Birkbeck / IVAR seminar - 7th December. Other Times, Other Places.

Seminar One

Other Times, Other Places: Parallels from historical research and international practice
In conjunction with the Voluntary Action History Society
Georgina Brewis and John Hailey

Georgina Brewis

What are the implications for the UK non-profit sector from a historical study of voluntary action in Britain and India before 1914? The presentation will identify a number of parallels between the historical situation and voluntary action in Britain today. It will focus on one historical case-study, considering how voluntary social service in Britain and India was framed by concerns around citizenship and nation building in the period before the First World War. Drawing on archival research, the presentation will outline a vibrant social service culture before 1914 and place this in the broader context of young people’s volunteering today.

John Hailey

What lessons can the UK non-profit sector learn from the way NGOs work internationally? This presentation attempts to address this question, examining some of the different processes and practices that International NGOs have adopted to handle the challenges of the last twenty years. Some of the practical lessons from this experience will be analysed. The presentation will conclude with an assessment of the ways such International NGOs may have to change to cope with the future challenges and offer an analysis of their relevance for those working in charities and not-for-profit organisations in the UK.
 

Speakers:

Georgina Brewis recently completed her PhD at the University of East London. She previously worked at the Institute for Volunteering Research. Her research interests lie in the historical and contemporary study of voluntary action in Britain and empire. She is currently working as a freelance researcher in the voluntary sector and developing ideas for post-doctoral research on the history of overseas volunteering. She is the Publicity Secretary of the Voluntary Action History Society and a member of its Postgraduate and Early Career Committee.
 

John Hailey is a Visiting Professor at City University’s Cass Business School where he is the Director of a new MSc in NGO Management. He is also an independent consultant with a particular interest in the management and strategy issues facing NGOs and has worked in over fifty different countries. Formerly, he was Professor of International Management and Deputy Director of Oxford Brookes University Business School, Director of the International Development Centre at Cranfield School of Management, and was one of the founders of the Oxford-based International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC).