DEMOS

Mona Chalabi

Full-time Media and Communications Intern, May to September 2008

I am currently an undergraduate in International Relations, studying at Sciences Po in Paris next year before returning to the University of Edinburgh to finish my degree.

Prior to working at Demos, I spent a year at the Bank of England settling international gilt and equity transactions with other central banks. I have also worked for an MEP and my local Racial Equality Council to explore the impact of migrant waves on social cohesion.

At Demos I have written operational notes, newsletters, flyers for events and contributions for Think Tank watch. My responsibilities include planning events, taking calls from the press, updating the Demos website, organising mail-outs and acting as a strict librarian for past Demos publications. Media awareness is a crucial part of my role here – to keep apace of all developments which could be of relevance to Demos researchers and to be aware of Demos’ own presence in the media.

The diversity of responsibility as a media and comms intern has also given me opportunities to conduct research for Demos. This has ranged from researching the relationship between Politics and Emotions for an upcoming Demos pamphlet, to exploring contemporary values and beliefs in Britain as part of the DIUS’ Horizon Scanning Project. I have also been able to analyse Conservative ‘green’ policies, look at the effectiveness of current anti-social behaviour policy and even attempted to anticipate the impact of the new Charities Act on Demos. The media and comms internship offers a massive breath of opportunity for gaining extra experiences and skills – from attending Bill debates in Parliament to participating in Demos podcasts.

This summer, Demos has also given me the chance to spend a week at a local newspaper. The experience was a valuable insight into the way in which press releases are turned into articles. 

I have absolutely loved my Demos experience so far.

 
Contact mona.chalabi@demos.co.uk

 

Sally Hancock

I joined Demos in May as a part-time Research Intern. 

I have a BA in Politics from Durham University and I am currently studying for an MSc in Social Policy and Planning at the London School of Economics.

My research interests include welfare state regimes and the ideological premises which shape them, experiences of poverty and social exclusion and the dynamics between social class and educational outcomes. My Masters thesis will compare the qualitative experiences of state and public school pupils in the UK who are invited to Oxbridge admissions interviews.

 
At present, when I am not working at Demos, I spend all spare hours revising for my finals.

Demos mentor: Celia Hannon

sally.hancock@demos.co.uk

Jonathan Birdwell

Research Intern, March to May 2008

I joined Demos in March 2008 and have devoted most of my time to the ESRC Radicalisation project, studying the connection between violent and non-violent radicalisation in Muslim communities in the UK, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Canada. 

I have been involved primarily doing research and analysis concerning the UK and Canada.  On the latter, I researched and wrote the Canadian background paper, which included history, demographics, immigration and counter-terrorism policy frameworks, Muslim social organizations and infrastructure, media portrayal of Muslims and incidences of terror-related threats and arrests.  I also assisted Rachel Briggs in writing a paper on UK radicalisation for the Centre for European Policy Studies.  I am currently doing work on the quantitative analysis side of the project with the aid of social network analysis programs. 

After graduating in 2004 from University, I worked in New York City as a litigation paralegal in an international law firm.  I moved to London in 2006 and began an MSc at the London School of Economics in Philosophy and Public Policy.  My research interests at the LSE included philosophy of economics, environmental policy and moral philosophy.  Before coming to Demos I was an intern with the UK charity, the Environmental Law Foundation. 

My time at Demos has been extremely fruitful:  I have been able further my research skills and knowledge of UK and European policy on a topic of particular importance, while at the same time meeting a number of great people, interns and researchers alike. 

 Demos Mentor:  Peter Harrington

 If you would like to get in touch with me, please email to:  jonathan.birdwell@gmail.com

 

Stephanie Shankland

I joined Demos as a research intern in March 2008, and am mainly working on the Atlas of Ideas project.

I completed a BA in PPE at St Hugh's College, Oxford and promptly decided to leave the country for a while.

After 2 years lecturing on British and American Government and Culture in Henghui University, China and travelling around Asia I came back to the UK to complete an MSc in ‘State, Society and Development in Asia and Africa’ at SOAS. The title of my dissertation was 'The Crisis of Youth in Ghana: Mineral Resource Conflict and Structural Adjustment Policies'.

I've spent the last two years researching energy market trends and producing conferences at Platts, an international energy news and pricing provider.

My main research interests include the alienation of youth and security in developing countries; environment, energy and development; and energy and security in international relations.

The internship at Demos is great, I get to really be involved in the research work on the Atlas of Ideas project, contribute to meetings whilst also helping with important tea-making duties for events.

Demos Mentor: William Higham

stephanie.shankland@demos.co.uk

 

Katherine Robinson

I joined Demos in March as a part-time research intern. 

I have a Masters in Migration and Diaspora Studies from SOAS and a BA in English and German Literature from Oxford University.
My research interests include issues around migration, such as identity and understandings of place.  My Masters thesis discussed Turkish communities in Berlin. 
At Demos I am researching a range of topics, from mental health to migration, and assisting on the radicalisation project with some Danish translation.

When I'm not working at Demos, I am the PA to the Director of Fundraising at a medical charity.

Demos mentor: Jamie Bartlett

katherine.robinson@demos.co.uk

 

 

Alex Hunt

Media and Communications Intern, March to May 2008

MA Politics from The University Of Edinburgh.

During my time at Edinburgh I developed a keen interest in how art and popular culture affects public policy.  I wrote my dissertation on the social and political role and significance of political satire, a concept I felt was ill-defined and poorly represented in academic literature. Since graduating in 2005 i have  been working in central London for one of the UK's largest Independent publishing houses, developing valuable skills in marketing, sales and negotiation.  The Demos internship programme presented the perfect opportunity for me to combine my interests in social policy and popular culture with the experience I have gained from my work experience to date.  The Media and Communications programme offers the chance to participate in a wide variety of activities and to learn important skills demanded for a future career in public affairs.

Demos Mentor: Faizal Farrook

To get in contact with me please email me at
alex.hunt@demos.co.uk

Nicola Hughes

Research Intern, February - April 2008

BA Theology & Religious Studies, University Of Bristol.

My work at Demos has been primarily focused on public services. I have been working on the second phase of the Participative Public Services project, exploring the ways that we might apply self-directed services and personal budgets to a range of public services. As part of the Building Communities for the Future project, I have been researching the Primary Capital Programme, talking to local authorities and schools about the issues they are facing with the programme, and considering how new ways of building schools can enhance community engagement. I have also been helping to develop proposals on public service ethos, exploring public service values in the modern context of mixed economy provision. Working on the Saved for the Nation project has given me valuable insight into the cultural aspects of Demos work, looking at the crisis in the cultural conservation sector.

Since graduating in 2005 I have spent time travelling and working in a number of public sector organisations, including Acas, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and the Department for Work and Pensions. The Demos internship has been a fantastic opportunity to build on the policy and research skills I developed in these roles, and I have really enjoyed the mix of desk research and fieldwork.

Demos Mentor: Celia Hannon

To get in contact with me please email me at:
nicolaclairehughes@hotmail.com

 

Tom Barker                                

Research Intern, February - May 2008              

BA History, University of Cambridge

My work at Demos so far has focused around the organisation's skills programme, investigating various aspects of adult skills provision in the UK and considering ways in which the current system could be improved. Working on this project has given me invaluable insights not just into the substantive issues of the topic itself, but more generally into the workings of policy making, government and the importance of challenging received wisdom and entrenched attitudes.

While the project(s) you work on form the core of your daily life at Demos, the joy of an internship lies in the variety of research, events and tasks you participate in. Very few days are the same. For example, since starting here I've had the opportunity to take part in one of the 'Going Dutch' series of seminars, attend a speech by John Denham (Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills) and help out at the Home Secretary's recent speech on ID cards, hosted by Demos.

Demos is a fantastic organisation to be part of, offering its interns an array of opportunities that few organisations can match. From a personal perspective, my time here has given me a real understanding of the nature of research at a think tank and the various considerations and forces that contribute to shaping publications, as well as helping to shape my own understanding about contemporary policy debates.

Demos Mentor: Peter Bradwell

To get in touch, feel free to email me: tombarker86@hotmail.co.uk

 

 

Miae Woo

I have worked primarily on the ‘For Your Information’ project, which analyses the implications of increased online data sharing of personal information. The best part of my work at Demos is that I could understand the interaction between government, companies and the members of the public on the launch of new policies through their operations. It gives you an insight into the whole lifecycle of a strategy analysing feedbacks on each stage.

 

I am interested in making sense of the new issues brought by social change and technological developments. My interests cover contested commodities such as sexual service, organ sales and genetic design of children, and I finished a master’s dissertation at London School of Economics on what, if any, obligations we have to future generations. I will be graduating in December 2007 with a Master of Science degree in political theory. I read international relations at Seoul National University, concentrating on international political economy of technology, and was awarded in my final year a second prize without first prize at OECD Essay Contest on globalisation held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea. The award took me to Paris as well to attend the OECD Forum held in 12-13 May, 2004.

 

Demos mentor: Alison Harvie

Demos referee: Peter Bradwell

 

To get in tough or request a CV, please contact on:

miaewoo@gmail.com

James McGibney

 

I’m currently two-thirds of the way through a degree in Modern History at Merton College, Oxford.  My interest in working at Demos was partly influenced by my interest in ideas and social change, but probably much more so by the fact that it seemed like a very stimulating place to work, combining provocative research with considerable influence on national policy.

At Demos I have been involved in two projects, both related to public services.  One, the Esmee Fairbairn User-Led-Design project, employed cutting-edge design techniques to wholly involve users in the creation of public services.  As part of this I spent a week in Lewisham working with young people to find out why they thought their friends didn’t take better advantage of local employment and education opportunities and what they thought could reverse this trend.  The second project, Participative Public Services, is a study of recent advances in the provision of personalised social care, which will culminate in several high-profile conferences aimed at making these advances the norm nationwide.  As part of this I am producing a review of relevant literature and helping to organise a variety of events in the build-up to the conferences.

I am enormously enjoying my time at Demos, and cannot recommend it more highly for anyone looking for exposure to current policy debates in a vibrant yet wonderfully relaxed working environment. 

Rupert Faircliff

 

I am currently in my third year at the University of Edinburgh, studying for an MA English Literature and History of Art. I have developed an interest in journalism and the media over a number of years, having undertaken work experience with my school magazine, the Daily Telegraph and my local paper. I am also the current Culture Editor of Edinburgh Student Newspaper.

Demos has been a great place to combine my passion for the media with my interest in current affairs and the political agenda. As Media and Communications Intern I have developed my skills and learnt more about working in an office environment. I’ve been involved in a variety of projects, including a daily policy-specific news update, assisting with Demos’ media campaigns, and undertaking research. I also have co-ordinated, edited and sent out the fortnightly email update to the subscribers, and produced a database and A to Z of previous recommendations Demos have made in their reports for the prospectus.

Demos is a great place to work: enthusiastic, laid back and influential.

For further info, please email rupfair at yahoo.co.uk

Tuur van Balen

 

At Demos, I mainly worked with the Cities group, both doing initial research and helping out on what is probably the most exciting project in the history of Demos: Bristol Urban Beach. I also did some initial research for a Science and Technology project on bio-engineering and human enhancement.

In 2006, I graduated (cum laude) with a Master of Science in Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology. After working in the design industry for a while, I started a Masters in Design Interaction at the Royal College of Art. But how did I end up in a think tank called Demos? Well, my passion lies in the design of products and services and the way they fit into the bigger context of change and innovation.  I started this internship at Demos to experience further high-level research into this complex area, and it didn't let me down.

More about me on my website: www.tuurvanbalen.com

Dom Potter

 

Fresh from graduating with a degree in politics from The University of Nottingham, I started at Demos in July 2007. While at university I developed an interest in public policy, and wrote an article on the role of think tanks in contemporary public debate in the UK. My dissertation focused on the public administrative conditionalities of the European Union during the process of accession, and specifically examined the accession of Slovenia and ongoing accession negotiations of Croatia in a comparative study of Sigma reports. Following on from this, I am now undertaking research work for the OECD, scrutinising the Commission’s language and approach to accession negotiations.

During my internship, I principally worked upon the Building Communities for the Future (BCF) project alongside a number of other projects. The project aims to develop an understanding of how the ‘community’ can be engaged in the process of the government’s Building Schools for the Future programme.

Throughout the internship, both my opinions and my work have been valued and I feel like I have contributed to the development of the projects I have worked on. It has proved an intellectually invigorating and socially stimulating experience, and one which will continue to inform my own opinions and aspirations far into the future. Working at Demos is great fun, but while there is a dizzying flow of activity, people and ideas, behind it all is an underpinning passion to contribute to making people’s lives better.

Ting Yeh

I am currently a second year JD degree candidate at Harvard Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. I graduated from Harvard University in 2004 with a degree in Chemistry. After graduation, I had a wide variety of odd jobs and positions, including the National Programming Director of the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association, head manager at a New Jersey diner, and a legal assistant at a personal injury practice. I also traveled extensively in Taiwan and Japan. My interests include constitutional law, international law, negotiation and dispute resolution in East Asia.

During my time at Demos I worked on the Place Race project looking into the relationship between highly skilled, creative workforce and the cultural and physical aspects of places. Specifically, we explored what makes talented people “tick”—what do they like in a place, what do they avoid in a place, and how can places attract them to migrate and settle there. I was also part of the Healthy Conversations project, looking at how the UK can improve its healthcare system through rethinking the relationship between general practioners, patients, and other components of a patient’s healthcare experience.

In my spare time I like to write short fiction, poems, and essays about Taiwan where I was born. I also like to cook and serve my kitchen experiments to unsuspecting family and friends. To see some of my writing and projects, visit www.tingsworkshop.blogspot.com.

 

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