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CLAYSS received a very special invitation to share our experience in community engagement and solidarity service-learning at a key event in Sierra Leone, Africa. The online “Universities in Action: Global Perspectives on University-Community Partnerships” was recently held on 21st October, and it was jointly organized by the University of Makeni (UNIMAK) and the University of Sierra Leone, Fourah Bay College.
It took place in Freetown and brought together over 250 participants, including scholars, professionals, students, and opinion leaders, who discussed how higher education institutions can successfully contribute to sustainable development through collaboration with their communities.
Representing CLAYSS, Candelaria Ferrara, Uniservitate Regional Hub Coordinator, presented innovative strategies, challenges and lessons learned when fostering university-community partnerships and solidarity service-learning models (SSL). She presented practical examples illustrating the positive results of the approach on students, local communities and institutional development.
Her participation is part of an international collaboration project in line with initiatives such as the Uniservitate programme and, specifically, the ENHANCE-GSL (Enhancing Capacities for Sustainable Community Engagement: Cases of Georgia and Sierra Leone) project. It focuses on the active role of universities in society and community engagement in Sierra Leone and Georgia. For more information on the ENHANCE-GSL project, visit: https://enhance.ug.edu.ge/en
We would like to thank the University of Sierra Leone, Fourah Bay College and the University of Makeni (UNIMAK) for organizing such an inspiring event, and our colleagues from ENHANCE-GSL and the Uniservitate Africa Hub for the valuable exchange of experiences on community engagement worldwide.