UCD launches comprehensive Community Engagement Report
The most recent UCD Community Engagement Report captures a snapshot of UCD's community engagement activities during the academic year 2022-2023. The report documents various projects where university resources and expertise have been leveraged to address local issues, ranging from education and healthcare to environmental sustainability and economic development. The launch event, held at the Contemplative space in the Quinn School of Business, saw a gathering of UCD colleagues, community partners, and students.
Professor Joe Carthy, UCD in the Community, welcomed everyone to the launch on Wednesday 15 May, 2024. In his welcome address, Professor Carthy outlined how the community-university partnerships highlighted in this report provide real and meaningful benefits for all those involved. He then invited Professor Colin Scott, Registrar, Deputy President and Vice President for Academic Affairs at University College Dublin to officially launch the report.
Expressing his enthusiasm for the community engagement work highlighted in this report, Professor Scott spoke about the importance of real, collaborative engagement with the community. Professor Scott officially launched the report and encouraged people to read and engage with the report and the stories featured in it.
The event also featured several guest speakers who shared their experiences and insights from various projects detailed in the report. Among them was Dr. Karen Keaveney, Head of Subject for Rural Development in the UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science. Dr Keaveney shared her personal interest in community engagement and spoke about her project ‘Sharing Community Experiences of Planning Coastal Village Futures’ that features in the report.
Associate Professor Aideen Quilty, School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice and Associate Dean of Social Sciences, and Sinead Mahon, coordinator of Ronanstown Community Development Project, Clondalkin, closed off the event speaking about the collaborative UCD Gender Studies Community University Outreach Programme.
To conclude the proceedings, Professor Joe Carthy encouraged others to take inspiration from the report and to get involved in community engagement projects in the coming year.
To view the report and to learn more about the university's community engagement initiatives, visit www.ucd.ie/ucdinthecommunity
