The results of the 2022 Young Life and Times (YLT) survey are now available online. 2,073 young people aged 16 years took part, and gave their opinions on good relations; community safety; shared education; gender-based violence; and politics. A seminar was held on 31 August to launch the release of the findings, and a video of the event is available.

Full details of the survey, including questionnaires, technical notes and data are available on the YLT website. Find out more

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The results of the 2022 Kids' Life and Times survey are now available. 4,639 children in Primary 7 classes across Northern Ireland participated. The survey explored a range of issues, including home and family; school and bullying; and Shared Education.

Full details of the survey, including questionnaires, technical notes and data are available on the KLT website.

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The Dementia in the Minds of Characters and Readers is proud to announce a new book published by New Island Press.

In this anthology of fourteen new short stories, commissioned and edited by Jan Carson and Jane Lugea, some of the best contemporary writers powerfully and poignantly explore the depths and breadth of the real dementia experience, traversing age, ethnicity, class and gender, sex and consent.

Importantly, these pieces of short fiction disrupt the perceived notions of what dementia is and, in their diversity, honesty and authenticity begin to normalise an illness that affects so many and break down the stigma endured by those living with it every day.



The contributing authors are Suad Aldarra, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Jan Carson, Elaine Feeney, Oona Frawley, Sinead Gleeson, Anna Jean Hughes, Caleb Klaces, Naomi Kruger, Henrietta McKervey, Paul McVeigh, Mary Morrissy, Nuala O'Connor, and Chris Wright.

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A new Policy Brief Stay Onside: Applied Football Studies by Conor Murray, John Bell, Philip McCready, Colm Walsh, Gavin Breslin and Brendan Coyle presents the key findings and recommendations from a psychosocial evaluation of two modules: Introduction to the Sociology of Football and the follow-up Football and Society delivered to individuals on the separated regime in the high-security Maghaberry.

ARK produces a range of publications, including Research Updates and Policy Briefs. Most of these are available online. For a full list of publications, as well as links, visit our Publications page

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The second of the Next Generation Thinking in Research on Ageing series will take place at 10am (Belfast), and 2.30pm (India Standard Time) on Wednesday 14 September.

The power of the 'three effects': Generational thinking at the crossroads of identity, development and class will be presented by Professor Bobby Duffy (via zoom). This webinar will focus on the significance of these period, cohort and lifecycle effects in understanding changing generational perspectives about polity (identity movements) and development (globalisation, economic liberalisation), and the role of class in it.

The event will be chaired by Murchana Kaushik (Postgraduate Researcher at Queen's University Belfast and Tezpur University, India), who will give a response on the significance of Professor Duffy's work for the Indian context.

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We're delighted that Professor Ann Marie Gray, Co-Director of ARK, has been appointed as Chair of the Social Policy Association. The Social Policy Association (SPA) is the UK's professional association for teachers, researchers, students and practitioners of social policy.

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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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