ENGAGEMENT DURING THE IVCO 2024 CONFERENCE RESEARCH, POLICY, PRACTICE AND LEARNING DAY
On 13 September, Dr Bianca Fadel shared experiences from the RYVU Project as part of the Research Policy, Practice and Learning Day (RPPL Day) during the International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations (IVCO) Annual Conference that was hosted by Northumbria University in 2024.
This event was organised as the final day of the IVCO 2024 Conference activities and attended by over 70 delegates from around the world. The IVCO 2024 Conference was organised by Forum, Northumbria University and Comhlámh in Newcastle upon Tyne, from 9 to 13 September 2024. The conference theme was “Building & Sustaining Connections for Change: Volunteering for Solidarity“, tackling questions related to the roles of volunteers in an increasingly unequal world, one characterised by division and crisis. Through interactive sessions and peer-to-peer learning, the conference challenged the idea of failure as something inherently negative and invited delegates to share practices that can contribute for collective action towards volunteering for solidarity.
The Forum Research, Practice, Policy and Learning (RPPL) Day happens annually at the end of the IVCO Confernece to bring Forum members together with researchers and academics who work in the field of volunteering and development. The RPPL group guides Forum’s research priorities and maintains and register of ongoing research. The group meets monthly for a presentation and discussion of a research project, and it commissions research and strategy work on behalf of the Forum membership.
The RPPL Day during IVCO 2024 started with a knowledge sharing session through visual posters. During this session, 14 representatives from organisations prepared visual posters and delegates had the opportunity to walk around the room and learn from each other's past achievements, current explorations and future aspirations. Dr Bianca Fadel shared learning from the Refugee Youth Volunteering Uganda (RYVU) project and key findings from the RYVU research on the ways refugee groups themselves are responding to humanitarian crises and development issues in Uganda.
During the rest of the day, the event also included interactive sessions focused on research design, ethics, impact, and policy influence. These sessions allowed researchers and practitioners to share experiences in the area of volunteering research and practice and strengthen their networks for future collaborations.
Dr Bianca Fadel presenting the RYVU Poster as part of the RPPL Day activities during the IVCO 2024 Conference.