Civic engagement

The School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) became a member of West Yorkshire Citizens (WYC) in January 2026. WYC is an alliance of civil society organisations that uses community organising to achieve social change.

A local chapter of a national organisation, Citizens UK, WYC brings together over twenty members in the region, including school trusts, community groups, and faith institutions.

In joining the alliance, POLIS is following in the footsteps of other university departments around the country which are members of local chapters. The membership will significantly develop and deepen the School’s local civic engagement and enable research around key themes such as local democracy, civil society engagement, citizenship and activism.

The partnership will enable research conducted by Dr James Souter (POLIS) and Dr Joshua Hobbs (IDEA Centre) on the roles and responsibilities of ordinary citizens in addressing structural injustice in the UK.

Using a grounded normative approach, they will explore how community organising may scaffold the activism of such citizens.

You can find out more about WYC here, and about Citizens UK here.