Training Days

With the advent of Brexit, the refugee crisis and climate emergency declared in different parts of the world, doctoral researchers are increasingly exploring alternate and sometimes marginal perspectives on our world.

This impulse often leads them to individuals, communities and worldviews that are markedly different from their own and, in some cases, are affected by trauma and marginalisation. Aurora provides training that equips researchers with key skills to support them practically and emotionally whilst ensuring ethically informed research.

Training is tailored to meet the specific needs of individual trainees. The main areas covered are:

• Trauma Awareness - What does the impact of trauma look like and how can we, as researchers, react responsibly and ethically towards those impacted by it?

• Support Networks - How can we support ourselves when working with vulnerable communities to avoid emotional burn-out? What networks can we utilise or construct?

• Partnership and Consent - How do we produce high quality research whilst respecting the privacy and autonomy of those with whom we work? How do we ensure that we attain informed consent? How can our research benefit both sides of the exchange?

Online Learning

With the arrival of the covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent closure of international borders and national lock downs, the drive towards online learning has accelerated across the Higher Education sector.

At the same time, the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities and deprivation amongst the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in the world. It has also made it increasingly difficult for the researchers, educationalists and NGOs to reach these populations.

Aurora Learning coordinates webinar series that pull together academics and NGOs to consider the ways in which humanitarian networks and community resilience can be safeguarded in the era of social distancing.

We are also moving our existing training programmes that support ethically informed and Trauma Aware research practice online.

International Placements

More than ever, PhD graduates are pursuing alternatives routes to the traditional academic career. The third sector employs a significant number of these graduates, especially those from the fields of arts, humanities and social sciences.

The prevalence of voluntary, unpaid positions for those without experience and the difficulty attaining such experience can present a barrier, especially for those unable to fund themselves.

Aurora Learning is committed to forming partnerships with doctoral training programmes and organisations such as Aquinoe Learning Centre that widen access to meaningful international placements. These placements allow participants to run arts and community projects specifically tailored to the host centres needs, ensuring meaningful collaboration. Aurora placements are specifically bench-marked to the Vitae Researcher Development Framework, providing meaningful experience and professional currency to participants.