Dublin City University

Civic Engagement at Dublin City University

DCU was the first Irish university to develop a civic engagement strategy - DCU in the Community- in 2006 following on its pioneering development of an access programme. DCU's civic engagement strategy promotes inclusive and active citizenship across the university community, within a spirit of engagement with the wider society in pursuit of economic, social and cultural development. This work is organized through the DCU Civic Engagement Forum.

It is the belief of the university that it is only by fulfilling the civic obligations incumbent on all great universities that DCU will earn and continue to retain the respect and support of its neighbouring communities and other stakeholders in North Dublin. Furthermore, it is recognised that it is only with the active support of the communities and stakeholders within the region that DCU can achieve the overall goals and objectives it aspires to.

In the current climate of national crisis our civic engagement mission will take on an even greater importance. It is important to note that while Ireland is facing significant fiscal challenges in funding many important public services, including higher education, the need for active engagement with the community is perhaps greater today than ever. In this environment it is vital that the university perseveres in its efforts to embed civic engagement as a mainstream or ‘core business' university activity.

Community Based/Service Learning

At DCU a major vehicle for service learning has been the Uaneen Module, now widely seen as a model of best practice. In February 2004, the awards were evaluated by the University and DCU became the first Irish university to formally acknowledge and offer academic credits for the extracurricular activities of its students through the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) for a range of non-academic activities that can range from the sporting, political and creative to the community and social.

Students submit a portfolio towards the end of their final year, which includes a log of activities and a reflection section on the learning gained. Many students who have submitted in the last number of years have demonstrated significant involvement in community based projects, both in the vicinity of DCU and/or in their local communities.

The Uaneen Module, recognizing the value of a holistic education, not merely the academic, will continue to reward students for their involvement in such community projects.

With the development of a university wide civic engagement strategy in 2006 the main immediate priority chosen to implement this new strategy was the opening of an educational teaching centre in neighbouring Ballymun in partnership with the local regeneration company Ballymun Regeneration Limited. North Dublin in general and Ballymun in particular had exceptionally low levels of access to higher education and the ‘town/gown' divide was here at its widest.

In June 2008 DCU in the Community (Shangan Road) was opened in an approximately 130-square-metre educational facility in the heart of Ballymun, with planning for this exciting venture going back to 2006.We were joined by the City of Dublin Vocational Educational Council (VEC) in an innovative partnership to produce ‘joined-up thinking' that would bridge the gap between the formal educational qualifications of local residents and university-entry requirements. The Shangan Road building has already, during its first pilot phase, begun to act as a real bridge between a severely disadvantaged neighbourhood and the world of higher education. Its Bridge to Education course is reaching an increasing number of students who would not otherwise think of going to university.

Within DCU this social and educational experiment is now raising a number of questions across the university system. How to ‘mainstream' it? How to resource it? Should we try to open other such centres? These are, of course, the problems of success.

Community Based Research

Another side of DCU's engagement with the community is its ongoing effort to establish the DCU Science Shop whose subtitle, Community Knowledge Exchange, captures well what it is designed to accomplish. Aided by a European Union grant, we have already completed a pilot project in partnership with CAIRDE, a local NGO (non-governmental organization) that works with migrants around health issues within a capacity-building framework. This NGO-led research partnership addressed the vital and neglected issue of migrants' well-being from a mental-health perspective.

Future projects with local partners are planned in the area of environmental issues. Within DCU we are setting up structures and procedures so that community-based learning and research can prosper and be recognized as part of ‘normal' teaching and learning. Our underlying objective is to move away from a knowledge transfer' model, where the university is seen as the font of all wisdom, to a more egalitarian ‘knowledge development partnership', where experiential wisdom and learning is recognized as valuable and essential to the engaged university.

Volunteering

Volunteering is widely acknowledges to play a key role in promoting active citizenship. Indeed, it can be seen as a ‘barometer' to measure the health of civil society at any point in time.

The newly established Student Engagement Centre, part of the Office of Student Life, was created to facilitate students who may have an interest in volunteering. It is hoped it will serve students and the community by linking people, organisations and agencies beyond the Campus, while bringing the benefits of engagement to students.

The Centre has been actively involved in organising Dublin City University's first Volunteering Expo in November 2009. This will provide an opportunity for students and staff to meet with a wide range of community organisations who are seeking volunteers.

The Centre will act as a referral point for students who may be interested in volunteering and explore with them the benefits of such activities for their personal growth and development, in addition to the obvious benefits to the organisation.

Its philosophy is in keeping with the mission statement of the Office of Student Life-

The Office of Student Life will promote and enhance the student experience outside the classroom by providing opportunities for student growth and development. The Office will work with the University to complement the traditional academic mission, by supporting recognized clubs and societies and the Students' Union and by encouraging creative learning and leadership development

Contacts:

Professor Ronnie Munck, Director of Civic Engagement, ronnie.munck@dcu.ie

Margaret Keane, Learning Innovation Officer, Learning Innovation Unit, margaret.keane@dcu.ie

Dr. Deiric O'Broin, Chair, DCU Civic Engagement Forum, Nordubco@dcu.ie

Ms Una Redmond, Manager, Office of Student Life, una.redmond@dcu.ie