FW: University-Community Engagement for Sustainability

[Samuel Mann]

From: APEID [mailto:ap...@unescobkk.org]
Sent: Friday, 17 July 2009 3:22 p.m.
To: wendy...@phase2.org
Subject: University-Community Engagement for Sustainability

 

University-Community Engagement for Sustainability 23 - 26 November 2009 Bayview Hotel, Georgetown Penang, Malaysia organised by Division of Industry & Community Network (BJIM) Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia in collaboration with (GACER) Global Alliance on Community Engaged Research and UNESCO-APEID    Rationale Humanity stands at a critical moment of survival and continuity in history. In varying ways, and to varying extent, most people are living in ways that are ecologically, economically, socially, politically, culturally and personally unsustainable.  How can universities nurture awareness and commitment of our future generations to be personally, collectively and institutionally engaged for a sustainable now and future?  While universities have to produce graduates who have skills to operate effectively in a globally competitive environment, it is also widely recognised that its fundamental challenge is to provide an ethical knowledge base responsive to societal needs, and contribute to the public good.  Indeed the complexities of our unsustainable societies can present new opportunities (as well as challenges) for universities to reclaim their relevance and social responsibility to society. Various attempts in different parts of the world have started to address these concerns.  An effective and high impact approach is the engagement of universities with communities. Engagement goes beyond outreach and extension or service as universities seek mutually beneficial relationships with communities to address communities’ issues and needs (and not just universities’ agendas), where there is commitment to democratic partnerships guided by mutual respect.  Engagement brings mutual learning, reciprocity and discovery in the co-creation of knowledge with all partners. This Conference aims to revisit the missions of universities and to explore ways of making this engagement more meaningful, inclusive and sustainable. In order that universities can continue to protect our planet as well as serve the public good, sustainability issues will also be addressed. The Conference will also explore ways to create an environment within universities that is conducive for serious engagement to take place and to flourish.  Objectives ·         To discuss the social responsibility and changing roles of universities ·         To explore methods, experiences and strategies of community engagement ·         To network, share experiences and showcase good practices in university-community partnerships ·         To promote and legitimize the scholarship of engagement in the Asia-Pacific region Format There will be a varied engaging program of keynote addresses by internationally renowned speakers, plenary presentations by specialists, parallel sessions by practitioners and engaged scholars as well as show case presentations of good practices to illustrate possibilities and challenges.  Keynote and Plenary Speakers include  ·         Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Vice-Chancellor, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia ·         Dr. Rajesh Tandon, Society for Participatory Research In Asia (PRIA), India ·         Dr. Budd Hall, University of Victoria, Canada ·         Mr. Tan Jo Hann, Malaysian Popular Communications Center for Human Rights (Pusat KOMAS), Malaysia ·         Prof. Shirley Waters, University of Western Cape, South Africa ·         Dr. Molly Lee, UNESCO-APEID, Bangkok. Call for Papers, Showcases and Posters/Exhibits We welcome papers and showcase presentations which review experiences, theories and practices as well as challenges of university engagement. Papers related to the following conference sub-themes below are also strongly encouraged.  ·         Changing roles and social responsibility of universities for sustainable development ·         Experiences and challenges of engagement of academe/university with community/industry ·         Methods, strategies and approaches in engaging with communities ·         Theory and practice in the scholarship of engagement Submissions of Abstracts and Full Papers All abstracts and full papers must be submitted online and in English at http://www.usm.my/icn/ucec/ A) Papers and Showcase Presentations (Showcases should be either completed or on-going projects that highlight aspects of ‘good practice’ and lessons learned) Abstracts of not more than 250 words must be submitted by 1 August 2009. Accepted abstracts will be notified by 31 August 2009. Deadline for full paper is 15 October 2009. B)  Posters/Exhibits This is a visual display which can cover research, practice or programme development related to university-ommunity engagement. Recommended poster size is A1 (841x594mm). Please refer to further details on the format and guidelines for exhibits at the conference website from 30 April 2009. All presenters must register as conference delegates and pay the registration fees. Post-Conference Training Workshops The conference will be followed by a one-day post-conference capacity-building workshop pertaining to fostering engagement. The proposed workshops (tbc) are:  ·         Establishing science shops ·         How to conduct community-based participatory research ·         Making green maps ·         Participatory inventory mapping with community Fees Early bird registration :    Local participants RM300 (on or before 15 Sept.)    International participants USD300 Registration :     Local participants RM350 (after 15 Sept.)  International participants USD350 Post-conference:  Local participants RM100 Workshop              International participants USD100 Registration Register online: http://www.usm.my/icn/ucec/, or download registration form from conference website, or contact the conference secretariat. Enquiries Secretariat University-Community Engagement Conference c/o The Institute of Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, MALAYSIA Phone: (604) 6534814 or (604) 653 2916 Fax: (604) 6534803 E-mail: uc...@notes.usm.my Website: http://www.usm.my/icn/ucec/ Best regards, Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation Development (APEID), UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, 920 Sukhumvit Road, Prakanong, Bangkok 10110, THAILAND Tel: +66-2-3910577 Fax: +66-2-3910866 Email: ap...@unescobkk.org

 

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