The Civic Engagement Network for Schools, Universities and Colleges

While relatively new, the network is already making strides. By joining forces with the Civic University Network (CUN), the CEN is expanding its reach through a wider ecosystem of support. The partnership seeks to go beyond the focus on widening participation, galvanising the growing movement towards collaboration in education. Our vision is to expand membership to include institutions that share our goal of civic engagement around the UN SDGs and wish to enhance learning outcomes for all young people.

Here are our key objectives and how we’re working towards them.

Another of the CEN’s objectives is to transform educational institutions into vibrant hubs of civic engagement. Providing young people with opportunities to engage with local communities empowers them to build their social, cultural, and professional capital. One way of achieving this is embedding community-based pedagogies into curricula. Example initiatives can include field trips, local advocacy work, partnering with community groups around a shared mission and other forms of real-world learning.

The CEN recognises that disparities in resources and empowerment across UK schools and communities are barriers to equity and inclusivity. Tackling this involves tactics such as scaling up regional partnerships and allowing for more organised resource sharing that complements top-down government policy. We also support integrating changemaker skills and sensibilities into curricula and empowering young people from marginalised backgrounds at all levels of education.

Today’s youth face massive challenges when transitioning into the workforce. Universities are well-placed to foster school, employer and community partnerships. They can also broker effective relationships by connecting schools with employers around shared themes, projects or needs. Research shows that partnerships (between education leaders, teachers and businesses) are most likely to succeed when all parties involved and feel genuine ownership. As such, we are helping facilitate the co-design of placements and projects with employers, using methods such as employer project-based learning (EPBL).

Finally, in response to the escalating social, ecological and climate crises, the CEN strongly supports integrating the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) at all stages of education. Evidence shows that emphasising an understanding of environmental issues and their social, political, and historical dimensions can equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to tackle upcoming challenges, with the additional benefit of improving pupil motivation, attendance and engagement.

I am delighted that the CEN is already progressing towards these goals through several successful initiatives. These include The Morecambe Bay Project (connecting Lancaster University, the Eden Project and local schools), the University of Manchester’s School Citizen Assemblies project (assembling knowledge, skills, agency, empathy and action around real-world challenges) and Living Lab (focusing on real-world sustainability challenges). In addition, the University of Strathclyde’s Vertically Integrated Projects for Sustainable Development (VIP4SD) enabling students to earn academic credits through real-world research projects, while the University of Newcastle has developed a pioneering approach to community curriculum co-design.

Our new report outlines all these initiatives and objectives in detail, and I urge anyone interested to take a closer look. While significant challenges lie ahead, only together we can forge a future where young minds thrive, communities flourish, and the United Nations sustainable development goals become our shared reality.