ASCEND Workshop 2023

ASCEND workshop on social cohesion - social entrepreneurship and community based initiatives

Professor Israr Qureshi and Australian Social Cohesion: Exploring New Directions (ASCEND), a strategic initiative of the Australian National University (ANU), are inviting applications from PhD students to attend a workshop at the University in Canberra on 1-2 November 2023.

This workshop will bring together academic experts and practitioners from ANU and across Australia to discuss pressing issues in social cohesion, wellbeing, and resilience as it relates to marginalised communities.

Day one will give students the chance to meet established academics, and present and receive feedback on their work.

Day two will provide you with an opportunity to meet and network with leading practitioners working in the social enterprise and not-for-profit sector from across Australia.

We are looking for students who are advanced enough in their PhD programs to be able to present a full paper. Your research should look at marginalised communities, including on account of their remoteness, ethnicity, or economic status. Ideally, your research will connect to concepts from social entrepreneurship, indigenous entrepreneurship, or immigrant entrepreneurship. Your research focus can be on Australia or overseas.

What you will get

• coverage of your travel expenses (flights or other form of mass transport to Canberra from anywhere in Australia)
• one or two nights of accommodation in Canberra
• meals throughout the day
• the opportunity to present your work to experts and practitioners in your field from ANU and across Australia

Apply for the 1-day or 2-day stipend

If you would like to attend the first day of the workshop, please submit an abstract of 800-1000 words detailing your research project to Dr James Gordon (james.gordon@anu.edu.au) by Tuesday 12 September 2023. Subject to funding, a small number of students will receive two nights of accommodation allowing them to attend both days of the workshop.

If you would like to be considered for the two-night stipend, please include an additional 200-word statement outlining how meeting social enterprise practitioners will be beneficial for your research.

Please use the workshop application form for your application.

For further information, please email Dr James Gordon (james.gordon@anu.edu.au) or Dr Kien Nguyen (nv.kien@anu.edu.au).

About ASCEND

ASCEND is a strategic research initiative of ANU that designs methods and tools for strengthening social cohesion in an increasingly fragmented world. To learn more about ASCEND, click here.