The results from the Kids' Life and Times (KLT) Survey are now available, and provide an insight into what Primary 7 children think about major issues in their lives. In 2012, the survey included questions on shared education, bullying, and financial circumstances, and much more.

As with all ARK surveys, tables of results for every question, as well as the questionnaire, technical notes and the dataset, are available on the KLT website.

ARK also produces a child-friendly comic of KLT results. Issue 5 focuses on results from the 2012 survey, and is now available online.

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The new Memorials App provides a guide to the hundreds of Troubles memorials found in public spaces in Northern Ireland. Based on CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet), the app allow users to view information and photographs about each plaque, memorial stone, memorial enclosure or garden, and/or figurative statue, that has been erected in a public space during the conflict. Users can search on-line databases for memorials of interest, or use the geo-locating facility of the iPhone to find memorials that are close to their location. Users can also find information on the people commemorated by the memorial.

Further details and access information are available on CAIN.

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In February, ARK was very pleased to host two Year 13 placement students: Ewan Nixon from Lagan College in Belfast and Amy Madden from Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch. Ewan and Amy both spent a week working with the ARK team in the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work at Queen's. As well as attending a few lectures, they got a taste of some of the dissemination work that ARK is involved in.

Amy carried out internet searches related to the ORB Social Policy database. Ewan worked on a book chapter which will provide a young-person perspective in a new book based on the Young Life and Times survey, which will be published later in 2013. Both Amy and Ewan worked for two days on a new Relationship and Sexuality Education module for ARK in Schools, which we hope to release in April. We enjoyed having Amy and Ewan with us for their placement, and appreciated the work that they did.  

On Tuesday 12 March, Marie Louise Stig Sørensen (University of Cambridge) will outline the role of heritage in post-conflict reconstruction efforts, and identify the challenges encountered when attempting to translate research into policy statements and recommendations.

This seminar will be held NICVA, 61 Duncairn Gardens, Belfast, from 12:00-13:00, followed by a sandwich lunch. Everyone is welcome, and the seminar is free. However, places must be booked by email info@ark.ac.uk, or by telephone 028 7167 5513.

This seminar is co-hosted with INCORE, University of Ulster

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Two new publications are available:

• A new report Attitudes to, and knowledge of, Dementia in Northern Ireland by Lizanne Dowds, Patricia McParland, Paula Devine and Ann Marie Gray, is based on data from the 2010 Life and Times Survey.
• Issue 5 of What Kids Think, is a colourful comic presenting key results from the 2012 Kids' Life and Times Survey.

ARK produces a range of publications, including Research Updates and fact sheets. Most of these are available online. For a full list of publications, as well as links, visit our Publications page.

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ARK is a joint initiative between Queen's University and the University of Ulster, and began in 2000. Our mission is to make social science knowledge on Northern Ireland easily accessible to the widest possible audience. Most of our dissemination is via our website at www.ark.ac.uk, which is divided into four main areas:

• Surveys
• Conflict, Politics and Elections
• Policy, Research and Resources
• Outreach, Dissemination and Training - including publications and events

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