Webinar Invitation

Thursday 21st September, 2021

9:30a.m. (CDT) and 4:30p.m. (CEST)

Social Commitment and Community Engagement in Higher Education in Latin America and Europe: Sharing Experiences and Institutional Self-Reflection Frameworks

The Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi), together with the Presidency of GUNi for Latin America and the Caribbean (GUNi-ALC), with a secretariat at the Institute for Research on the University and Education (IISUE), of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the coordination of the TEFCE project (Towards a European Framework for Community Engagement in Higher Education) are pleased to invite you to the webinar "Social Commitment and Community Engagement in Higher Education in Latin America and Europe: Sharing Experiences and Institutional Self-Reflection Frameworks" that will be held on September 21st, 2021 at 9:30a.m. (CDT) and 4:30p.m. (CEST).

The Covid-19 pandemic has been yet another proof of how important it is for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to cooperate with their broader communities in mutually beneficial ways (both locally and globally), and it has also made the value of such collaborations more evident than ever.

In recent years, the emphasis on community engagement in higher education in Europe and Latin America has been renewed, but in many cases higher education institutions still lack a common framework that can help them institutionalize their cooperation and inform policy makers about the value of their participation. Anyways, there are a significant number of good practices and experiences that are a reference to advance in new stages of consolidation and projection of social commitment and community engagement.

In this webinar we will explore and share some of those good practices and initiatives from Latin America and Europe to promote social commitment and community engagement in higher education. We will also explore a Toolbox for institutional self-reflection developed by the TEFCE project, as well as a practical experience of applying and piloting the Toolbox at the University of Girona.

The webinar will be held in Spanish and English and simultaneous translation will be provided for both languages. The webinar is offered to GUNi members and non-members alike. Registration is open and free of charge. Limited places available. We encourage you to participate in the webinar and share this invitation with your networks!

Please register here and check the programme below.

For more information on the TEFCE project, the work of GUNi in relation to social commitment and the studies and work of the IISUE in these terms please visit www.tefce.eu, www.guninetwork.org, www.iisue.unam.mx or contact [email protected] and [email protected]

Programme:

• Introduction to the webinar (5’)
Josep M. Vilalta, director of the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi)

• Welcome Words (5’)
Hugo Casanova, director of the Institute for Research on the University and Education (IISUE-UNAM)

• Social Commitment and Community Engagement in Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (10’)
Axel Didriksson, president of GUNi for Latin America and the Caribbean (GUNi-ALC)

• Towards a New Framework for Community Engagement in Higher Education: the TEFCE Toolbox for Institutional Self-Reflection (20’)

Thomas Farnell, coordinator of the TEFCE project, Institute for the Development of Education (IDE)  

• The TEFCE Toolbox at the University of Girona (15’)
Silvia Llach, vicerector for Territory and Social Commitment, University of Girona

• Good Practices from Latin America and the Caribbean (30’)
Marcelo Knobel, former rector of the University of Campinas, Brazil
María Magdalena Serraute, Director of the Service-Learning Programme at the Latin American Pact for Education with Human Quality (PALECH)

Freddy Álvarez, former rector of the National University of Education of Ecuador (UNAE)

• Open debate (20’)

Moderation: Axel Didriksson (GUNi-ALC) and Victoria Gómez (GUNi)

GUNi Partners: