Title

Una

Research Team

Professor Paul Connolly (PI), Professor Tony Gallagher, Mrs Joanne O’Keeffe (Project Administrator)

Timescale

October 2007 – September 2014

Funder

Bernard van Leer Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies

Aims and Objectives

Una is a global network of leading researchers, policy-makers and practitioners that aims to reduce racial and ethnic divisions and conflicts and build socially inclusive and respectful communities through the promotion of effective early childhood programs.

Methodology

Una will achieve its aims by:

•  Research – undertaking research to increase understanding of the ways in which racial and ethnic divisions and conflict impact upon the lives of young children and their families and communities
• Community Development – supporting local early childhood organizations, communities and researchers to work in partnership to develop new and innovative early childhood programs aimed at addressing the negative effects of racial and ethnic divisions and conflict
•   Evaluation – evaluating the effectiveness of early childhood programs in order to contribute to the development of an international evidence base of what types of programs have been found to work for particular children and communities in specific contexts.
• Dissemination – providing an international platform for the sharing and disseminating of existing research and practice with regard to racial and ethnic diversity and young children

Outputs

Una currently has funding for a three year program of work that seeks to achieve the following key outputs:

• The establishment and maintenance of a website for the Una that will: provide up-to-date news and information on the work of the Una; contain open and fully-searchable databases of existing research and practice; and make available all of the reports and other resources produced by the Una.
• The production of a series of guides and resources to help local organizations and researchers design, deliver and evaluate early childhood programs that include a focus on racial and ethnic diversity.
• The development of strategic partnerships with local early childhood organizations and researchers in a number of regions characterized by racial or ethnic divisions and/or conflict and the securing of sufficient additional funding to enable work to begin on designing, delivering and evaluating new and innovative early childhood programs aimed at promoting socially inclusive and respectful communities.
• Towards the end of the three year period, to organize an international conference with the aim of: disseminating the work of the Una to date; drawing together and beginning to build supportive networks between the key organizations and researchers to be involved in the development of new programs; and launching this next phase of the Una’s work.

These first three years therefore represent the development phase of the Una. Beyond this, the longer-term goal of the UNA is to reach the position beyond year three where it can begin to work directly with local organizations and researchers to promote and support the development, delivery and evaluation of new early childhood programs.

Further Information

For more information please contact the Project Administrator, Joanne O’Keeffe, or visit the Una website at: http://www.unaglobal.org