The Social Economy Student Network (SESN) is intended to generate synergies among students currently involved in, or interested in undertaking, research and/or study into the Social Economy (SE). It functions as a multi-disciplinary virtual research space and online networking vehicle. The Network helps link those involved in Social Economy research and practice to one another in order to facilitate the building of an online "global" Social Economy community. Once completed, the SESN will one component of a larger Social Economy Learning Network that will help connect students to Social Economy researchers and practitioners.

It further enables students to acquire and share research and related information that deals with aspects of the Social Economy. This includes, but is not limited to, academic papers and research projects, SE resources, theses, upcoming conferences and calls for papers, online seminars or lectures on the SE and conducting SE-based research, existing university-level courses and programs with a particular SE focus, employment opportunities, practicums and internships and community-based initiatives.

The SESN Website:

The SESN website centralizes and coordinates the activities of Network members and the Network’s content. It provides readily available public and member access to a wide range of materials and resources on the Social Economy and enables members to find and network with one another through a range of sources.

The website content was developed using Drupal software. Drupal is a free software modular, content management framework, content management system and blogging engine. It is used by many high-traffic websites and is particularly popular for building online communities. Among the networking tools available to members of the SESN are: online news/event calendars, individual accounts have their own blogs, there’s an online bibliography, a built-in discussion forum, online polls, and additionally registered site users can view each others profile information and send each other secure private messages.

Most of the SESN content posted by SESN members is restricted through a “members-only” access portal. This measure is intended to help keep private the personal information of Network members as well as any content that they post to the Network such as research questions, chat-room discussions or works-in-progress. All applications for membership are reviewed by the SESN moderator(s) and student-status is authenticated through the applicant's institution of study. Furthermore, all Network members are subject to SESN Site Rules.

The Network’s content and website “up-keep” are maintained by the Canadian Social Economy Hub located at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.