Welcome to the Community Noticeboard, the newest part of the Community Research Initiative (or CRIS to our friends). As a UCL student, you can browse through the ideas that we’ve collected from our local and wider London voluntary & community sector. Our neighbours. These ideas represent what local charities, community or citizen groups considers most important, right now, to further what they do, fill a knowledge gap, or change and improve something for some of the most pressing social issues.

This is the start of your participatory dissertation journey! This is knowledge democracy!

If you are looking for dissertation inspo, you might just find it here. Read the ideas below and use the expression of interest button to explain why you are interested and what experience or skills you can bring to develop the idea into a project… and your dissertation. If the Community Research Initiative is all new to you but you like what you are reading, make sure you also use the Get Skilled button to access the student skills development materials.

Favourite this tab and don’t forget to check back during January and February because new ideas will be added each week.

Can’t find anything suitable? Check out our Directory where you’ll find lots more organisations that are keen to hear from a student but haven’t yet articulated a specific idea for the Noticeboard is all.

Having issues with the process? Please let us know at [email protected] where we’ll try to help. Bear with us – this is a new frontier for us in 2021-22! We want to get the user experience just right so let us know what you think!

Orphans of HIV/AIDS: impact of charity's work on children's life and well-being
Starfish Greathearts Foundation
Starfish Greathearts Foundation began with a group of South African friends living in London who wanted to change things for HIV/AIDS orphans in South Africa. As an organisation, we are on a journey…
Children & Families
"Cash First" for community recovery from tragedy: piloting a different approach to food poverty after Grenfell
St Mary Abbots Rehabilitation and Training (SMART)
National food charities are campaigning to move to a 'cash first' approach to supporting those experiencing poverty, particularly food poverty. This is largely in response to the huge…
Social Policy
An Ageing Society: what keeps people healthy and independent as they age?
Kensington and Chelsea Over 50s Forum
Populations in the UK and throughout the world are ageing. This would mean that there would be an significant increase in use of social services, with associated economic impact in the future. Japan…
Older People
Phones for Living: What does provision of smart technology change for people experiencing homelessness and what are the digital skills gaps?
Thames Reach
Thames Reach works directly with homeless people and rough sleepers and works hard to stop vulnerable people from becoming homeless. This idea is about digital skills. We have given phones out to…
Homelessness
What do girls affected by the UK care system really need?
Sister System
Sister System is dedicated to bridging the gap between care-affected girls and mainstream society. Care-affected means experience of the care system in the UK. The care system is for children who…
Children & Families
What are the mental health benefits of cross-generational activities for older and other participants?
Talking About Our Generations
We would be interested in seeing what the benefits of being part of a collaborative cross generational group are. We know there are benefits to physical and mental health of our members of all ages.…
Loneliness
Community Empowerment in Green Spaces: Strengthening inclusion and diversity amongst greenspace Friends Groups
National Federation of Parks & Green Spaces
The National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces is the democratic voice of the important and inspirational grassroots movement of over 7,000 Friends of Parks Groups across the UK.

…
Buildings, Spaces, Urban
Making community services work for the community: Unlocking Kentish Town
Kentish Town Community Center
The Kentish Town Community Centre has gathered information on memberships since 2019 which shows how the centre has been used but would like to identify gaps in the information that would allow…
Buildings, Spaces, Urban
Wellbeing and long term support of community impacted by Grenfell fire tragedy
Grenfell Tower Trust
Evaluating the impact of the service provided since the 2017 tragedy. Deciding how to best continue until current funding runs out in 2024. Planning how to obtain further long term funding.
…
Buildings, Spaces, Urban
Why do students call London Nightline?
London Nightline
While London Nightline logs each contact in terms of its themes and content, very little analysis of this rich data has been conducted. This research project would focus on analysing the frequency…
Health Conditions
"I’d like to talk about my anxiety": different modes of health-seeking behaviour
London Nightline
London Nightline supports students through phone lines and instant messaging (IM). While Nightline logs every contact it receives, very little analysis has been conducted on this rich data.
…
Health Conditions
Science education for underserved children: what difference does it make?
Native Scientist
We work across Europe and provide different interventions to try and make a difference and make fair and equitable access to science education - we have 3000+ scientists working to do this and 20,000…
Education, Pedagogy
What are the motivators for education-based volunteering?
Native Scientist
We work across Europe and provide different interventions to try and make a difference and make fair and equitable access to science education - we have 3000+ scientists working to do this and 20,000…
Education, Pedagogy
Turning interest into community action: local government and Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens
Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens
There are five active ‘Friends’ groups in Bloomsbury, working in different ways and with different ambitions. But all need to engage effectively with their local communities so that volunteers come…
Buildings, Spaces, Urban
Greening London's urban spaces: connecting up smaller informal green spaces with the larger formal spaces of Bloomsbury
Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens
To investigate ways of ‘joining up’ the large green spaces in Bloomsbury with smaller pockets of greenery and in any other way (e.g. perhaps pavement-marked walking routes). This could link in with…
Buildings, Spaces, Urban
What do Africa's mothers really need? Making the case for upskilling midwives in DR Congo
WONDER Foundation
Our partners in DR Congo (Kinshasa) are seeking to introduce the first 4-year midwifery training programme in the country (Africa's third most populous, and with some of the continent's…
Education, Pedagogy
Spaces that empower vulnerable women learners.
WONDER Foundation
When we walk into a space it affects us. A grand building can make us feel insignificant, or privileged. A dirty room can make us feel uncomfortable, distracted, or disrespected. There is literature…
Buildings, Spaces, Urban
Social and health inequalities: what are the differences within the same London borough?
Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team
The idea for this research proposal is to explore the socio-economic disparity between residents of Lancaster West Estate (LWE), which used to run Grenfell Tower, and the more affluent surrounding…
Buildings, Spaces, Urban
The effectiveness of non-profit education programmes on disadvantaged children across Latin America
Breteau Foundation
The Breteau Foundation has been delivering quality education programmes to disadvantaged children across Latin America since 2016. Our work to date has reached more than 19,000 children across the…
Education, Pedagogy
Education for disadvantaged children: equitable access to quality STEM/STEAM at primary school
Breteau Foundation
We would like to explore the provision and availability of STEM/STEAM Education in primary schools for the regions we work in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Latin America. STEM/STEAM…
Children & Families