One in 5 adults in Northern Ireland have a probable mental illness. In addition, our history of conflict here may have contributed to more complex mental health difficulties. Thus, accessing timely and appropriate mental health supports is vital. In this seminar, Professor Siobhan O'Neill and Dr Nicole Bond (Office of the Mental Health Champion) will highlight findings from the 2023 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey, exploring public experiences of accessing mental health supports. The event marks the release of findings from the 2023 Northern Ireland Life and Times survey.

The event will take place on Tuesday 14 May 2024, 10.30 to 12.00, in the Boardroom, Clifton House, 2 North Queen Street, Belfast BT15 1ES. Refreshments will be available from 10am. Places are free, but must be booked in advance.

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The Welfare State is perhaps the biggest social policy success of the post-war generation. In this seminar, Dr. Eve Worth (University of Exeter), author of The Welfare State Generation: Women, Agency and Class in Britain since 1945 will discuss the impact of the welfare state on the progress of women as individual agents and important workers in public sector jobs. In particular, the event will focus on whether the welfare state is worth saving, and what role each generation can play in maintaining social cohesion in a time of insecurity. As well as being open to the public, this event provides an opportunity for Social Policy students from Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast to come together to discuss important issues for society and politics.

The seminar will be held on Wednesday 24 April 2024, from 10.15 to 12.00, in the Linen Hall Library, 7 Donegall Square N, Belfast BT1 5GB. Refreshments will be available from 9.30. Places are free, but must be booked in advance.

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This two-day symposium focuses on good practice and challenges of undertaking participatory and collaborative research. The event features key note presentations by Timo Ackermann (Professor of Social Work at the Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences in Berlin) and Emily J. Ozer (clinical and community psychologist and Professor at the UC-Berkeley School of Public Health).

The symposium will be held in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University Belfast on 30-31 May 2024. Places are free, but must be booked in advance.

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Welcome to Dr Jonny Hanson, ARK's new Assistant Survey Manager based in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen's University Belfast. His particular focus will be on the Young Life and Times survey of 16 year olds, and the Kids' Life and Times survey of 10-11 year olds.

Jonny has considerable experience of quantitative and qualitative interdisciplinary attitudinal research, especially in relation to the agri-food, conservation and tourism sectors. He has also worked analysing, critiquing, communicating and applying survey results in diverse public policy contexts.

The ARK team is delighted to host Professor Rosellen Roche (Department of Primary Care at Ohio University) until the middle of May. Rosellen is a physician and social anthropologist who studies complex issues surrounding resiliency in populations during times of war and socioeconomic stress, and among health care providers.

One of Rosellen's key research interests is are the sectarian, racial and socioeconomic divisions within society and the populations she works with, and it is this aspect of her work that connects her with ARK and the Life and Times surveys.

Earth Day is on 22nd April. In 2019, the Kids' Life and Times survey explored what 10-11 year olds thought about the environment.

• 33% of 10-11 year olds knew alot about climate change, although 21% said they knew very little about it.
• 85% agreed/strongly agreed thought that we can all do our bit to stop climate change getting worse.
• 47% agreed/strongly agreed that climate change frightens them.
• 47% agreed/strongly agreed that one of the main reasons people don't do anything to tackle climate change is because they think no one else is doing anything about it.

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ARK is Northern Ireland's social policy hub. Established in 2000 by researchers at Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University, its primary goal is to increase the accessibility and use of academic data and research. Most of our dissemination is via our website at www.ark.ac.uk, which is divided into five main areas:

• Surveys
• Projects
• Resources
• Publications
• Events

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