IDEA Center and UNIC organised an event on fostering inclusive engagement. Being an Engaged University is at the heart of EUR’s Strategy 2030. The event focused on how to make this happen in an inclusive way. International speakers from Malmö University, external speakers from Rotterdam partners, and EUR colleagues and students joined the stage to share insights, engage the audience, and answer the question: How do we become an Inclusive Engaged University?
Opening the event, moderated by Dr. Yumna Asaf, was prof. Inge Hutter. She shared her vision of what a truly internally engaged university looks like through the lens of the Erasmian values. Prof. Arwin van Buuren, Strategic Dean of Impact & Engagement, shared his vision and dreams for our university, and emphasized that we are doing a lot of good things already, regarding engagement and creating positive societal impact.
Prof. Arwin van Buuren also highlighted the IDEA-L principles for inclusive engagement, created by IDEA Center. He advised everyone to have a look on the webpage presenting five interconnected principles - Inclusive engagement, Diverse engagement, Equitable engagement, Accessible engagement, and Lasting engagement – that guide engagement in all domains of academic life: research, teaching, institutional culture, and partnerships with society.
Our Chief Diversity Officer, prof. Jane Murray Cramm, shared hands-on examples of how IDEA Center is working on inclusive engagement. Amongst other things, she shared the board game Kansenbord that we have developed, the Step-by-Step Guide for Inclusive and Engaged Outreach we are working on, the programme Advancing Inclusive Academia, and she highlighted Jule van den Berg, who is doing her PhD on inclusive and responsible research at IDEA Center.
Interactive sessions
Participants got actively involved and challenged at four break out sessions. From inclusive education to learning more about external engagement through our Academic Outreach Programme, and from inclusive research to internal engagement, with a short experience in the participatory method Appreciative Inquiries.
UNIC City Lab
The finale of the event was a UNIC City Lab on Health, Equity, and Engagement: Working with City Residents for Inclusive Care. Elisabeth Mangrio and Rathi Ramji of Malmö University, and Anniek Bosdijk (EUR) and Marije Poot-Reynders from the municipality of Rotterdam, shared their insights on conducting inclusive and engaged research by working on societal issues, in collaboration with municipalities, city and societal partners and universities.
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