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Social Justice Strategy & Consulting for Movements, Funders, and NGOs

NB Social Justice Studio.
Research. Planning. Practice

You want to make real change. So do we.

We work with people who care deeply about their communities, their work, and the futures they are building. Our role is to support you, your team, and your partners to find clarity, direction, and confidence in what you are doing.

We bring together evidence, strategy, cultural insight, and community knowledge to help people work well together, learn from each other, and build systems that are fairer, more connected, and more humane

STRENGTHEN YOUR IMPACT

the studio

Who we are

NB Social Justice Studio is a research, planning and practice partnership led by Dr Michael Barron and Jaime Nanci. Between us, we bring over four decades of experience working in social justice – across activism, the arts, human rights, equality policy, cultural practice, academia, philanthropy, and youth and community work.

We work with people in grassroots organisations, civil society, funding bodies, government and public services to strengthen social justice work and the wider world around it. Our approach is grounded in care, integrity, and accountability, and in a shared belief that good strategy must always stay connected to people, culture, and imagination.

SEE OUR WORK IN ACTION

Dr Michael Barron

michael@nbsocialjustice.studio
Dr Michael Barron is a strategist, author, researcher, and social justice practitioner with over 25 years’ experience across youth and community work, philanthropy, public policy, and international advisory roles. He is the author of How Ireland’s LGBTQ+ Youth Movement Was Built: Civil Society in the Pursuit of Social Justice, a widely recognised account of how sustained community organising reshaped Irish public life and policy. His work is grounded in frontline practice and shaped by long-standing relationships across the youth, equality, and human rights sectors. He is a founder of BeLonG To, Ireland’s national LGBTQ+ youth service, and played a leading role in the Marriage Equality referendum, helping frame a hopeful, values-based public conversation about the kind of society children should grow up in. He later led education-equality reform through EQUATE, successfully removing the Baptism Barrier in Irish schools and widening access to education for children of all backgrounds. Michael works closely with government departments, has advised international bodies including the Council of Europe, UNESCO, and the OSCE, and has supported philanthropic strategies focused on social justice and civic change. At NB Social Justice Studio, he leads applied research and strategy that helps organisations navigate complexity and move forward with clarity, confidence, and integrity. He holds a Doctorate in Social Science from Maynooth University.
CONTACT MICHAEL

Jaime Nanci

jaime@nbsocialjustice.studio
Jaime Nanci holds a Master’s degree in Creative Musicianship from the University of Ulster and is a strategic researcher, writer, and cultural consultant working at the intersection of culture, philanthropy, and social justice. With over 25 years’ experience, their work brings participatory, narrative-led insight to research, evaluation, and strategy, supporting organisations to navigate complex social and policy challenges. A natural connector and constructive disruptor, Jaime works across disciplines, sectors, and communities-linking lived experience, creative practice, and institutional decision-making while challenging assumptions and inherited ways of working that limit impact. As a co-founder of The Rowan Trust, Jaime helped shape its values and research culture and developed Ireland’s first Cultural Activism Fund, embedding artistic practice and community-led creativity within strategic philanthropy and social-change infrastructure.
CONTACT JAIME

Social Justice Strategy & Consulting for Movements, Funders, and NGOs

Our partnership

NB Social Justice Studio grew from two intersecting paths – one rooted in strategic reform, the other in creative inquiry. Together, we design work that is evidence-based, imaginative, and alive, connecting people, policy, culture, and community.

PARTNER WITH US
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nyci-logo
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"Michael and Jaime's facilitation process was transformative. They didn't come with generic solutions; they created the space for us to build trust, navigate tough conversations, and unlock our own collective intelligence. We came out of the process not just with an actionable plan, but as a more aligned and resilient team with a renewed sense of shared purpose."
John Smith
Co-founder, Stop the Stigma campaign
"Michael and Jaime's facilitation process was transformative. They didn't come with generic solutions; they created the space for us to build trust, navigate tough conversations, and unlock our own collective intelligence. We came out of the process not just with an actionable plan, but as a more aligned and resilient team with a renewed sense of shared purpose."
John Smith
Co-founder, Stop the Stigma campaign

Social Justice Strategy & Consulting for Movements, Funders, and NGOs

Why this work matters

Across the social-justice landscape, a lot of powerful work is happening.

People in communities, grassroots groups, cultural spaces, civil society organisations, funding bodies, and public services are doing important work every day – often with limited time, limited resources, and growing pressure.

Many of the people we work with recognise that:

  • Social change involves long-term and complex challenges
  • People bring huge commitment, but often need space to pause and reflect
  • Good work benefits from time to think, learn, and plan together
  • Strong connections between people, policy, culture, and power really matter
  • It can be hard for people’s stories and experiences to reach decision-makers
PARTNER WITH US
NB Social Justice - Michael Barron planning research evaluation consultants in Ireland

CONSULTANCY for funders, ngos, and community movements

What we do

We work across research, strategy, and advisory support to help communities, organisations, funders, and governments sharpen their contribution to social justice and systemic change.

Our values

People first

We start with people’s real experiences and community knowledge, and we make sure they shape the questions we ask, the research we do, and the decisions that follow.

Truth with care

We are evidence-led, honest, and accountable. We don’t dress things up or simplify what people are living through, and we work in ways that protect dignity, trust, and relationships.

Culture is power

We believe culture changes what’s possible. We support artists and cultural activists, and we use art, storytelling, and imagination to shift narratives, build solidarity, and hold complexity.

Brave research

We use applied research to go to the edges of systems and communities, to surface issues that are often ignored, sensitive, or hard to talk about. We work carefully and ethically, and we bring what we learn into spaces where real decisions are made.

Building the next generation

We support emerging leaders, organisers, artists, and researchers to grow with confidence and purpose. We share tools, offer mentorship, and work in ways that help people stay connected to each other and to the long view of social change.

We build the work together

Social justice is collective work. We help people work across roles and sectors — community, culture, civil society, funders, and public bodies — to build trust, shared ownership, and lasting relationships.

Credits: End Shame, End Blame, End Criminalisation and Women/Life/Freedom murals by Holly Pereira and Em Blake, with Yaran Collective. Photographs by Ror Conaty.

IN PRACTICE

See our work in action

NB Social Justice Studio grew from two intersecting paths – one rooted in strategic reform, the other in creative inquiry.

Together, we design work that is evidence-based, imaginative, and alive, connecting people, policy, culture, and community.

OIP-18

National Youth Council of Ireland: Evaluating Equality and Intercultural Youth Work

NB Social Justice Studio partnered with the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) to conduct an external evaluation of its Equality & Intercultural Programme. The work was framed as a collaborative evaluation process, designed to generate clear insights, accessible analysis and practical next steps that reflect the realities of contemporary youth work in Ireland.
THIS IS HOW WE DID IT
OIP-15
  • Human rights, Team building

Community Foundation Ireland: Philanthropy, Power and Protecting Democracy

In 2024–2025, Community Foundation Ireland asked NB Social Justice Studio to take an honest look at what “democracy protection” really means in Ireland. Through confidential conversations with civil society, funders and field experts, and an analysis of Irish and international practice, we mapped where philanthropic money can genuinely strengthen democratic life – and where it can unintentionally reinforce existing power imbalances. The result was a practical Ten Levers for Democratic Protection framework and clear strategic pathways that now guide more intentional, values‑led funding decisions.
THIS IS HOW WE DID IT
OIP-14
  • Activism, Immigration

Together for Yes: learning from Ireland’s landmark abortion rights campaign

In 2018, Ireland voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment and legalise abortion after one of the largest feminist and civil‑society campaigns in its history. Together for Yes united more than 100 organisations in a national, values‑driven coalition for reproductive rights, blending grassroots organising, strategic communications and feminist leadership. In the months after the referendum, the campaign’s Co‑Directors commissioned an independent learning review – not as a victory lap, but to honestly document what worked, what was hard, and what future movements could do differently. NB Social Justice Studio’s precursor, Michael Barron Social Change Consultancy, was asked to lead that work.
THIS IS HOW WE DID IT
OIP-16
  • Activism, Funding, Human rights, Ireland, Irish, LGBTQ+, NGO, Queer, Strategic planning for NGOs

The Rowan Trust: Rapid-Response Funds and Cultural Activism for Grassroots Justice

At The Rowan Trust, we built rapid-response and cultural-activism funds with INAR, Dublin Pride, NYCI and Create, designing small, flexible grants that moved quickly to anti‑racist, youth and queer organisers, while sitting alongside wider core funding to Ireland’s social‑change NGOs.
THIS IS HOW WE DID IT

Ready to strengthen your strategy for justice?

Let’s build something lasting – together.

BOOK A FREE CONSULTATION

Publications & insights

Explore the research and ideas that fuel our work. This collection features our key publications, toolkits, and media appearances on topics ranging from human rights and public health to community activism. Grounded in real-world experience and rigorous analysis, these resources offer practical insights and strategic frameworks for anyone committed to building a more just and inclusive society.

How Ireland's LGBTQ+ Youth Movement was Built book cover by Michael Barron

Book

How Ireland's LGBTQ+ Youth Movement was Built

This book offers the first comprehensive study of how LGBTQ+ youth civil society shaped Irish public policy. Combining activist insight with academic analysis, it traces Ireland’s journey from decriminalisation to marriage equality, showing how organised movements achieve change over time. Praised by former President of Ireland Mary McAleese as “a powerful chronicle of courage and conviction,” it offers lasting lessons for future social justice work.

EXPLORE
This report sets out a training programme to challenge drug-related stigma in public services. Commissioned by Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign, it draws on research with frontline staff and people who use drugs, developing a practical, adaptable training template to support respectful, equitable service delivery and reduce barriers to access.
Publication

Challenging Drug-Related Stigma in Public Services

This report sets out a training programme to challenge drug-related stigma in public services. Commissioned by Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign, it draws on research with frontline staff and people who use drugs, developing a practical, adaptable training template to support respectful, equitable service delivery and reduce barriers to access.
READ
This first-of-its-kind toolkit supports post-primary schools to build safe, supportive and inclusive school communities for LGBTI+ students. Aligned with the Department of Education Wellbeing Policy and a whole-school approach, it sets out six practical action areas grounded in student wellbeing, leadership, and positive educational outcomes.
Toolkit

LGBTI+ Safe and Supportive Schools Toolkit

This first-of-its-kind toolkit supports post-primary schools to build safe, supportive and inclusive school communities for LGBTI+ students. Aligned with the Department of Education Wellbeing Policy and a whole-school approach, it sets out six practical action areas grounded in student wellbeing, leadership, and positive educational outcomes.
DOWNLOAD
This report maps LGBTI+ youth services and non-alcoholic safe spaces across Donegal, supporting delivery of the LGBTI+ Youth Strategy. Commissioned by Donegal Education and Training Board, it documents exclusive and inclusive provision for young people aged 15–24, using desk research and service surveys to inform targeted youth funding and area profiling.
Publication

Mapping LGBTI+ Youth Services and Safe Spaces in Donegal

This report maps LGBTI+ youth services and non-alcoholic safe spaces across Donegal, supporting delivery of the LGBTI+ Youth Strategy. Commissioned by Donegal Education and Training Board, it documents exclusive and inclusive provision for young people aged 15–24, using desk research and service surveys to inform targeted youth funding and area profiling.
READ
This review documents learning from the Together for Yes campaign, which led to the repeal of Ireland’s 8th Amendment. Drawing on surveys, interviews, and collective reflection, it explores how a national civil-society movement was built, adapted, and sustained, offering practical insights for future social change campaigns.
Publication

Learning from the 2018 Together for Yes Referendum Campaign

This review documents learning from the Together for Yes campaign, which led to the repeal of Ireland’s 8th Amendment. Drawing on surveys, interviews, and collective reflection, it explores how a national civil-society movement was built, adapted, and sustained, offering practical insights for future social change campaigns.
READ

CONTACT nb sOCIAL JUSTICE STUDIO

Let's start a conversation that matters

Don’t let complexity stall your mission. Whether you’re ready to launch a new strategy, stuck in complex gridlock, or simply scoping out a potential collaboration, we’re here to listen and bring in clarity.

Schedule a brief exploratory chat today to look at your challenges, and let’s map out your next step.