King's College London

Dr Roberto Fumagalli, from the Department of Political Economy, worked closely with Pecan over the course of a year-long project focussed on wellbeing that was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

Pecan is based in south London and works with the community across a series of programmes linked to employment, women’s services, and skills, as well as offering support through a foodbank and community shop initiative.

Dr Fumagalli, a senior lecturer in political economy and philosophy, delivered a masterclass on the theories of wellbeing and welfare and supported Pecan staff as they embarked on a series of follow-up workshops, to help them develop wellbeing scaling tools that could be used in their work.

At the end of the project, Pecan staff reported the collaboration has helped them gain a deeper understanding of the theoretical frameworks of welfare, enabling them to better assess, monitor, and enhance wellbeing across their programs.

Dr Fumagalli said: “I was delighted to work with Pecan through this collaborative project, helping staff navigate the challenges of translating complex academic theories into actionable practices. Pecan does invaluable work in their communities and I was pleased to be able to support their projects and, hopefully, help bridge the gap between academia and the charity sector.”