Five researchers will bring to life the experiences of refugees and their ventures into entrepreneurship as part of Refugee Week.
Refugee entrepreneurship: coping with never-ending uncertainty takes place on Thursday, June 22nd in Lancaster University Management School (LUMS).
It will feature academics from LUMS, the University of Leeds, Loughborough University, the University of Bristol, and Worcester Business School, each explaining their work in areas from the Middle East, to Africa, and the UK.
Host communities are struggling to integrate and provide decent work for refugees, and one of the objectives of the UN-affirmed Global Compact on Refugees is to ease this pressure by heightening refugee self-reliance and participation in the host community's social and economic life through entrepreneurship.
Dr Sophie Alkhaled, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, will share her experiences with Syrian women refugees who turned to entrepreneurship as a means for survival in Jordan, The Zaatari Refugee Camp, and the UK.
"With the number of forcibly displaced people reaching more than 100 million, the plight of refugees is an ever-evolving crisis. It dips in and out of our media's attention, but research outlining their day-to-day coping mechanisms must remain constant, in order to support these vulnerable communities through never-ending uncertainty," said Dr Alkhaled
Alongside Dr Alkhaled, the event features Dr Deema Refai, of the University of Leeds; Dr Michelle Richey, of Loughborough University Business School; Dr Ketch Adeeko of the University of Bristol Business School; and Dr Laila Kasem, of Worcester Business School.
All five have worked with refugee communities in the Global North and Global South. They will discuss where we currently are and where we need to go next to support them on their journeys.
Refugee Week, now in its 25th year, is a global event honouring refugees and their contributions, creativity, and resilience. This year's event takes place as conflicts, climate change and other factors have seen the number of forcibly displaced people around the world has surpass 100 million, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Refugee entrepreneurship will take place in the Dormer Lecture Theatre in Lancaster University Management School, between 2.30pm and 4.30pm on Thursday, June 22nd.
For more details, and to register for the event, visit https://lancaster-uk.libcal.com/event/4042424
