A big thank you everyone who has given so far. We've posted information far and wide across our social networks and in our universities. Last Friday, I talked about the conference and campaign on Sheffield Live Radio (which goes out to 45,000 people). However, our key audience is academic communities - those places in which we are all embedded. We are reliant on word about our campaign passing around academic networks, so please tell your co-authors, colleagues, supervisors, journal editor friends (anyone with 'reach') about the EMES Solidarity Fund. Some co-operative and social enterprise media outlets have picked up the story. Co-op News (based in Manchester, England) posted the story to their website, and this was reposted by Social Enterprise UK. I saw 15 'Shares' in a short space of time on Facebook so UK social enterprise networks have been spreading the word. Anca Voinea (the Coop News journalist who wrote the story) speaks French, Spanish and Romanian.
Could you help her post something in French, Spanish or Romanian to a media outlet in your country, or translate her story for a media outlet?
Lauren, a PhD Candidate at Gordon Institute of Business Science in Johannesburg, is a case that illustrates why the fund is important. She had her paper accepted to EMES but cannot commit to booking yet because of unexpected circumstances. She's waiting on news that will enable her to attend, but is now worried about higher costs after missing the early bird deadline. Lauren presented before - early in her study - and wants to share her findings. We want to hear them. Your contributions give her some reassurance but still we need a lot more.
Thank you again for your contribution. Keep going with tweeting, posting and sharing. Let's bring Lauren from South Africa to our conference.
Prof Rory Ridley-Duff
Co-Chair, 7th EMES Conference