give everyone a chance to forge a safer, fairer and more inclusive society.
Hatixhe Demushi, IARS Finance Manager
Lord Charles Falconer
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Sir George Newman
Sir Bert Massie CBE
Trevor Phillips OBE
Independent Academic Research Studies
Meet the IARS team Research Associates
Part-time Volunteers & Interns
Ben Lyon | Carolyn Leary | Barbara Tudor Clifford Grimason | Davina Patel Seccoro Green
Gabrielle Browne | Alex McDonald | Jessica Platt Maxwell Dean | Holly Annderson Whittaker Safoora Ahmed | Miriam Oliveria | Rosie Coleman Goknur Ozer | Ruth Martin Cerro Montse del peral | Maximiliano Portales Elle Costigan | Hannah Paterson | Alice Christian Charlotte Wu | Matthew Corr | Sophia Blake Carolyn Leary | Liane Hartnett | Sarah Lawrence Sheree Prospere | Tolu Onafowkan | Jenny Paterson Jane Namugwana Mustaba Ahmed | Miriam Oliviera Martha Everitt | Ed Armston | Lorella Demushi Andre Demushi | Jason Terry | Jessica Platt Maxwell Dean | Patrick Mckenna | Andrada Dobre Usman Hussain Lolia Harry | Kassandra Miles Adeleina Williams Alex McDonald | Adrian Adrian’s mum | Kiran Flynn | Denise Aindele James Childs | Dave Blin | Julian Emre | Y Lin A Manganelli | S Lamiat | Halimat Stefania Morosini | Chang Li Elias Papad Natasha Mellersh | S Zesmin | Dirie Ladan Izzie Chapman | Benjamin Hickey | S Shahnawaz Prossy Kayitesi | Denise Tshibangau | Aisha Kabejja Miriam Mazziwa | Fatbardha Begiraq Mojgan Monsaredi | Mariam Mansare Akberet Gebra | Opeyemi Onasemya | Sarah Ijeal Sylvia Kairu | Sandra Mbala | Sara Tsegay Elias Papadopoulos | Yolanda Shamash Connie Amo | Halimat Afolabi | Lamiat Satin Andrew Manganell | Lilian Lin | Dave Rublin Denise Akindele
Academic & Editorial Board Prof. John Winterdyk | Dr. Lee Hudson Dr. Sabine Selchow | Sinclair Coward Prof. Maria Hadjipavlou | Dr. Borbala Fellegi Dr. Margaret GreenďŹ elds | Rod Earle Prof. Richard Grimes | Prof. Vaso Artinopoulou Prof. Gerry Johnstone | Dr Loretta Trickett Prof. Brenda Morisson | Prof. Mara Schiff Prof. Sharon Everhardt | Dr. Sam King
Staff Team
Founder & Director: Dr. Theo Gavrielides
IT Manager: Steve Rose
Finance Manager: Hatixhe Demushi
Restorative Justice Research and Policy Analyst : Grace Loseby
Promotions and Resources Manager: Andriana Ntziadima
Office Administrator: Lorela Demushi
Project Officer (Youth): Emmanuel Ferguson
Research and Policy Coordinator : Dr. Natalia Paszkiewicz
Project Manager: Nicholas Faraday
Campaigns Coordinator: Ayesha Carmouche
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COMPANY NO: 5348191 | CHARITY NO: 1124590
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
In 2013 IARS was funded and sponsored by:
Funded by the Criminal Justice Programme of the European Union
159 Clapham Road, London SW9 0PU, UK +44(0) 20 7820 0945, contact@iars.org.uk www.iars.org.uk @_IARS_ /IARScommunity