Commonweal supports new bursary students

Commonweal is delighted to support four University of Birmingham undergraduate students with their final-year projects investigating housing-related issues and injustices.

Since 2018, Commonweal has supported over 25 students through the Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary, established in memory of the charity's late Trustee. Jane Slowey CBE, an alumna of the University of Birmingham, was a leading figure in the housing sector and an active campaigner for social change.

The Bursary is available to students at the University of Birmingham's School of Social Policy, enabling them to delve deeper into issues related to housing, social injustice, and young people.

The 2025/26 Bursary recipients are Samantha Robathan, Georgia Solomon, Ryan Peddie and Caragh Williams. Each will receive a £2,500 grant and informal mentoring support from Commonweal to assist with their studies.

Social Policy student Samantha will explore the injustices that lead to high homelessness rates among care leavers aged 18 to 20 in England. She aims to investigate how granting care leavers protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 can improve housing outcomes for this group.

Provisional dissertation title: Addressing the care cliff: Should the Equality Act 2010 be amended to include care experienced as a protected group?

Samanatha said, “I am thrilled to have received a Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary this year and excited to be mentored by Commonweal Housing. This is an incredible opportunity that will enrich my dissertation on social justice for care-experienced young people.”

Georgia, who is studying Sociology & Social Policy, will examine how perceptions of social housing compare with lived experiences. By reviewing housing data - such as the English Housing Survey - she will measure residents’ wellbeing and housing satisfaction, and compare these with perceptions portrayed in media narratives and in housing policy.

Provisional research title: Perceptions vs lived experiences of social housing: An intersectional approach to the ideology behind housing policy in England.  

Georgia said, “Being awarded the Jane Slowey Memorial Bursary has helped relieve the financial burdens of university and allows me to allocate more time and energy towards my dissertation, along with the help of mentorship from Commonweal.”

Policy, Politics & Economics undergraduate Ryan will evaluate how framing housing associations as social enterprises or humanitarian groups affects donations. He seeks to conduct Game Theory experiments in which participants will donate money to a housing association through a community fund. The results aim to help explore how reduced government funding has affected public support for housing associations.

Provisional dissertation title: Market or Morality: Testing public support for housing associations using one-shot dictator games.

Ryan remarked, “The Bursary will help me to achieve my research goals, as I will be putting money towards travel costs and print advertisement of interviews, as well as incentives for participants.”

Lastly, Social Policy undergraduate Caragh Williams will analyse how media and policy narratives shape public perception of estate regeneration and gentrification, while silencing or stigmatising working-class communities. To explore this topic, she aims to gather first-hand evidence from Birmingham residents affected by estate regeneration to highlight the impact of these narratives on them.

Provisional research question: Do media portrayals of housing estate regeneration in Birmingham legitimise gentrification and silence the working class?

Caragh said, “The Bursary will support me by allowing me to incentivise my experiment, providing stronger and more accurate results. It will also allow me to reduce my hours of term-time work.”

Students are currently conducting their research projects and will present their findings to the Commonweal team in Spring 2025. As ever, we look forward to sharing students' learning on our website next year.