RELIEF 2
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: UCL Institute for Global Prosperity
Abstract
Since 2017, the RELIEF Centre has worked with citizens, NGOs, and other stakeholders to deliver a programme of research and action towards social inclusion, sustainability and better quality of life for communities in Lebanon. During this time, however, Lebanon experienced a number of radical changes and tragedies: destabilisation of government following the 2019 political protests; the horrendous blast in the port of Beirut on August 4, 2020; an economic collapse and currency devaluation; widespread failure of public services and infrastructure; and a series of Covid-related lockdowns that have exerted further pressure on the economy.
In this context of compounded crises, RELIEF's work proceeds from the view that future recovery in Lebanon must follow principles of inclusive growth and prosperity, whereby the starting point and primary focus is not aggregate GDP-growth but the things that people need for better quality of life -secure livelihoods, clean and affordable services, good education, and safe, healthy and inclusive environments. In the Lebanese context of economic and political turmoil, however, 'bottom-up' initiatives are essential for developing solutions. RELIEF's work thus focuses on the sustained development of capabilities that can help citizens and communities acquire skills and organise into communities of practice that address emergent challenges. Over the next 5 years, the second phase of the RELIEF Centre (RELIEF II) will focus on strengthening existing capabilities for citizen-led research, action, and transformation. RELIEF II will build on five types of capability that were established in the first phase of the project (see Appendix Table 1):
- Partnerships for prosperity - a trans-disciplinary ecology of stakeholders, brought together by a shared commitment to research and action for positive change, underpinned by a citizen-led prosperity index (PI).
- Theories and concepts - conceptual frameworks for understanding prosperity in context, adapting new pedagogies for challenging environments, and making sense of the vitality of cities facing prolonged crises.
- Methods - new approaches to citizen-led research, data analysis, MOOC development, and urban intervention design.
- Data - quantitative and qualitative data sets, including household surveys on quality of life, surveys on quality of housing and neighbourhood infrastructures (energy, water, waste, food and transport), and interviews and focus groups about priority areas for prosperity.
- Funding - streams of additional funding to support research and interventions on the key themes of infrastructure, livelihoods, education, entrepreneurship and liveable and inclusive cities.
RELIEF II will continue to expand these capabilities and use them to create impact activities/outputs, including publications, capacity building, urban interventions, creation of educational resources, and innovative policy initiatives. These outputs will be disseminated to wider audiences both in Lebanon and internationally through outreach events and activities, and by a prosperity platform. Impact will be delivered and embedded through five work packages (WPs), each with its objectives, deliverables, and beneficiaries: (WP1) development, visualization, and application of a Prosperity Index for Lebanon; (WP2) the continuation, updating, and expansion of RELIEF's online courses, as well as its research and policy work on participatory approaches to online education; (WP3) the use of participatory mechanisms for public service design as the basis for advancing a Green New Deal for Lebanon; (WP4) the creation of a Citizen Science Academy, which will be a global leader in methodological innovation for citizen-led research and training; and (WP5) the creation of an online platform to deliver innovative knowledge sharing, policy design and pathways to policy change on key challenges of livelihoods, public services, health and education in Lebanon.
In this context of compounded crises, RELIEF's work proceeds from the view that future recovery in Lebanon must follow principles of inclusive growth and prosperity, whereby the starting point and primary focus is not aggregate GDP-growth but the things that people need for better quality of life -secure livelihoods, clean and affordable services, good education, and safe, healthy and inclusive environments. In the Lebanese context of economic and political turmoil, however, 'bottom-up' initiatives are essential for developing solutions. RELIEF's work thus focuses on the sustained development of capabilities that can help citizens and communities acquire skills and organise into communities of practice that address emergent challenges. Over the next 5 years, the second phase of the RELIEF Centre (RELIEF II) will focus on strengthening existing capabilities for citizen-led research, action, and transformation. RELIEF II will build on five types of capability that were established in the first phase of the project (see Appendix Table 1):
- Partnerships for prosperity - a trans-disciplinary ecology of stakeholders, brought together by a shared commitment to research and action for positive change, underpinned by a citizen-led prosperity index (PI).
- Theories and concepts - conceptual frameworks for understanding prosperity in context, adapting new pedagogies for challenging environments, and making sense of the vitality of cities facing prolonged crises.
- Methods - new approaches to citizen-led research, data analysis, MOOC development, and urban intervention design.
- Data - quantitative and qualitative data sets, including household surveys on quality of life, surveys on quality of housing and neighbourhood infrastructures (energy, water, waste, food and transport), and interviews and focus groups about priority areas for prosperity.
- Funding - streams of additional funding to support research and interventions on the key themes of infrastructure, livelihoods, education, entrepreneurship and liveable and inclusive cities.
RELIEF II will continue to expand these capabilities and use them to create impact activities/outputs, including publications, capacity building, urban interventions, creation of educational resources, and innovative policy initiatives. These outputs will be disseminated to wider audiences both in Lebanon and internationally through outreach events and activities, and by a prosperity platform. Impact will be delivered and embedded through five work packages (WPs), each with its objectives, deliverables, and beneficiaries: (WP1) development, visualization, and application of a Prosperity Index for Lebanon; (WP2) the continuation, updating, and expansion of RELIEF's online courses, as well as its research and policy work on participatory approaches to online education; (WP3) the use of participatory mechanisms for public service design as the basis for advancing a Green New Deal for Lebanon; (WP4) the creation of a Citizen Science Academy, which will be a global leader in methodological innovation for citizen-led research and training; and (WP5) the creation of an online platform to deliver innovative knowledge sharing, policy design and pathways to policy change on key challenges of livelihoods, public services, health and education in Lebanon.
Publications
Al-Harithy H
(2024)
The Urban Refugee: Space, Agency, and the New Urban Condition
Al-Harithy H
(2024)
Strategic Rebuilding and Sustainable Housing in the Muslim World
Al-Harithy H
(2024)
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science
Baumann H
(2023)
Thinking vulnerability infrastructurally: Interdependence and possibility in Lebanon's overlapping crises
in Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space
Bekdache N
(2022)
Lifelines - Politics, ethics, and the affective economy of inhabiting
Brun C
(2023)
Twenty years of the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies: towards a new ontology and epistemology
in Globalisation, Societies and Education
Elisabetta Pietrostefani
(2022)
Prosperity Report - El Mina, Tripoli
Garland N.
(2023)
Hybrid higher education innovation for Syrian refugee learners: Reflections on an embedded community-based research CoMOOC
in Education and Conflict Review
| Title | Bliss Street Parklet intervention |
| Description | This intervention is a permanent installation of a seating area on a busy street in Beirut which has a shortage of resting spaces. The Bliss Street parklet provides seating and an opportunity to rest and socialise, while at the same time reducing traffic on the street. The intervention was co-designed with the community to ensure it first the needs of people who are most likely to use it. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Impact | The intervention has provided a much-needed space for members of public to rest and socialise. This is in a context of an area with high pedestrian traffic but very few seating areas apart from cafes and restaurants that many members of the public cannot afford. |
| Title | Eco Hub playground construction |
| Description | Eco Hub is an initiative to transform a dilapidated and unused parking lot in the Hamra neighbourhodd of Beirut into an open and publically accessible playground built in a sustainable fashion. The playground, built exclusively from recycled materials such as bottle lids, car tyres, and metal barrels provides a much-needed space for children to play in a city where play spaces are extremely limited. The Eco Hub is part of the Green New Deal initiative of Procol Lebanon/RELEIF 2. The aim of its construction is to change public narratives and understandings on climate change adaptation while improving quality of life for members of the public. The design and organisation of the project was led by Co-I Mona Hallak. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | Children in Beirut have a new space for play and socialisation. |
| Title | Vital Lebanon: Capacities of people, capacities of cities |
| Description | The exhibition aims to experientially showcase the work and outputs of the first phase of the RELIEF centre, and will offer insights into the localised scales of livelihood and prosperity various Lebanese communities construct in times of uncertainty. The exhibition will make use of audio, visual, and interactive spatial design elements to showcase the research outputs, and will have immersive components to engage attendees. There will also be two performances (a music piece, and a sound immersion performance). |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Impact | It showcases the research activities of the first phase of RELIEF and their impact in an artistic way, making them more accessible The design and curation allows for a self-reflective exercise, and the continuous questioning of central notions of our work, and the need to adapt them to the time, and the space (in this case, a physical space of a gallery) Engage and provoke the audience on common notions, and less common ones Receive feedback from the audience (through a feedback wall which is part of the exhibition design) on the exhibition, as well as the work we do, and other thoughts they have on any of the projects/topics displayed Promoting our work, particularly the citizen science methodology, the FF2030 network, the interventions, and the datasets, and encouraging people to engage with them, by joining the network, using the data to come up with an intervention, etc. |
| URL | https://www.relief-centre.org/events/vital-lebanon-capacities-of-people-capacities-of-cities |
| Description | Membership of Board of Trustees |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | 36% graduates from the programme are accepted in tertiary education within 6 months 69% use the skills they learn within 6 weeks 95% would recommend the programme to other youth |
| URL | https://mosaik.ngo/ |
| Description | Livelihoods Networks and Political Experience in Beirut, Lebanon (MENA Social Policy Network scheme) |
| Amount | £50,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2022 |
| End | 08/2023 |
| Title | Livelihoods and Governance interview data set |
| Description | - 14 semi-structured interviews with Ras Beirut residents on the themes of the changing nature of livelihoods and governance in Lebanon. - 5 semi-structured interviews about the value and impact about two citizen-led interventions for improved quality of life in Ras Beirut. These interventions were created by a previous research initiative on which the project team worked, and the data from the evaluation interviews will be used to create policy proposals and policy solutions for improved livelihoods that simultaneously contribute to conflict prevention in the community. - A series of ethnographic observations and reflections about the 2022 Lebanese general election, including political speeches from key party leaders, social media posts, observations of campaign strategies such as strategic placement of political billboards, and accounts of public behaviour and public attitudes related to the election. These observations will be published as a working paper at the beginning of 2023. - 1 interview (with four more planned before the end of January) with Lebanon-based policy experts about the current negotiations between the IMF and the Lebanese government about structural reforms requested by the IMF as a condition for releasing a $3 billion assistance loan. The interviews have important implications for the future of Lebanon's economic policy and its ability to achieve decent social security, good quality livelihoods, and political stability. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The data set has provided new and up-to-date insights about the changing landscape of livelihoods and political identification in the context of Lebanon's economic crisis, as well as the value of small scale citizen-led interventions for improved quality of life. |
| Description | A citizen science methodology collaboration between Lebanon and Palestine for social policy creation |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Department | Institute for Global Prosperity |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We collaborated with Dr. Christopher Harker to design a project that would connect the research teams in Lebanon and Palestine working with the citizen science methodology for social policy change. We co-wrote the grant's application. In case the grant is won, our team based in Lebanon would contribute with training on the citizen science methodology. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Dr. Christopher Harker, Co-I on the Palestine research team, co-wrote the proposal for the grant with us. |
| Impact | The writing and the submission of the proposal to the funders is the main outcome for this collaboration. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Collaboration with Education Research Laboratory, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth |
| Organisation | Saint Joseph University |
| Country | Lebanon |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Eileen Kennedy has been working with researchers within the Education Research Laboratory, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth to establish collaborative support for early career researchers in digital learning. This nascent collaboration has been funded by UCL IOE International Funds to support a cross-institutional hybrid conference for PhD students at UCL Knowledge Lab and Education Research Laboratory, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth. In addition, the collaboration will also support a new student journal at UCL Press which will be a vehicle for publishing early career research in digital learning in Lebanon and internationally. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partners will organise PhD students in digital learning to present at the conference and help to establish an enduring collaboration. Partners will form part of the international advisory board of the new journal, Reflecting Digital Learning (UCL Press). |
| Impact | Outputs so far include international advisory board membership of the journal Reflecting Digital Learning and a date for the cross-institution hybrid seminar/conference (May 2023). |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Mar Mikhael CS-led Intervention - "Mayyel" the elderly community group |
| Organisation | CatalyticAction |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | RELIEF Centre has funded, evaluated and advised a group of Citizen Scientists affiliated to 2 Lebanese NGOs, to found and execute a 6 month project: joining isolated and lonely elderly in a community affected by the August 4th 2020 Beirut Blast. The advising was done in collaboration with charity CatalyticAction. In January 2023, RELIEF handed the project over to the elderly community, installing a structure for electing a representative, a treasurer, and for any member of the community to propose a project based on the community's needs. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Citizen Scientists managed the project for the 1st 6 months. They organized events and activities for the elderly on their public stair and in various public spaces arounf Lebanon. CatalyticAction helped advise them and organized one activity for them. |
| Impact | Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/mayyel_community/ Evaluations by the RELIEF team and Catalytic action in interview form. Evaluations by the Citizen Scientists in interview form. Both evaluations are to be analyzed in a report by RELIEF. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | An invited presentation on "Realising the potential of digital learning at scale" at Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, Lebanon |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Eileen Kennedy was invited to present her research on "Realising the potential of digital learning at scale: research approaches" at the Education Research Laboratory, Faculty of Educational Sciences, Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth (USJ) on 9 December 2022. The audience was composed of faculty and early career researchers studying for PhD in Education at USJ. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Book Launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The event was a book launch event forthe book titled 'The Politics of Crisis-Making. Forced Displacement and Cultures of Assistance in Lebanon'; author Dr Estella Carpi (University College London, Inst for Risk & Disaster Reduction). The launch was designed as a conversation with Dr Yulia Ioffe UCL-IRDR, Ms Hanadi Samhan UCL-DPU, and Dr Samar Maqusi UCL-RELIEF II (PROCOL Lebanon). I was able to reflect on my specific work and reserach in Lebanon through RELIEF II, and draw connections with the book subject matter and larger context of displacement and aid culture, and how this affects different reserachers and their works in Lebanon differently, alongside the ways we each approach the chllaenges these subjects pose for tour work and the communities we work with. It was also an opportunity to discuss a rather largely institutional topic through personal and communal narrations the author had gathered. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of-advanced-studies/events/2023/oct/ias-book-launch-politics-crisis-... |
| Description | Co-design workshops in Thailand |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Tejendra Pherali, Elaine Chase, Eileen Kennedy and Gabi Witthaus led two co-design workshops with partner Inclusive Education Foundation in Mae Sot, Thailand, with teachers from migrant learning centres and refugee settings. The aim was to co-design a series of CoMOOCs to support teachers in these contexts and build a pathway to accreditation. Two sets of workshops lasting 3 days each were held in July 2023 and February 2024. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| Description | Community-based programme of activities: Mayyel Ras El Nabaa Intervention |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Mayyel intervention is a citizen scientist-led programme of activities for elderly people experiencing social isolation. Activities include community dinners, field trips, and arts and crafts classes through which elderly people in the neighbourhood are able to socialise with others in meaningful ways. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Convened Conference: "Vital Lebanon: Uncertainty, Solidarity, Activism and Energetics" conference (9, 10, 11 March, 2023) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | "Vital Lebanon: Uncertainty, Solidarity, Activism and Energetics" was a three-day conference convened by PROCOL Lebanon at the American University of Beirut with 7 panels and 2 keynotes, hosting 28 local and international speakers of diverse backgrounds and various disciplines. The conference focused on the intersections of the experience of crisis in Lebanon, political activism, and management of public services. The conference has led to a book proposal for an edited volume which is currently under review with UCL Press. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.relief-centre.org/events/vital-lebanon-uncertainty-solidarity-activism-amp-energetics |
| Description | Convened Exhibition: Capacities of People; Capacities of Cities Exhibition (12-17 March, 2023) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This exhibition presented a range of graphics, photographs, videos, data visualisations, and interactive artworks on key themes related to prosperity in Lebanon, from livelihoods and education, to electricity and environmental degradation. The exhibition offered visitors to gain insights and reflect on local challenges, as well as to learn about how communities in Lebanon engage with such problems in times of uncertainty. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JTqdlBrfr40&ab_channel=UCLInstituteforGlobalProsperity |
| Description | Convened Workshop: The Role of Research in Policy Change |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The half-day workshop 'The role of research in policy change' brought together policy stakeholders and academics to discuss ideas, experiences, and research findings about what Lebanon's current policy priorities are, what kinds of research and solutions are needed, and what it takes for positive policy change to take place. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://seriouslydifferent.org/igp-stories/creating-synergy-between-research-and-policymaking-in-leb... |
| Description | Convened Wrokshop: Ras El Nabaa Citizen Social Science training |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This training and engagement event provided citizen scocial scientists with training in essential research skills and knowledge of key principles for ethical in the Ras El Nabaa community. The workshop included a guest appearance by Lebanese Member of Parliament Ibrahim Mneimneh. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Democratising collaborative professional development on UN SDGs: From MOOC to CoMOOC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Eileen Kennedy gave a presentation at the EMOOCs conference about the CoMOOC model. Audience members were involved in developing and evaluating MOOCs mostly for professional audiences e.g. in collaboration with World Health Organisation, private companies, universities, with an international reach. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://emoocs.hpi.de/index.php/program/ |
| Description | Designing Learning with Technology to address Global Challenges |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Eileen Kennedy gave an invited presentation about learning design and the CoMOOC model for the Malaysian webinar series, Social Scientist Series 2023, run by the Faculty of Social Sciences, Quest International University, Malaysia, on August 26, 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Discovery Day meeting and workshop (September 2023) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was a full-day workshop with members of the Procol Lebanon team and FastForward 2030 network, discussing latest social, economic and political changes in Lebanon and the need for future research activitees to address pressing challenges. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | From Community to Planet: Professionals on the Frontlines of Climate Change |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This event was an online session convened by the Geneva Learning Convention for a global audience of health professionals concerned with the intersections of climate and health. The audience included multiple types of health professionals, from community health workers to public health specialists. During the session Mayssa Jallad presented on Procol Lebanon's approach to Citizen Science methodology, discussing how our work enhances data collection, leads to capacity building, and presents opportunities for innovative design and implementation of interventions for improved quality of life, with a focus on health and environment. The presentation is part of the activities of Procol Lebanon's Citizen Science Academy, which launched in 2023. The event consisted of two sessions, one in English and one in French. The recording of the sessions is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypZgak6At94&ab_channel=TheGenevaLearningFoundation (English) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zNMo7hPshs&ab_channel=TheGenevaLearningFoundation (French) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://seriouslydifferent.org/igp-stories/how-can-citizen-science-help-us-research-the-intersection... |
| Description | How does citizen science change us? Exploring the impacts on 'citizens', 'researchers', 'policymakers', and social action |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Mayssa Jallad presented on Lebanon Citizen Science Activities in the section Presentations: Pathways to change. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ucl-open-science-conference-how-does-citizen-science-change-us-ticket... |
| Description | Imagining Futures Gathering II Strategic use of Archives in contexts of Displacement and Post-Conflict |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The gathering is jointly organised by IF - the Imaging Futures Through Un/Archived Pasts Network (based at the University of Exeter) and the British Institute at Ankara and is aimed at bringing together different stakeholders including policymakers, knowledge holders and specialists through participation in a series of tailored conversations and practice sessions on archiving and the negotiations of everyday life in post-conflict and/or displaced contexts. Considering this event took place after the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, it was of exceptional value to come together and collectively discuss the impact and vital considerations to address in the aftermath. It was a unique event in that it brought together people from various disciplines ransing from urbanis, architecture, archaeology, social sciences, political science and artists, around a brainstorming of what it is we need to archive and preserve when disaster hits communities and geographies at a large scale, as well as, how do you mediate between victims' wishes and decision-makers in time of emergency. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://imaginingfutures.world/projects/ |
| Description | Invited presentation "A pedagogy of care for online teaching and learning", Lebanese University Faculty of Pedagogy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Eileen Kennedy was invited to share her research on a caring approach to digital learning with faculty and postgraduate students from Lebanese University's Faculty of Pedagogy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | http://luwebxx.ul.edu.lb/en/faculty-pedagogy-organizes-webinar-online-teaching-and-learning |
| Description | Is Collaborative Professional Development the Future of Online Education? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Eileen Kennedy gave an invited plenary presentation about the CoMOOC model at the 6th International Conference on Future Education 2023, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 6-7, 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://futureofedu.co/future-education-2023/ |
| Description | Lebanon-UK Citizen Science Exchange Workshop in London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An exchange between London Citizen Scientists and Lebanon Citizen Scientists. All CSs presented their work, and a Q and A between the two groups ensued. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | London Prosperity Board briefing - Sharing Citizen Science Experiences - RELIEF CENTRE |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation given by Mayssa Jallad on our Citizen Science activities and interventions, to the London Prosperity Board |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | McGraw-Hill Higher Education Advisory Board |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | McGraw-Hill has a digital transformation group that has appointed an Advisory Group for its work on developing a digital textbook platform, worldwide. My role is to advise on the use and value of such platforms for both students and teachers, based on the extensive years of research on learning design, student learning, teaching as a design science, and large-scale digital platforms for education. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023,2024 |
| URL | https://www.mheducation.com/highered/home-guest.html |
| Description | Member of the Kortext Academic Advisory Board |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Kortext is a company that runs a digital textbook platform in collaboration with publishers across the world. My role is to advise on how students learn and teachers teach, and to help the company respond to customer needs as well as technology opportunities, drawing on extensive research on the use and value of large scale teaching and learning. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023,2024 |
| URL | https://www.kortext.com/about-kortext/ |
| Description | Mosaik Education Board |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Mosaik Education is an international charity that aims to empower a community of refugees to shape and lead programmes that improve access to university for students who are refugees. My role is to advise on how to optimise online learning and ways of accessing university scholarship funding. The former role is based on many years of research in the field. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024 |
| URL | https://mosaik.ngo/ |
| Description | PROCOL Lebanon Conference: Vital Lebanon |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | the conference aims to bring together academic and non-academics to debate the uncertainty experienced in Lebanon and its effect on people's livelihoods, solidarity and activism as the processes of vitality in times of crises, and the energetics needed to re-imagine the way resources are used and shared using a whole system approach. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.relief-centre.org/events/vital-lebanon-uncertainty-solidarity-activism-amp-energetics |
| Description | Participatory Design Summer School in Lebanon |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | In November 2023, Procol Lebanon partner CatalyticAction convened a participatory design summer school in Lebanon. The Institute for Global Prosperity provided travel costs, accommodation and subsistence expenses for two of its MSc students to join the school. The programme included a series of activities and field trips to multiple sites and interventions developed by Procol Lebanon/RELIEF Centre since 2017. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://seriouslydifferent.org/igp-stories/from-struggles-to-strengths-building-a-prosperous-future-... |
| Description | Realising the potential of MOOCs as a decentred process for collaborative professional development |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Diana Laurillard and Eileen Kennedy presented a talk on "Realising the potential of MOOCs as a decentred process for collaborative professional development" (with Diana Laurillard) at the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) Annual Conference in May 25 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.researchcghe.org/perch/resources/realising-the-potential-of-moocs-as-a-decentred-process... |
| Description | Urban Citizen Science and Community-based Knowledge Production (DSA Conference panel) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a Development Studies Association conference panel convened by RELIEF II team members Nikolay Mintchev and Mariam Daher, in collaboration with IGP colleague Dr Saffron Woodcraft. The panel contained presentations and contributions from academics and practitioners from the UK and abroad. The theme was participatory research methods for urban research and action. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hloYM3oz20E&ab_channel=NomadIT |
| Description | Webinar series: Community Based Research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In collaboration with Dr Samar Zeitoun from the Lebanese University, Eileen Kennedy ran a blended learning event around the Community Based Research: Getting Started as a series of webinars targeting research students at Lebanese University. In the current times of crisis, Lebanese University, Lebanon's only public university, is reduced to 3 hours' electricity per day. In such circumstances, students need more support. The blended course was run to support postgraduate students/ECRs with research methods training in community based research/citizen social science and create a community using community instigated research to explore ways of addressing challenges in Lebanon. 54 students attended and were awarded platform upgrades to be able to access the CoMOOC on the FutureLearn platfrom, enabling them to access the CoMOOC indefinitely and receive a certificate of participation. This event addresses the 'Sustain' stage of our Theory of Change, as the CoMOOC has become embedded in Lebanese University teaching. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023,2024 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/eileenkennedy01/status/1762487062911963201 |