Santander Universities funds MSc student’s research in Malawi
Emilie Faugstaud Bakke, an MSc Strategic Communications and Public Relations student at Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh, recently returned from a research trip to Malawi, focused on tackling the ‘white saviour’ syndrome that characterises some approaches to interactions between the Global North and the Global South.
She received funding from Santander Universities which allowed her to travel there to investigate the applicability of photo-elicitation techniques.
‘Project Modzi’ is a co-creation between Emilie, Emma Wood (Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication at QMU), and the grassroots charity STEKA (Step Kids Awareness), a family home for vulnerable young people located in the city of Blantyre, Malawi. The initiative aims to encourage, support and motivate Scottish pupils to demonstrate respect, unity, and solidarity while visiting another community and country.
“This project will help young Scots to share stories and disseminate powerful messages about their interactions with their peers in the Global South,” said Emilie. “It teaches them how to make respectful decisions, communicate in a meaningful way, articulate powerful messages and take meaningful pictures. It will also make them confident to advocate for change. That is what the photo-elicitation is all about – allowing individuals to articulate powerful messages in a way that does not expose themselves or make others vulnerable.”
Emilie’s trip wouldn’t have been possible without the funding she received from Santander Universities. Her travel to Malawi was necessary to gather the first-hand research required for completing her final communications project.
“I would never have been able to travel to Malawi without the funding, and I was reliant on going there myself to create this project. So, in other words, it would have been impossible to pursue the project without the financial assistance I received from Santander Universities.”
Interview with Emilie about Project Modzi
Find out more about STEKAskills.
Notes to Editor
For further media enquiries, please contact Gavin McNee (Temporary Media Relations and Content Officer) at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, E: gmcnee@qmu.ac.uk, T: 0131 474 0000.
