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Middlesex students shine as business meets social justice

29/07/2014
A team of outstanding students from Middlesex University are taking a leading role in organising a high profile conference looking at the issues faced by ex-offenders

Angelina and IvankaIn organising the upcoming conference, the student team has been working closely with the NOOR Initiative, an innovative social enterprise founded by Bilal Dunn to engage with youth communities and tackle the problems faced by those coming out of prison.

The event, Secure Estate of Mind, will focus on the themes of social, penal and educational reform. It will look at the social deficits caused by a lack of education, and the role race plays for those who come into repeated contact with the criminal justice system.

The conference will be attended by several very high profile figures, including HRH the Princess of Iraq Dr Nisreen El-Hashemite, and High Sheriff of Greater London Kevin McGrath Esq. It takes place on 1st August, from 5.15-9pm, in the University's Grove Building.

For two of the students Angelina Karaivanova, 21, and Ivanka Zapryanova, 23, this isn't the first time they have contributed to an important social enterprise. Through the Middlesex University Wellbeing Foundation, the two students recently spent ten days in The Gambia.

During their visit, the pair worked with Communities Without Borders, the Rural Development Institute and the National Enterprise Development Initiative (NEDI) on projects related to small and medium-sized enterprises.

While working towards their degrees in International Business, the best friends - who both come from Bulgaria and now live in Hendon - were joint recipients of the Dean's Academic Excellence Scholarship. And next year, they will both be staying at Middlesex to do Masters in International Human Resource Management.

Ivanka explained what their involvement in the conference means to them: "Organising a really high profile event like this has been such an enjoyable and challenging experience.

"It's opened our eyes to serious social issues, and has also shown us how to communicate better with so many different people."

Tickets are free, and can be booked by emailing bilal@thenoorinitiative.org.

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