Humansolutions Bulletin - January 11th 2018

I first met Colin in 1984. I had submitted a proposal for a part-time PhD to Keele University and I had been invited to meet with Colin, who was then head of social work at the University, to discuss it. I have never believed in the romantic notion of love at first sight, but this was certainly love at first discussion. He was so intelligent and thoughtful, so well-informed and erudite, but – most importantly – so enthusiastic. It was so stimulating and so energising to be with him – then, and every other time I met him. I drove home thinking ‘I am going to love working with this wonderful man’ and I was right. And that was what…

On the many occasions I have run managing conflict training courses I have emphasized the importance of listening. This is for two reasons. First, listening is a very good way of defusing conflict. Paying attention to what somebody’s concerns are can help to calm a situation down and avoid any unpleasantness. Second, not being listened to is what will often lead people into conflict situations in the first place. Consider consumer complaints, for example. People will often pay for a product or service, then find they are not happy with it and want the matter sorted, but they do not feel the need to make a complaint. But, when their efforts to get their problem with the product or service…

What do you think would happen if you invited an individual with mental health issues who had been homeless for many years to move directly from the street into housing? Loyd Pendleton shares how he went from skeptic to believer in the Housing First approach to homelessness -- providing the displaced with short-term assistance to find permanent housing quickly and without conditions -- and how it led to a 91 percent reduction in chronic homelessness over a ten-year period in Utah. Click here to read more

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) just turned 50—but age stereotypes in the workplace abound. Experts say that organizations need to move beyond outdated labels and embrace the value that older workers bring to the table. "Our culture fears aging," said Cathy Ventrell-Monsees, senior advisor with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in Washington, D.C. She was speaking on a panel at the American Bar Association's recent 11th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference. Ventrell-Monsees identified five major assumptions about older workers that need to be removed from workplace ideology. These stereotypes are easy to identify because they are so commonly accepted, but research refutes all of them, she noted. Click here to read more

Children and young people can help maintain their own well-being by following the five simple ways we have developed with New Economics Foundation - and parents can help In 2008, NEF (New Economics Foundation) produced their five ways to well-being framework for adults. This set of five actions - connect, be active, keep learning, take notice and give - were beneficial to adults. We wanted to find out whether this approach could work for children and young people, as well. So we've been working with NEF to create our Ways to well-being report. Together, we've: Asked around 1500 young people aged 10 to 15 a number of questions related to the five ways that we felt might be relevant to children’s lives Held focus group…

Two decades since Runnymede was first credited with coining the term 'Islamophobia' in our flagship 1997 report, we look at how the phenomenon has evolved over the past 20 years, and how it manifests itself today. This anniversary report (released November 2017) brings together varied perspectives from leading thinkers on inequality and Muslims in Britain, unpacking issues such as integration, hate crime, gender, identity and, of course, racism. The views expressed in each essay are those of the named authors and do not necessarily represent Runnymede's organisational position. Click here to read more