PGR-ECR Symposium “Community Action and Intersecting Global Crises”

When? 23 June 2026, 9am-5.30pm

Where? Northumbria University City Campus, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (In-person only, free registration and lunch provided)

How to participate? Click HERE to submit your contribution to the open call before the deadline of 3 April 2026.

Across the world, intersecting crises, conflicts and rapidly evolving geopolitical priorities are accompanied by growing inequalities and political polarisation. The dismantling of structures of development cooperation has been accompanied by significantly reduced budgets for development aid and humanitarian response. Academics, practitioners and policymakers have also seen a renewed questioning of the Development paradigm, especially in light of the pressing need to localise the agenda and decolonise Development thinking and practice.

Since the founding of Northumbria University’s Centre for Global Development (CGD) in 2011, understanding the role of community action, grassroots activism, and civil society has been central to our conceptualisation of Development. We recognise that civic action and engagement are fundamental to inclusive, decolonising, bottom-up Development – from volunteer action addressing the climate crisis in the Indian Sundarbans, to the labour of refugee volunteers in Uganda, and grassroots women’s resistance to large-scale extractivism in the Peruvian Andes. In the face of deep global uncertainties and shifting geopolitics, diverse types of activism and community action, that have existed largely outside institutionalised frameworks, can provide openings for change and spaces of solidarity for marginalised communities in both the global South and North. Despite their complexities, transnational solidarities and equitable partnerships within and between the global South and North are also critically important.

This one-day interdisciplinary symposium marks 15 years of Northumbria’s CGD. It aims to bring together an engaged group of postgraduate researchers (PGR) and early-career researchers (ECR), to explore the vital role of community action in addressing intersecting global crises and envisioning more sustainable and equitable global futures at this critical moment. We welcome contributions that explore the following key questions:

• How can community action in the global North and South thrive in times of crises?
• What new opportunities and challenges do digital technologies and virtual spaces bring for civic action and solidarities?
• Does the decline of established aid and development architectures open up opportunities or risks for civil society in imagining more equitable futures, and if so what do these look like?
• What risks does the current moment present for community activism, activists and volunteers and how can we respond to these?
• How can we do research in solidarity with communities in the global South and North in ethical ways that respond to the contexts of crises, conflict and uncertainty that we all face?

The symposium will provide a supportive, inclusive, collegial and low-pressure space to enable postgraduate and early career researchers to share their research, no matter what stage this is at. If there is anything we can do to support you in presenting your work, please get in touch! 

We invite three types of contribution:

1. Paper presentation (15-minute presentation, with or without slides & 5 mins Q&A)
   Presentations can reflect work at any stage, from preliminary ideas and work-in-progress to completed research. Sessions will be grouped thematically to enable discussion and dialogue across different contexts and disciplines.
   
   
2. Pecha-Kucha (7-minute presentation, 21 slides of 20 seconds each)
   Pecha-Kucha means ‘chit-chatʼ in Japanese. This format enables presenters to share research findings and ideas through a concise and visually stimulating presentation. Slides will be set to auto-advance after 20 seconds as the presenter is speaking.
   
   
3. Poster (A1 size, 594mm × 841mm, portrait or landscape)
   Posters can present work at any stage from initial ideas to completed research, and should include a clear title, key research questions or objectives, main findings or arguments, relevant visuals, and brief conclusions. Posters will be displayed throughout the day, with opportunities for informal, one-to-one conversations during lunch and coffee breaks.

Registration to attend the symposium will open in April 2026. For any questions or more information, please contact: katy.jenkins@northumbria.ac.uk

CGD Organising Committee: Matt Baillie Smith, Inge Boudewijn, Bianca Fadel, Katy Jenkins, Sarah Peck and Aneeta Shajan.