The UNIZULU Community Engagement is embedded in the vision, mission, and strategic framework of the university. Community Engagement is an integral part of Teaching & Learning and Research and Innovation at UNIZULU. CE is achieved through Engaged teaching & Learning, Engaged Research, and civic engagement (Volunteerism and outreach). University-Community and Industry partnerships are seen as a backdrop of engagement at the university.
Through CE, community and university knowledge and resources are combined in and out of the classroom, on and off campus to enrich scholarship, research, teaching & learning, to enhance curriculum, prepare, educate and engage graduates, academics, staff, and citizens, and address critical societal issues by contributing to the public good and bringing positive societal impact.
Community Engagement at the University of Zululand is rooted within the African philosophy of Ubuntu which is guided by the principles of reciprocity, mutuality, social justice and humanity. As a scholarly project CE at UNIZULU focuses on enhancing African values and principles to redress previous social inequalities and encourage social justice through curriculum, research and service.
Manager: Community Engagement
Inform– to provide the community with balanced and objective information to assist them in understanding the problem, alternatives, opportunities and\or solutions. This level does not provide the community with the opportunity of community engagement but rather provides the public with the information they would need to understand and influence decision-making.
Consult– to obtain community feedback on analysis, alternatives, and\or decisions. Consult is quite a low level of community engagement being the basic minimum opportunity for community input to decision-making. Essentially it involves obtaining feedback about plans, ideas, options, or issues, but with little engagement.
Involve– to work directly with the public throughout the process to ensure that public concerns and aspirations are consistently understood and considered. Community is invited to a greater extent than with consul level. It is not a one-off, the goal is to work with the community throughout the process however it is always important to be clear about what is negotiable.
Collaborate– to partner with the public in each aspect of the decisions including the development of alternatives and identification of the preferred solutions. This level is bout partnership and sharing of power and there is high level of community participation.
Empower– to place final decision-making in the hands of the public. At this level, a decision could be made by the community through a process that requires little interaction or engagement.
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