|
|
JRF Newsletter - September 2011
|
|
|
The riots: what are the lessons from JRF's work in communities?
|
|
|
|
Explaining the riots
|
|
It is difficult to explain the causes of the events around the country on 6–10 August: from the speed the riots spread, the role of social media, the distance people travelled to the various disturbances, to the social and ethnic backgrounds of those involved, it's complex.
While JRF does not claim to explain why the riots happened, our research over the last 20 years has examined social and economic conditions, community engagement, regeneration and partnership in poor and excluded neighbourhoods, drawing on evidence from hundreds of estates and neighbourhoods across the UK. A new paper brings together all of this information.
Opening statistics courtesy of The Guardian
|
|
|
There are things that could be done to help:
|
|
Affordable, consistent support and advice services for community organisations in deprived communities. Funding that does not fluctuate because of changes in policy.
|
|
|
Creation of plans and projects that work with the great complexity and diversity in deprived neighbourhoods – or they risk being rejected by sections of the population and so being unworkable.
|
|
|
Development of effective activities to engage young people. The efforts of some community groups working with very challenging young people need greater recognition and support. Every effort must be made to support youth services.
|
|
|
Flexible and innovative schemes to provide training and jobs in neighbourhoods with concentrated worklessness.
|
|
|
Plans to strengthen social enterprise and the transfer of assets to community organisations. For those deprived communities who do not want/ are not able to own assets or generate income: affordable partnership arrangements, including low-cost, high-impact approaches to regeneration and neighbourhood management.
|
|
|
In relationship to partnership working, Government being more even-handed in recognising the work of all sectors, including local authorities.
|
|
Read the evidence
|
|
What next?
|
|
The JRF believes that solid evidence has to be the driver for good policy. So, as policymakers develop responses to the riots, the need for solid evidence on the causes of the riots is crucial. Currently none exists.
This is why we are working with The Guardian and the LSE on an empirial study looking into the rioting and looting. We want policy responses to be based on evidence, not on conjecture.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No longer wish to receive these alerts?
Unsubscribe here
(warning: choosing this link will unsubscribe you instantly)
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation seeks to understand the root causes of social problems, identify ways of overcoming them, and show how social needs can be met in practice.
|
