Higher Education, Community Engagement and the World We Want

1. Higher Education, Community Engagement and the World We Want

2. Rupert Downing • Director, Canadian Social Economy Research Program, funded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council • Director, International Dialogue on Social and Solidarity Economy Policy funded by Alliance for a Responsible, Plural and Solidarity Economy • Coordinator, Global Alliance for Community Engaged Research

3. Global Alliance for Community Engaged Research Created by representatives of universities, networks and civil society organizations May 2008 to strengthen community university partnerships in learning, research and knowledge mobilization to respond to social, economic and environmental crises facing the world.

4. Activities • Capacity building and co-learning amongst practitioners • Improving institutional environments for community university partnerships • Research and development • Improving public policy environment • Promote knowledge sharing for international cooperation

5. Partners • Society for Participatory Research in Asia • Science University of Malaysia • CEBEM • University of Victoria • Living Knowledge Network • Sub-Saharan Africa Participatory Research Network • Many others

6. Brief to UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education July 2009 “Large aggregate trend to unite civil society and higher education…to co-create knowledge, mobilize it to inform practice and policy, and enhance social, economic and environmental conditions of people, communities, nations and the world”

7. Brief to UNESCO “Efforts are fragmented and face many unnecessary barriers. We therefore propose an Action Plan for University-Community Engagement for Societal Change and Development…that unleashes the resources of higher education and government…with civil society…to create the sustainable world we want. “

8. Action Plan • UNESCO include in Conference declaration commitment to supporting community higher education partnerships to achieve sustainable development • UNESCO and Member States support participatory research on best practices, models, funding and government policy linkages re CU partnerships

9. Action Plan • Create a UNESCO Chair in Community Engaged Scholarship • Convene an international conference • Develop and invest in research funding models based on successful outcomes (e.g. Canada’s CURA program) • Higher education associations collaborate in strengthening supports to CU partnerships

10. Next Steps • Global Alliance meetings in Belfast (Living Knowledge Network Conference August 26)) and Penang (University-Community Engagement for Sustainability Conference November 23) • International research on models and barriers (funded by SSHRC) • Follow up with UNESCO and Member States

11. Your Input • What models would you propose to include in our research report ? • What examples of supportive policy (institutional or governmental) do you know of ? • How could we co-create learning opportunities on effective community university partnership and engagement ?

12. Contact Information Global Alliance website www. communityresearchcanada.ca downing at uvic.ca