This year we are celebrating 20 years of Young Life and Times survey of 16 year olds. The first survey in today's format took place in 2003. Then, it largely focused on community relations, although it also included some questions on young people's education experiences. Since then, YLT has covered a wide range of questions concerning young people's lives and it has become one of the main tools to inform policy making on and for young people in Northern Ireland.

We have booked Malone House in Belfast for 29th November to celebrate the study's anniversary. We are delighted to welcome Chris Quinn, our new Commissioner for Children and Young People, as a speaker alongside some of our most well-known experts and prolific researchers who we have worked with over the last 20 years. They will consider what young people's lives in Northern Ireland are like 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement and will reflect on the positive contributions young people make to life in Northern Ireland.

And, yes, there will be cake... Register here

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Anti-bullying week runs from 13 to 17 November 2023. According to the 2017 Young Life and Times (YLT) survey of 16 year olds, 42% of respondents in Northern Ireland said they had been bullied at school, and 11% said that they had been bullied in the previous 3 months. Among 10-11 year olds taking part in the 2023 Kids' Life and Times (KLT) survey , 32% said they had been bullied at school. This is a serious issue, and we need to work together to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all pupils. If you are interested, click below for more details.

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ARK is Northern Ireland's social policy hub. Established in 2000 by researchers at Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University, its primary goal is to increase the accessibility and use of academic data and research. Most of our dissemination is via our website at www.ark.ac.uk, which is divided into five main areas:

• Surveys
• Projects
• Resources
• Publications
• Events

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