Introduction
SOPHIA is a welcoming, open and inclusive community of people who practise philosophy with children (PwC) in Europe and is committed to widening participation in our network and our events. When possible, we offer bursaries to those experiencing financial and social barriers that prevent them joining the network and attending our annual meeting.
Eligibility
Candidates are eligible to apply for a bursary if they meet the following three criteria:
(i) They are active in PwC e.g. as a teacher, student, practitioner, lecturer or researcher.
(ii) They face economic and/or social barriers* that prevent or impede their participation in SOPHIA.
(iii) They will benefit from attending, e.g. their participation will make a positive difference to their future practice and those students or beneficiaries their work supports.
*A note on what we mean by ‘barriers’
Those facing economic barriers may include people on a low income (according to their national averages) and/or people who don’t have a third party (like a university or employer) to cover their costs. This may also cover people on an average income, but resident in country with a very unfavourable exchange rate.
Those facing social barriers may include people from group under-represented at SOPHIA, particularly, young people aged 18-30, full-time students, people from minoritised ethnicities including Black and Asian people, disabled people including neurodivergent people, and people from European countries where PwC is not widely practised or where there is no regional or national centres
What the Bursary covers
Bursaries typically cover the cost of SOPHIA membership, the fee for attending a SOPHIA Network Meeting and a contribution towards a delegate’s travel and accommodation.
For every bursary offered, SOPHIA will waive the annual membership fee (worth €35) and the ticket price for attending SOPHIA.
SOPHIA will also offer a fixed sum towards the cost of travel and accommodation e.g. typically €150.
Application process
We operate via self-certification of need (using an MS form). The link for applicants can be found here.
When articulating their need, applicants should refer to the three criteria above. We only award bursaries to those who meet these three criteria.
In addition to these requirements, we have a scoring system that also:
(i) prioritises local people from the host country (but allows overseas applicants).
(ii) prioritises new people (but allows returning people)
(iii) prioritises speakers (but allows non-speakers)
(iv) prioritises students and schoolteachers (but open to all eligible applicants)
Deadlines and Transparency
Each year there will be a deadline for applicants two months prior to the event. For our 2025 bursary, the deadline is 25 March.
Applications will be collated by Grace Lockrobin, the SOPHIA Board Member responsible for bursaries and th
at person along with one member of the Exec and a volunteer, will use the selection criteria to decide.
All decisions will be made and communicated no later than six weeks prior to the event.
Feedback on applications will not be provided.
Applicants with questions should contact Grace Lockrobin at gareclockrobin@sapere.org.uk
Download SOPHIA 2025 Bursary Flyer
