The Sustainable Futures in Africa (SFA) Network project has since 2016 designed and piloted a range of activities that: (1) address the need for innovative methodologies that cut across the natural and social sciences, arts and humanities; (2) translate existing ODA-focused projects into opportunities for new networks of trust and commitment, and new lines of inquiry; (3) shape new opportunities for impact that address locally-articulated socio-ecological problems and challenges; and (4) underpinning all of this, generate research that critically acknowledges and works with all manner of academic, political, economic, and cultural distinctions between the ‘global north’ and the ‘global south’.   

Mia Perry from the School of Education at the University is the CR&DALL Co-I

The PI from Glasgow is Prof. Deborah Dixon (Geographical and Earth Sciences). Other Co-Is are Dr. Daniel Koehn (Geographical and Earth Sciences); Dr. Neil Burnside (Engineering); Dr. Brian Barrett (Geographical and Earth Sciences); Prof. Adrian Boyce (SUERC). There are a number of other external and internal collaborators. In addition to the core members noted above, Glasgow collaborators include: John Briggs, Joanne Sharp and Emma Laurie, Human Geography; Susan Waldron, critical zone management; Jaime Toney, environmental geochemistry; Marian Scott, environmental statistics; Richard Williams, geomatics; Margaret Smith, fine arts; Ian Watson, engineering. Collaborators in Botswana: MmaB Modise and Rebecca Lekoko, education, University of Botswana; Olekai Thakadu, environmental communication, University of Botswana. Collaborators in Malawi: Boyson Moyo, soil science, Bunda College of Agriculture; Deepa Pullanikkatil, environmental management consultant, LEAD and ABUNDANCE; Elson Kambalu, artist and community leader. Collaborators in Ethiopia: Dr Elias Lewi, tectonics and geothermals, Addis Ababa University; Mauricio Fernandes, Planet Earth Institute; Collaborators in Uganda: Kevin Aanyu and Andreas Schuman, geology and petroleum studies, Makerere University; Twine Bananuka and Joseph Watuleke, education, Makerere University.

This project has now continued with further funding sourced from the Scottish Funding Council and more details are found at this link.

The key objective of this research is to learn more about how young people use digital spaces and particularly how their engagement in the digital space connects with social mobility and equality. In addition, the study seeks to ask how digital engagement can be enriched through creative and cultural production.

This study investigates inequity in relation to youth engagement with digital and global literacies, in order to examine assumptions about digital natives, to expose differentials that will enhance achievement for young people, and to value both digital and non-digital practices. We now know that the actual use of digital technologies and the actual engagement in cultural production is heavily determined by socio-economic status. For example, low-income young people are more likely to be digital consumers and higher income youth to be digital producers. This study is an investigation into the digital cultural engagement of two samples of young people in two different cities: in Hamilton, Ontario and in Glasgow, Scotland.

Co-PI’s: Dr Mia Perry and Dr Diane Collier, Brock University, Ontario, Canada

Start and End Date: Sept. 2016 – Sept. 2018

Funder and funding amount: The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC); $65,000CND