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 About |
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Title: University-Community Partnership for Social Action Research
Location:
Global
Categories: Human Rights
Globalization
Education
Status:
In Progress
Timeline:
Ongoing
Description:
University-Community Partnership for Social Action Research (UCP-SARnet) is a growing network of nearly 900 students, university faculty, community activists, and governmental officials engaged in achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in 61 countries.
UCP-SARnet is dedicated to education of the next generation of community leaders by compiling and housing an interactive online library of resources and facilitating cross-sector collaboration, networking and multicultural dialogue.
UCP-SARnet has been developed and sponsored by the Department of Psychology, Arizona State University (USA) in close collaboration with the Centre for Community Based Research (CCBR) in Kitchener (Canada), Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw (Poland), and other international partners.
Initially co-sponsored by the Centre for International Governance Innovations (CIGI), UCP-SARnet is currently co-sponsored and hosted by IGLOO in Canada. UCP-SARnet is a member of the Global Alliance on Community Engaged Research and is represented at the Global Alliance for ICT and Development.
Unique about the UCP-SARnet project is that it has been created and governed by students and community activists who – under consultation of university faculty –as volunteers, interns or undergraduate research assistants govern the project and learn skills necessary for building effective partnerships and networks. UCP-SARnet’s Leadership Team is built of the Assistant Facilitators coordinating UCP-SARnet's work in Africa, Asia and Pacific, Europe, and South/North Americas and is led by the Dr. Marek Wosinski, Facilitator of the Network. The Executive Team of the network is based at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona
Objectives:
UCP-SARnet is building a global community of students, university faculty, community activists and members of local governments engaged in search for solutions to the most pressing global issues of our time articulated in the UN Millennium Development Goals.
We contribute to educating community leaders by inspiring university-community partnerships, promoting community engaged research, compiling a library of online resources and utilizing ICT to facilitative cross-sector collaboration and multi-cultural dialog.
Milestones:
• The idea to create a vehicle for multicultural dialog on community issues was born at the First International Conference on Community Psychology in Puerto Rico in June 2006 during the symposium facilitated by Marek Wosinski (USA), Geoff Nelson (Canada), Adrian Fisher (Australia) and Gil Line (USA).
• Participants of the conference very strongly accentuated the fact that such basic concepts as social justice, prevention, intervention, empowerment, sense of community, etc. may have different meanings depending on a cultural context. They agreed that to assure international collaboration on social issues there is a need for a platform where researchers, students and community organizations worldwide could exchange ideas, visions and experiences to unify the language we use when talking about community.
• With the support of Arizona State University (USA) and Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities (Poland), Marek Wosinski with a team of students began to construct the first version of the website. The project was introduced to the Sixth European Conference on Community Psychology in Opole (Poland) where most of the participants agreed that to educate well future community leaders we have to introduce a global perspective on community issues. Students preparing themselves to the leadership role should understand that events happening on the global level affect local communities, and that their local community may have some influence on global affairs. After this conference the following colleagues agreed to further collaborate on the development of the project:
Joanna Ochocka from the Centre for Community Based Research in Canada(who also agreed to coordinate a participatory research project evaluating development and impact of UCP-SARnet)
Asyia Siddiquee from Research Institute for Health and Social Change at the Manchester Metropolitan University (England)
Liz Cunningham from Health and Social Policy Research Center at the University of Brighton (England)
Caterina Arcidiacono from Department of Relational Sciences "G. Iacono" Universita Federico II Napoli(Italy)
Anna Bokszczanin from University of Opole (Poland)
Katarzyna Winkowska-Nowak from Warsaw School of Social Sciences and Humanities (Poland)
• Since then during regular monthly meetings online the group has been consulting on the progress of the development of the network. The Leadership Team located at the Arizona State University has been implementing the directives and with the support from ASU Psychology Department, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Informational Technology Office developed the UCP-SARnet web application. Numerous people assisted us in this process with advice and support (please see Acknowledgments).
• In July 2007 UCP-SARnet started collaboration with Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). Since then UCP-SARnet has been working on creating knowledge partnerships with other global networks, developing a strong international Advisory Board and filling the platform with new content.
• UCP-SARnet was officially launched on April 18, 2008 during the conference organized by the Centre for Community Based Research (CCBR) and hosted by the Centre for International Governance Innovations (CIGI) in Waterloo, Canada.
• In May, 2008 UCP-SARnet was presented to the participants of CU Expo in Victoria (Canada) where it became a member of the Global Alliance for Community Engaged Research. In June, 2008 UCP-SARnet was presented to the participants of II European Conference on Community Psychology.
• Since Summer 2007 until 2009 UCP-SARnet has been part of IGLOO Network Due to structural changes at CIGI IGLOO network discontinued its activity in 2009.
• In November 2008 Global Governance Innovations Network (one of the communities created by CIGI to promote innovative solutions to global challenges) organized a symposium with participation of representations of networks from Africa, Australia, Europe and North America to discuss effective ways of global networking. From this date UCP-SArnet until summer 2009 UCP-SARnet was a member of this network. Unfortunately, due to organizational changes at CIGI, this network has ended its activities.
• In December 2008 UCP-SARnet begun migration to a new upgraded portal powered by IGLOO Software. The process was completed in January 2009.
• Inspired by the World Civic Forum organized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in Seoul in May 2009, as well as by the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education and Education Leaders Forum organized by UNESCO and Microsoft in Paris in July 2009, UCP-SARnet focused its mission on the Millennium Development Goals. In fall 2009 Executive Team was working on relevant changes in structure and content of our portal. At the same time we have been developing partnerships with universities and community organizations in China and India.
• The work on Gandhi College of Social work in India is progressing. In Spring 2011 there will be an inauguration of the Learning Center created in collaboration with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
• The UN Foundation agreed to collaborate with UCP-SARnet and promised to provide contacts and materials for our other projects. For the year 2012, UN Foundation may consider supporting us further through funding and staff.
• World for World Organization agreed on a partnership with UCP-SARnet. The work on agreements about collaboration with IGNOU (India), Amity University (India) and International Sakharov Environmental University (Belarus) is in progress.
• As a result of negotiations with Dr. Kiran Bedi, India's first and highest ranking (retired in 2007) woman police officer, two organizations founded by her (Navjyoti India Foundation and India Vision Foundation) joined our network as organizational members. Dr. Bedi's experience and expertise include more than 35 years of tough, innovative and welfare policing. She has worked with the United Nations as the Police Advisor to the Secretary General in the Department of Peace Keeping Operations. She has represented India at the United Nations and in international forums on crime prevention, drug abuse, police and prison reforms and women's issues.
• Six other organizations joined the network as organizational members: ACT India, Global Thinking Women (USA), LUKMEF (Cameroon), BEAM India , Ann Foundation and UCP-SARnet The Gambia - the first UCP-SARnet national team registered officially as a non-profit organization. We will use this as a model for other Teams of Regional Coordinators.
• In collaboration with the UN Millennium Campaign, UCP-SARnet organized in September STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY events in China, India, Gambia and at ASU. In China, 11,000 students made the pledge to work toward a particular Millennium Development Goal. Next year we are planning to organize such events in all countries where we have our members and promote the event through all our projects.
• UCP-SARnet has been a partner of SIAS International University (China) and Global Interactions, Inc (USA) in the organization of the innovative educational program, "The World Academy for the Future of Women." UCP-SARnet also initiated collaboration between the Academy and Rutgers University.
• In May 2010, UCP-SARnet organized the second Bridging the World Virtual Event at SIAS International University in China. Community activists from 10 countries participated in the event as well as several hundred Chinese students and faculty members.
• As a result of collaboration with the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), UCP-SARnet has presented a plan for the promotion of MDG eNabler, a type of software created by GAID to support community leaders and governmental officials involved in Millennium Development Goals and their attempts to develop new community projects addressing MDG. Dr. Marek Wosinski discussed the project with the GAID Secretariat and presented it at the Preparatory Meeting of GAID in September.
• On December 4-5 the proposal was presented to the Global Forum of GAID in Abu Dhabi. We are in the process of preparing the final plan. There are already plans to promote MDG eNabler in India in collaboration with ACT India, as well as at the CU-EXPO conference in Canada and at the 2011 MDG Conference in Zhengzhou (China).
• UCP-SARnet has been actively involved in the organization of Community-University Exposition 2011 in Canada. We will have one plenary session presenting the work of UCP-SARnet and several individual presentations. UCP-SARnet invited Dr. Bedi to deliver the keynote speech opening CU Expo 2011 in Canada and she accepted this invitation.
• A new ICT team with 11 members has been created (lead by Adam Euerby from Canada) with the task of developing new features for the UCP-SARnet portal offered by IGLOO (community spaces) and to make the portal more interactive and user friendly. The ICT Team will be also involved in the implementation of the MDG eNabler.
• We have reorganized our Leadership Team. Dr. Marek Wosinski, Facilitator of the network, is now supported by the team of Assistant Facilitators responsible for expanding UCP-SARnet in all regions of the world: Birendra Kumar (Asia and Pacific), Gansewar Sahoo (Europe), Osee Romeo Tcheupgoum Njacheun (Africa), Susana Pesis (South America), Randi Burrggraf (North America), John Mabey (The Netherlands) responsible for volunteering match and strategic planning and Adam Eubery (Canada) leading the ICT Team. This Leadership Team will meet monthly through an online platform.14. We have created a new format for the UCP-SARnet Newsletter. The first issue was published on December 15 and it contains extended information about UCP-SARnet's activities.
• We started the process of upgrading UCP-SARnet'sw portal. The work will be completed on January 17, 2011.
Budget:
UCP-SARnet has been sponsored by the Arizona State University (USA), Warsaw School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Poland), Center for International Governance Innovations (Canada) and IGLOO (Canada).
Needs:
volunteers, regional coordinators, corporate sponsors
Contact Name: Marek Wosinski, Ph.D.
Contact Email Address: dr.marek@asu.edu
Contact Phone Number: 1 480 9656253
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 Testimonials |
“UCP-SARnet… is a tremendous tool for breaking down geographical barriers while really maintaining cultural diversity and allowing us to share cultural experiences. I’ve seen this platform grow from its infancy, and I think it has tremendous potential for social change.” - Dr. Éva Szeli, Lecturer, Arizona State University
“I think this platform has benefits to all shareholders. For students - the experience, the leadership, and the exposure. For the community organizations - the projects that are developed in collaboration with faculty and students. For university faculty, [the interaction] between these three major groups is a plus. I don’t think that there is anything out there at this moment that can rival UCP-SARnet.” - Christopher Zambakari, ASU alumnus and graduate student
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