Let’s grow our Early-Career (EC) community together!
Are you an early-career SES professional who wants to connect with peers, share experiences, and help shape the future of the SocSES network? Join the SocSES EC Hub Dialogues on Cultivating Community — a collaborative process co-organised by the EC Hub Kickstarter Team and the Communities of Practice in Action thematic stream working group. Sign up to participate here.
Why this dialogue series?
These dialogues are an invitation to explore, together:
- Why cultivating community matters in SES research and practice — especially for early-career professionals.
- What helps and what hinders community-building in different SES contexts.
- How we can strengthen connection and collaboration across the SocSES EC Hub.
Through this process, we will gather collective insights, examples, and practices that will inform:
- A Manifesto on Cultivating Community — a statement and a perspective paper from the EC Hub to SocSES and the broader SES research community.
- The next phase of EC Hub governance, guided by what we learn about community-building.
What does the process look like?
The dialogue series has three steps:
Step 1 & 2 – Online Dialogue Sessions
Two 90-minute online sessions where participants meet in small, facilitated groups to share experiences and reflect together on community in SES research and practice.
- Step 1 focuses on personal stories and lived experience.
- Step 2 connects these experiences to broader themes and literature.
Step 3 – Co-writing the Manifesto
Participants from the dialogues will be invited to help refine and co-author a collective Manifesto on Cultivating Community — with options for different levels of involvement, from full co-writing to feedback on a draft. A version of the manifesto will be written as a perspective paper and submitted to a relevant journal.
Time commitment
You can join one or all steps — it’s up to you!
- Each dialogue session lasts 90 minutes and involves a short reflection exercise beforehand.
- To join Session 2, you’ll need to have participated in Session 1.
- Participation in the co-writing step is optional and flexible.
By signing up, you’re simply expressing interest — you can decide after each step whether to continue.
Who can participate?
All early-career members of SocSES are welcome. We apply an inclusive definition of “early-career” — from students just starting out to postdocs and researchers with several years of experience.
Tentative timeline
We’ll set specific dates based on interest and facilitator availability. Multiple rounds may be offered depending on demand.
- Step 1: January – February 2026
- Step 2: February – April 2026
- Step 3: May – August 2026
Interested?
Let us know by signing up to participate through the short survey here. We’ll follow up with session options and next steps.
Together, let’s explore what it takes to cultivate a thriving community within SocSES — and beyond.
