In partnership with the
Association for Nonprofit and Social Economy Research (ANSER)
and the
Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation (CASC)

Thursday, June 5th, 2008
12:30 PM
UBC, Vancouver

Throughout academia, there are many students who are actively engaged in Social Economy-related research and yet are not connected to the wider Social Economy movement.  In order to support these students in their work, the Canadian Social Economy Research Partnerships has created the Social Economy Students Network.  This peer-directed resource provides students with opportunities to share their projects, request assistance, and learn from established Social Economy researchers.

To reach out to new members and create a sense of community amongst students, the SESN hosted a student lunch during the 2008 Social Sciences and Humanities Congress (University of British Columbia, May 31-June 8).
Registration for the event began in April.  After the initial burst of interest, inquiries dropped off to the point that organizers were concerned about lack of participants.  However, there was no need for such
worries: During the week leading up to the lunch, the 50 available spaces were all claimed at a very rapid pace, as students had their travel plans confirmed.  There were even some attendees who heard of the event at Congress itself, and managed to slip in at the last minute!

Despite the challenges of rain and a difficult-to-find location, in the end the classroom in the Hebb Building was filled to capacity.  There were students representing universities across the country, from Cape Breton University to Lakehead to UBC itself.  Also in attendance were several professionals from Social Economy research organization, including Keith Seel of the Association for Non-Profit and Social Economy Research (ANSER) and JJ McMurtry of the Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation (CASC).

Guests enjoyed a selection of bagged lunches from Potluck Catering (www.potluckcatering.com). This social enterprise is a charitably-licensed catering company that funds employment training & meal programs for residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The SESN staff was glad to have an opportunity to support their work!

After a presentation on the Social Economy Student Network by CSEHub coordinator Annie McKitrick, the door prizes were drawn and there was a brief question and answer period with professional Social Economy researchers. For future events, the organizers will see to it that there is more time for students to hear about one another’s projects; unfortunately, the tight time schedule of the Congress meant that many participants had to rush off to other sessions after only an hour.
However, it is hoped that the event provided an opportunity for connections to be made, forming a basis for further Social Economy explorations.

If you attended the lunch and have any feedback for the organizers, please email the SESN at studentnet@socialeconomy.info.