STUDENTSHIP REPORT
PhD researcher's name: Sara Calvo
University/Supervisors: Middlesex (Stephen Syrett; Leandro Sepulveda)
Partner organisation: Ethnic Minority Foundation
Impact highlights: Article published on a 3* ABS ranked journal; lecturer position and development of innovative teaching tools; and setting up of a social enterprise to do consultancy work and training
This PhD thesis aimed to gain greater insight into the nature and extent of migrant and ethnic minority involvement in social enterprise in East London within the context of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games.
The student benefitted in many ways from this CASE Studentship:
The PhD experience and subsequent career developments allowed her to apply and secure a Lecturer position to teach social entrepreneurship at Middlesex University Business School.
Since then she has taught on the subject and developed innovative interactive course material such as didactic games on social entrepreneurship (e.g. puzzles, cards) and dynamic videos e.g. to show students different ways of understanding social enterprise.
Sara has also published an article on Environment and Planning C (a 3*** ABS ranked journal); and submitted others to Journal of International Development, Local Economy and Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services.
Academic supervisors have also benefited enormously from this experience:
The partner organisation (Ethnic Minority Foundation) used the PhD findings to produce a policy briefing which was presented in an event on BME involvement in the 2012 Olympics. The event was attended by a range of BME organisations, practitioners and policy makers from different East London boroughs and helped EMF to raise its profile and developed its local networks.
The range and scope of benefits from this experience summarised above allows us to state that this has been a very successful case of CASE Studentship which has not only benefited to the student, supervisors and partner organisation, but has had wider benefits on society.