Transcript A Policy Framework For CED

Higher Education,
Community Engagement and
the World We Want
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
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.
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
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
Brief to UNESCO World
Conference on Higher
Education July 2009
“Large aggregate trend to unite civil
society and higher education…to cocreate knowledge, mobilize it to
inform practice and policy, and
enhance social, economic and
environmental conditions of people,
communities, nations and the world”
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. “
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
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
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
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 ?
Contact Information
Global Alliance website
www.
communityresearchcan
ada.ca
downing at uvic.ca