Rising Scholars Contributor Spotlight - Farooq Rathore, Tea Time Live Event Facilitator
By Maisie Northing and Aastha Subedi
Welcome to our new blog series, spotlighting the many ways you can contribute to and grow with the Rising Scholars community! Whether you’re facilitating discussions, mentoring others, or sharing your story, there are plenty of ways to get involved - and this series will show you how.
Visit our ‘Getting Involved’ page to explore our community progression model, which shows the different ways you can contribute. As you participate, you’ll earn badges, join a WhatsApp contributor group, gain confidence and help others!
Maybe you’ve taken a Rising Scholars course and want to share how you put your learning into practice. Maybe you have a topic to discuss with peers, or you’re curious about facilitating a future course. This series offers real stories, insights, and inspiration from other contributors.
We’re kicking things off with a community favourite: Tea Time with Rising Scholars (TTRS), which corresponds to our “event speaker” badge on the community progression model.
What is TTRS?
TTRS is our signature, community-led virtual discussion series. Unlike typical webinars, TTRS thrives on vibrant, participant-driven conversations. Community facilitators guide each session, acreating a welcoming space for sharing ideas, challenges, and best practices.
This week, we spotlight Dr. Farooq Rathore - Rising Scholars steward and a longtime member since 2008 - who led one of our most engaging Tea Time events in 2024. Watch his session,‘Challenges of attending Global North research conferences: Voices from Global South researchers’, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcPAOBph9hI&t=206s
Here is what he shared with us:
How have you contributed to the Rising Scholars community in 2024?
I have contributed by writing blog posts, reviewing blog posts submitted to Rising Scholars, recording a video titled ‘10 Reasons to Attend an International Conference’, facilitating Tea time sessions and MOOC, and serving as one of the stewards.
What motivated you to contribute to the Rising Scholars community and have you benefitted from your contributions?
I have been a beneficiary of this global network of researchers since 2008. Contributing to the next generation of members of the Rising Scholars community is part of giving back to the community that helped me learn and grow!
What has been your most memorable moment or key takeaway from facilitating a Tea Time with Rising Scholars?
My first Tea Time was in early 2023, titled Use of AI tools in Research and Writing. The event ended with many positive comments and feedback. It was my first talk on this topic, and the feedback encouraged me to explore further and do many formal training sessions on this topic. It all started with that first one-hour TTRS.
What would you say to someone who might be thinking about being more active in the community?
Life is all about helping others. Learning and teaching are the best way to go on this academic journey. You might not realise it, but everyone in this global community of researchers has something useful to share. So, what are you still waiting for? Explore the many opportunities that this platform offers - blogposts, Tea time with Rising Scholars, MOOC facilitations, and more- select the one you like the most and start getting involved!
What tips would you give to someone who’s interested in facilitating Tea Time with Rising Scholars for the first time?
I would like to offer 5 tips
- Watch some of the previous sessions to get a feel for how these TTRS are conducted
- Decide about the format in which you would like to conduct the session (presentation style, Question and Answers session, Ask the expert, etc.).
- Although these sessions are usually informal, it is a good idea to prepare well for the session
- Anticipate and create a list of possible questions that might be asked
- Do not hesitate to reach out to the TTRS team, who are always there to support you
Have you benefitted from other community members' contributions, and if so, how?
Yes, I learn from the experiences and perspectives of others. I realise that there may not be one standard way of doing things, and diversity enriches our collective learning experiences
If you're interested in hosting a Tea Time session with Rising Scholars, you can contact our Community Administrator, Aastha Subedi, at aastha.subedi@inasp.info. She will be your focal point and will respond within three working days.