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Michael Olatokun
Research Fellow in Citizenship and the Rule of Law; Head of Public and Youth Engagement
Biography Michael is a researcher and project manager focused on exploring the connection between rights, citizenship and education. He leads the Centre's strategic area of focus on Citizenship and the Rule of Law and is the Head of Public and Youth Engagement. He is the Coordinator of 'The Rule of Law for Citizenship Education', a nationwide programme in which young people are taught about the rule of law and human rights. As a result of the success of this work, Michael was asked to join…
CITIZENSHIP+1Citizenship and the Rule of Law: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
Michael Olatokun | 13th January 2020
The Bingham Centre has been a leading provider of public legal education to school students aged 11-18 since 2014. Alongside this work, the Centre has run short courses on the Rule of Law for legal practitioners and government officials. Our methods of public legal education are limited to those that we can physically interact with or those to whom we can deliver lesson plans. We will expand our reach next year by creating a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) to allow more people across…
CITIZENSHIP+1The Rule of Law Should be Taught in Schools
11th June 2019
The Bingham Centre is part of a consortium of institutions running 'RECONNECT', a four-year multidisciplinary research project on 'Reconciling Europe with its Citizens through Democracy and the Rule of Law'. In this RECONNECT post, Michael Abiodun Olatokun underscores the important role that human rights education can serve in solidifying the rule of law. This post first appeared on the EU Reconnect website .Poland and Hungary are new democracies where a developing rule of law culture…
CITIZENSHIPJoint response to a consultation of the Care of Children in Jersey Review Panel regarding the powers of the Jersey Children's Commissioner
Michael Olatokun | 8th January 2019
Joint response to a consultation of the Care of Children in Jersey Review Panel regarding the powers of the Jersey Children's Commissioner The State of Jersey has recently created a Children's Commissioner post in response to the recommendations of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry. Its legislature, the States Greffe, is in the process of legislating to set out the Commissioner's powers. Bingham Centre researcher Michael Abiodun Olatokun responded to a consultation regarding the draft…
CITIZENSHIPA Vision for Public Legal Education and The Rule of Law: A Joint Meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on The Rule of Law and Public Legal Education & Pro Bono
31st October 2018
Democratising the law requires people to be legally capable Many of the assumptions of the enforceability of the justice system rely on the notion that people with legal problems or disputes will act upon those issues to receive the entitlements they are due. Extensive research has shown that many people lack the knowledge, skills and confidence to do this. As a result, the Bingham Centre has worked tirelessly with others to promote the legal education of the public. This briefing paper…
CITIZENSHIPJustice Week 2018
Michael Olatokun | 31st October 2018
The regulators of lawyers in England and Wales run an annual campaign called 'Justice Week'. This initiative aims to boost the profile of justice and the rule of law, helping to place them at the centre stage of public and political debate. With many parts of the system at breaking point, now is the time to make a strong and clear case for why they are so fundamental to our society, economy and democracy. During the week the Bingham Centre convened politicians to discuss the rule of law…
CITIZENSHIP+1A Vision for Public Legal Education
31st October 2018
The Bingham Centre is a leading member of the Solicitor General's Public Legal Education Committee. As a member of this Committee, we have been at the forefront of developing the government's vision for public legal education in the United Kingdom. At a joint meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Public Legal Education and The Rule of Law in October 2018, then Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP launched a government statement on the importance of public legal education.…
CITIZENSHIPRule of Law Implications of the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill Briefing Note
17th July 2018
Following a succession of mainland terrorist attacks in 2017 that took thelives of 36 British citizens, the government committed to a review of its 'CONTEST' counter-terrorism policy. In July 2018 the Centre convened leading experts, including the then Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, to discuss the role that The Counter Terrorism and Border Security Bill would play in the CONTEST process. Elements of the discussion (summarised in the Briefing Note) revolved around: Whether…
CITIZENSHIP+1Awakening the Sleeping Giant
Ulysses Smith | 4th July 2018
As Americans head off to Independence Day celebrations, it is hard to ignore that the United States, like much of the world, is experiencing significant upheaval when it comes to the Rule of Law, and the norms, principles, and values that underlie it Published in The Hill on 4 July 2018 All is not well in the Union, such that developments that a couple years ago would have been unthinkable now appear on the front pages of American newspapers almost daily. Despite this fact, and the challenges…
CITIZENSHIPDLA Piper Global Fellows Development Programme
Michael Olatokun | 23rd March 2018
Over the last two years The Bingham Centre has partnered with DLA Piper to deliver training to graduate lawyers from across the world. These lawyers have been supported by DLA Piper as part of its Global Scholarships Programme. This initiative supports outstanding law students, known as Fellows, from less developed countries around the world and helps them define and achieve their own professional goals. There are currently 22 Fellows on the Global Scholarships Programme from countries…
CITIZENSHIPHuman rights education
1st March 2018
Michael Olatokun, Research Fellow in Citizenship Education and the Rule of Law, and Sabina Garahan, Researcher, wrote a blog about the importance of human rights education for the British Institute of Human Right's "March for Human Rights" Campaign. On 28 March 2018, a group of academics, campaigners and civil society leaders will gather at the Bingham Centre to discuss how we can best use human rights education ("HRE") to empower young people across the country to become active citizens in…
CITIZENSHIPErasmus and Brexit
1st November 2017
The provision of cross-border educational exchanges is a key achievement of the European Union. Despite this, Erasmus and the Erasmus+ programme have not featured as big ticket items in the Brexit discussion. Michael Abiodun Olatokun considered five key international education questions in 2017. This is available as a podcast interview here: https://soundcloud.com/user-918926390/erasmus-and-brexit-michael-olatokun Q: What was the Erasmus programme? A: The Erasmus programme was…
BREXIT+1Bingham Centre Submission to the Ad Hoc Select Committee on Citizenship and Civic Engagement
21st September 2017
Schools in England have been required to teach Citizenship Education since 2002. The provision of this subject has been marked by a period of decay over the last two decades. Michael Abiodun Olatokun wrote the Centre's submission on this issue to the Ad Hoc Select Committee on Citizenship and Civic Engagement. Publication - Download PDF Share Links Publication - Tags
CITIZENSHIPThe Solicitor General's Public Legal Education Committee
Michael Olatokun | 19th July 2017
The Bingham Centre is a member of the Solicitor General's Public Legal Education (PLE) Committee. The Committee was convened in 2017 by Robert Buckland QC MP to drive forward initiatives that increase the knowledge, skills and confidence of the public to deal with legal issues in their lives. Since its formation, the group has established a vision for PLE work in the UK. The group is currently working towards the following seven goals: PLE will be supported by a robust evidence…
CITIZENSHIPThe Rule of Law for Citizenship Education: International Law and Human Rights
Michael Olatokun | 1st July 2017
Former Bingham Centre Research Fellow Xiao Hui Eng produced a textbook with Dr Lawrence Mcnamara and Michael Abiodun Olatokun. Michael launched the textbook at an event in 2017 and it has been used in 200 schools across the UK since that date. The book received the SmartLaw Quality Mark for exceptional Citizenship Educaiton resources. Young Citizens assessors described the book as "a comprehensive resource addressing exciting but demanding topics head-on such as; international…
CITIZENSHIPHuman Rights Education for teachers
1st June 2017
The Bingham Centre is a member of the Association for Citizenship Teaching (ACT). This article was published in its Summer 2017 journal. ACT is the key thoughtleader in the Citizenship Education space and has been centrally involved in the development of the subject in England. Part of this thoughtleadership involves providing insightful articles on matters of relevance to ACT members. The Centre has engaged with citizenship teachers through communications, events and ACT conferences…
CITIZENSHIPMaterials supporting the teaching of Rule of Law and Citizenship in schools
1st January 2017
The lack of legal capability in today's Britain means that a substantial proportion of the public do not possess the skills and confidence to deal with legal issues that arise in everyday life. The teaching of Rule of Law and Citizenship in schools is a vital strategy for addressing this problem. With funding from the Legal Education Foundation and the Magna Carta Trust, the Bingham Centre has developed materials equipping teachers with the knowledge and skills to lead high-quality…
CITIZENSHIPThe Rule Of Law Must Be At The Centre Of Brexit
10th November 2016
The Rule of Law Must Be At The Centre of Brexit This post first appeared on the Huffington Post website. Friday morning's reaction to the Article 50 judgment has made me deeply reflective about the state of our politics. The Brexit era has been characterised by political announcements redolent of the deepest farce from 'The Thick Of It'. The EU Referendum has changed everything about British public life, and it is difficult to get a stable sense of what is actually going on as we lurch…
BREXIT+1The Rule of Law for Citizenship Education: Understanding Justice
Michael Olatokun | 4th June 2014
In 2014, the Centre launched an innovative education programme that has led the way in ensuring people from all walks of life have an understanding of justice. The project developed a curriculum of lessons on equality, human rights and access to justice that have been used by teachers across England. These resources were supplemented by support and events to improve teachers' capacity to deliver the materials. The resources were initially piloted amongst a small number of…
CITIZENSHIPReport on Immigration Detention and the Rule of Law
1st June 2013
The Bingham Centre has published its report, Immigration Detention and the Rule of Law: Safeguarding Principles. Led by Michael Fordham QC, with Research Fellows Justine Stefanelli and Sophie Eser, this report draws on legal instruments, promulgated standards, working illustrations and judicial observations. It includes 'soft law' sources and finds inspiration in the principled proactivity of non-governmental organisations. The Bingham Centre was awarded a research grant by the Nuffield…
CITIZENSHIP
Courts are becoming modern but may leave many behind
15th November 2019
An ambitious programme of reform The UK stands on the precipice of legal reforms that will revolutionise the way that litigants interact with the justice system. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is implementing over fifty projects in a £1billion programme of reform to "modernise and upgrade our justice system so that it works even better for everyone." Though disparate in scope and subject matter, each of these projects seeks to facilitate access to justice through…
CITIZENSHIP+1