News and Blog

Roma civil society organisations in Europe: Navigating uncertainty in times of Brexit and COVID-19

Although European leaders have committed to creating more inclusive societies through the recently adopted 2020-2030 EU Roma Strategic Framework (October 2020), civil society organisations (CSOs) challenging Roma exclusion are facing a series of new uncertainties: the withdrawal of the UK from the EU (Brexit) and the COVID-19 pandemic. Across Europe, the exclusion of Roma is…

New civil society research confirms children’s human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

New research by WISERD Co-director Professor Paul Chaney examines civil society perspectives on children’s rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The study confirms widespread violations of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Since 1967 Israel has occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In 1980, Israel officially annexed East Jerusalem…

Is there a geography of volunteering in Wales?

In Wales as elsewhere, the role of volunteers has been brought to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic as people offered their services to help address the needs of vulnerable groups within their communities. Concerns surrounding the sustainability of such volunteering efforts have drawn attention to the types of infrastructure that could help facilitate and…

The pit closures of the 1980s – part of Mrs Thatcher’s green eco-strategy?

The 1984-85 miners’ strike has once again hit the headlines, despite ending 36 years ago. This time what has grabbed the media’s attention is a claim by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that Margaret Thatcher’s closure of the pits after the strike was part of a green, eco-strategy of the Conservative government. On a visit to…

Special education needs of excluded children in Wales

Pupils differ significantly in terms of their individual characteristics and needs. It’s therefore important for schools to be able to identify and assess the level of need/disability, and provide for pupils with learning difficulties that call for special education provision, described as special education needs (SEN). Under the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales)…

Is anyone ‘too small’ to make a difference?

During the recent G7 summit in St Ives, hundreds of protesters gathered to participate in demonstrations and activities about environmental issues. One of the most prominent images in media reports of these protests is of two children on the beach, with a colourful sign reading ‘no one is too small to make a difference’. The…

WISERD Summer Series 2021

Due to Covid-19 restrictions in place at the time, the WISERD Summer Series comprised four online events in place of our usual Annual Conference. These events explored some of WISERD’s established and developing research areas and saw the launch of two new research networks – the Migration Research Wales Network and the Well-being Network. To…