UoG professor wins international honour for education research in youth justice

University of Gloucestershire’s Professor Adeela Shafi MBE has received an international award in recognition of her research to improve education and training for young people in conflict with the law.

Dr Shafi, Professor of Education Youth Justice within the University’s School of Education and Science, has been awarded the Juvenile Justice Without Borders’ International Award by the International Juvenile Justice Observatory (IJJO).

The Juvenile Justice Without Borders’ International Award recognises and promotes the impactful work of people who contribute to the improvement of juvenile justice systems, and to the protection of the rights of children and youth throughout the world.

Professor Shafi has been honoured for her work in the research and development of interdisciplinary projects to improve education and training for young people in conflict with the law in custodial settings, promoting their educational and personal development, their interest in formal and informal learning, as well as their future employability.

The IJJO’s biennial award also highlights her efforts in investigating the most effective learning methodologies and adapting them to the needs of these young people.

Professor Shafi said: “Receiving this award was a complete surprise and incredibly humbling, especially because the recognition came from an international source.

“I am proud to receive this award because it is an opportunity for me to shine a spotlight on all the children and young people who have so much potential, but have little voice or power to directly change their situation or circumstances. 

“As a researcher, I feel my job has two main parts: to illuminate and present the evidence to lobby for change at policy level, and to develop educational materials and resources to support educators working with children and young people in custodial settings.

“I would like to dedicate this award to all those children and young people I have worked with alongside our teams because it is what they say that has shaped everything that I do.

“I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank all the people that I work with as researchers, collaborators, co-authors and students.  None of this work can be done alone and everyone has played a part in this journey.

“I also want to thank University of Gloucestershire and my colleagues there who have always supported the work I do and have allowed me to grow and pursue this important area of research.” 

Re=engaging young offenders with formal education

Professor Shafi has a background in psychology and education, teaching in higher education for more than 16 years, with her research drawing on psychological theories to explore how to re-engage young offenders with formal education and learning in a secure custodial setting. 

Her research is focused on how to re-engage incarcerated children and young people with education and learning. Most of this work has been on international projects with the aim of raising the profile and attention of this little researched area on an international stage.

These projects include the pioneering Active Games for Change programme that helps to develop the emotional and social competencies of young offenders through the use of games and sport.

Professor Sahafi is lead editor on a new international handbook by Palgrave entitled ‘The Education of Incarcerated Children and Young People’ and has established TRYJUSTICE (a Transdisciplinary Research for Youth Justice Network), which brings together key academics on youth justice from the disciplines of psychology, criminology, sociology, social work and law.

An active community worker, Professor Shafi received an MBE in Queen Elizabeth II’s 2020 New Year’s Honours List in recognition of her contributions in research and services to social justice.

Last year, she was recognised on a roll of honour celebrating British Pakistani academics, trainers and teachers who have made a significant contribution to education and wider society. She was included in a list of 75 nominated people compiled by the charity UPSIGN (UK-Pakistan Science and Innovation Global Network), which works globally to promote mentoring, supporting and educating UK-based British Pakistanis and Pakistanis, as well as highlighting their work in education and academia.