PRAN NEWSLETTER ISSUE 24: February 2026
Dear PRAN MEMBERS
As we continue our journey of learning, connection, and collective action, we are pleased to share updates and opportunities from across the PRAN community. In this edition, you’ll find details of our upcoming Early Career Forum meeting, new events taking place in Liverpool, and important information about the Early Career Forum, including available travel bursaries to support participation. Together, these events offer spaces for reflection, collaboration, and shared learning, supporting our collective efforts to challenge poverty and advance social justice. We look forward to continuing this important work with you.
Events
Join our next Early Career Forum meeting
When: Monday 9th March, 12:30- 13:30 (GMT)
Where: Online
Join us for our monthly Early Career Forum, a supportive online space bridging together people from research, practice, the third sector and activism who are committed to tackling poverty and advancing social justice.
Our next meeting will be held on 9th March (12:30-13:30). This is a relaxed, participant-led hour to connect with peers, share challenges and insights, exchange ideas and opportunities, and support one another through early career life.
Bring a cuppa and join a supportive community that shapes each session around shared interests and needs. All early career colleagues are welcome. For more information, please click here.
Food & Faith Forum
When: Monday 20th of April
Where: Liverpool, Hope University Hope Park, Liverpool L16 9JD
The Food Foundation reveals that 7.2 million adults and 2.7 million children in the UK are affected by food insecurity, around 14% of households nationwide, posing a significant risk to community wellbeing. The Food & Faith Forum will focus on one of the most urgent challenges of our time: food insecurity. Liverpool Hope University, in partnership with Liverpool’s faith communities, including Liverpool Cathedral and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, invites you to join the Food & Faith Forum. The forum provides an inclusive space to learn, raise awareness, and foster collaboration in addressing food poverty.
The event will take place Monday 20th April, in the EDEN Building and will feature keynote addresses, a workshop, and a panel discussion, alongside dedicated space for discussion and networking.
Open to all, the event welcomes anyone interested in addressing food insecurity and supporting positive change in our local communities.
You can view the agenda and book your place here.
Picture This: A Visual Perspective on Poverty and Inequality in the UK
When: Wednesday 21st of April
Where: Liverpool, Shaw St, Liverpool L6 1HP
We are pleased to announce that our Picture This exhibition launch will be joined by an incredible panel of people, including Prof Sarah Marie Hall (The University of Manchester), Debbie Nolan (Citizens Advice Liverpool) and Martyn Hall (Joseph Rowntree Foundation). Join us in person for an eye-opening event that dives deep into the realities of poverty and inequality across the UK. Through powerful visuals and engaging stories, we'll explore the challenges many face and spark meaningful conversations. To register for the event, please click here.
Bursaries available:
Forging Connections: Early Career Voices on Poverty and Social Justice
When: Wednesday 6th May
Where: University of Oxford
We are delighted to share further details about the Early Career Forum 2026, Forging Connections: Early Career Voices on Poverty and Social Justice. This interdisciplinary forum invites expressions of interest from early career individuals across all sectors, including academia, public services, civil society, NGOs, charities, and grassroots activism, who are working at the intersections of poverty and social justice. Please submit your interest by 16 March 2026.
Travel and access bursaries - supporting your participation: we are committed to ensuring that financial barriers do not exclude early career voices from taking part. Limited travel and access bursaries are available for participants without institutional funding and these are open to all attendees, whether you plan to present or simply join the discussions. If you work in the third sector, community organisations, or voluntary/charitable settings, we particularly encourage you to apply. Your perspectives are essential to this cross-sectoral conversation.
How to apply for support: to request bursary support, you can:
Contact Freya Cole Norton at freya.colenorton@law.ox.ac.uk, or
Apply directly using the bursary application form: https://forms.gle/muQUn1cd1hT7Bdyv5
Please submit applications before 16 March 2026.
We look forward to welcoming early career colleagues from a broad range of professional and community contexts to this collaborative and impactful event.
Thank you for staying connected with PRAN. We look forward to welcoming you at future events and continuing to build meaningful cross-sector collaboration.
In solidarity
PRAN Team
