Civic Leadership Module

National Civic Impact Accelerator Civic Leadership Module

Module Objectives

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of civic engagement foundations, including the historical role of universities, anchor institution theory, and the social purposes of higher education.

• Apply the seven terrains and 14 waypoints framework to analyse and design effective civic strategies within diverse university and community contexts.

• Develop inclusive leadership skills to engage stakeholders, foster equitable partnerships, and co-create solutions that address community needs and priorities.

• Critically reflect on personal, team, and institutional civic leadership capacities, identifying strengths and areas for growth to advance public good.

• Evaluate and influence institutional and public policy for civic impact, using evidence, advocacy skills, and a clear understanding of local, regional, and national contexts.

Welcome to the NCIA Civic Leadership Module

This module invites you to explore how universities can make a genuine difference in the places they belong to. You’ll trace the historical and social foundations of civic engagement, understand how the anchor institution role shapes university–community relationships, and examine the values that underpin the civic mission of higher education. As you progress, you’ll use the NCIA's seven terrains and 14 waypoints framework to make sense of complex civic landscapes, identifying opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and impact in your own context. You’ll also strengthen your inclusive leadership practice: developing the skills to engage stakeholders, build equitable partnerships, and co‑create solutions that address real community priorities. Throughout the module, you’ll be encouraged to reflect on your own leadership, individually, within teams, and across your institution, recognising both strengths and areas for growth. By the end, you should feel more confident in evaluating and influencing civic strategy and policy, equipped with the evidence, insight, and advocacy skills needed to advance the public good. Take your time, engage thoughtfully, and see this module not just as a course, but as a space for reflection, curiosity, and action. Your insights and experiences are central to the learning journey ahead. Click the video opposite to learn more about the module before you begin.

Navigation

Before starting this module, take a moment to set up a fresh notebook or create a dedicated digital space where you can capture your reflections and learning. Throughout the module, this will be referred to as your learning journal. Keeping everything in one place will make it easier for you to revisit your ideas, notice your progress, and build on your insights over time.

Unit 1: Introduction

Unit 1: What to expect

This introductory unit establishes the foundation for your learning journey through the diverse and evolving terrains of civic engagement. It invites you to reflect on the role of civic leadership and what it means in practice, how individuals and institutions can work collaboratively to make a meaningful difference in their communities. You will have the opportunity to assess your current understanding, knowledge, and experience of civic work, and to consider how your values, motivations, and context shape your approach to leadership. This unit also includes an introduction to key themes and a baseline survey designed to help you identify your starting point, clarify your aspirations, and set personal learning goals for the transformational journey ahead.

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts

Unit Learning Objectives:

• Understand the purpose and structure of the Civic Leadership Module
• Recognise yourself as a potential civic leader, regardless of your role or position
• Establish your baseline civic knowledge, skills, and confidence
• Set meaningful personal learning goals for the module
• Connect with the broader community of civic practitioners across England

Unit Key Concepts:

• Civic leadership as everyday practice
• The seven terrains of civic engagement:

(Place, People, Partnership, Purpose, Practice, Process, Policy)

• Universities as anchor institutions
• The “in-between spaces” where civic leadership happens

INSPIRE: Discovering the Civic Leader Within You

Personal Reflection

Now that you’ve heard from Adam in our Welcome video, take a moment to reflect on your own journey.

Take some time to consider these questions and write your responses in your personal learning journal.

• What part of Adam's message resonated most strongly with you? Was it the idea of “in-between spaces,” the concept of everyday leadership, or something else?

• Think about a time when you saw a gap between what your university was doing and what your community needed. What was the situation? How did it make you feel?

• What would it mean for you personally to see yourself as a civic leader? What would change? What would become possible?

Your responses are private and for your own reflection. There are no right or wrong answers – this is about establishing where you are starting from on your civic leadership journey. It is helpful to record your ideas so that you can revisit them throughout the module.

LEARN: Foundations of Civic Leadership

What is civic leadership?

Civic leadership is the practice of using your position, knowledge, and relationships to create positive change in the communities where your university operates. It’s not confined to formal leadership roles or those with “manager” or “director” in their job titles. Click on the numbers below to learn what we mean by civic leadership.

Seven Terrains of Civic Engagement

This module is organised around seven terrains – seven interconnected dimensions of civic university work. Think of them as different lenses through which to view your institution’s relationship with its place and communities. Cick on each of the pictures to learn more.

Terrain Connections

After reading all about what we mean by each of the seven terrains, reflect on these questions. Review the scenario and choose which terrain(s) you think they apply to. If you want to review our terrains in more detail check out our Civic Field Guide by clicking the notebook icon at the bottom of this slide.

Terrain Connections

Review the scenario and choose which terrain(s) you think they apply to. If you want to review our terrains in more detail check out our Civic Field Guide by clicking the notebook icon at the bottom of this slide.

Terrain Connections

Review the scenario and choose which terrain(s) you think they apply to. If you want to review our terrains in more detail check out our Civic Field Guide by clicking the notebook icon at the bottom of this slide.

The Civic Field Guide: Your Navigation Tool

The Civic Field Guide: Explained

Throughout this module, you’ll draw heavily on our NCIA Civic Field Guide - a comprehensive resource developed in conjunction with this module. Think of the Civic Field Guide as your map through the terrains of civic engagement. The Civic Field Guide contains:

• 14 Waypoints: Foundational and supporting insights drawn from evidence and practice
• Essential Equipment: Toolkits, frameworks, case studies, and resources
• Practitioner Stories: Real examples from civic professionals across England
• Evidence Base: Research and evaluation informing civic practice

The Civic Field Guide: Explained

You can access the complete guide through our interactive microsite on the NCIA website. Click here to explore the full guide. Throughout this module, we'll signpost you to sections of our guide. Through our activities, you'll have opportunities to apply the resources to your own setting. Learn all about our Civic Field Guide by watching this video below...

Who Are Civic Leaders? Meeting Your Fellow Explorers

Civic leadership happens across many roles and contexts. Here are some of the people who might find themselves doing civic leadership work.

Grab your learning journal. Consider this question and make a note of your thoughts: Which profile(s) resonate most with you? You may see yourself in multiple profiles, or you may have a unique perspective not captured here. That’s perfectly fine – civic leadership takes many forms.

APPLY: Establishing Your Baseline

Where Are You On Your Journey?

Make a mental note of where you feel most comfortable with your progress as a civic leader today. We’ll review how you feel again at the end of the Module. You could also record this in your learning journal if you would find it helpful to reflect on throughout the module. There are no wrong answers. This is about establishing an honest baseline so you can see your growth!

REFLECT: Setting Your Learning Intentions

Your Learning Journey Starts Here

Now it’s time to set clear intentions for your learning journey through this module.

Reflective Questions

Grab your notebook and write your answers to the following reflective questions:

1. What does success look like for you at the end of this module? What will you know, be able to do, or feel confident about that you don’t now? 2. What specific civic challenge are you facing in your current work that you hope this module will help you address? 3. If you could change one thing about how your university engages with its place and communities, what would it be?

Learning Goals

On the next page of your notebook, set 2-3 specific goals for this module. Make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Need some extra information on SMART goals? Click the backpack icon.

Goal 1: By the end of this module, I will be able to… Goal 2: By the end of this module, I will be able to… Goal 3: By the end of this module, I will be able to…

Here is a reminder of our Civic Leadership Module’s Learning Objectives to help you get started setting your goals:

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of civic engagement foundations, including the historical role of universities, anchor institution theory, and the social purposes of higher education.

• Apply the seven terrains and 14 waypoints framework to analyse and design effective civic strategies within diverse university and community contexts.

• Develop inclusive leadership skills to engage stakeholders, foster equitable partnerships, and co-create solutions that address community needs and priorities

• Critically reflect on personal, team, and institutional civic leadership capacities, identifying strengths and areas for growth to advance public good.

• Evaluate and influence institutional and public policy for civic impact, using evidence, advocacy skills, and a clear understanding of local, regional, and national contexts.

Looking Ahead: Your Module Journey

Congratulations, you’ve now completed the Welcome and Introduction unit of the NCIA Civic Leadership Module. Here’s what’s coming next...

Next steps:

Unit 2: Foundations of Civic Knowledge

Explore the historical context, theoretical foundations, and contemporary landscape of civic universities. This unit ends with a 15-minute video that introduces you to the 14 waypoints across the seven terrains.

Units 3-9: Deep Dives into the Seven Terrains

Each terrain unit follows the Inspire-Learn-Apply-Reflect framework and includes:

• Real-world case studies and practitioner stories.
• Evidence-based tools and frameworks
• Interactive activities connecting theory to your practice
• Reflective exercises building your civic leadership capacity

This unit focuses specifically on you as a civic leader. You’ll explore your leadership style and develop a personal action plan.

Celebrate your learning journey, complete some reflections to see your growth, hear final reflections from Laura and Adam, and create your ongoing development plan.

Unit 10: Civic Leadership

Unit 11: Conclusion

Final Reflection: Your “Why”

Before moving to Unit 2, take a moment for one final reflection. In your journal, complete this sentence: I’m taking this Civic Leadership Module because... Write at least three sentences. Be honest. This is your “why” – your motivation that will sustain you through the learning journey. Return to this whenever you need to reconnect with your purpose.

Unit 2: Civic Foundations

Unit 2: What to expect

This unit establishes the essential knowledge foundation for your civic leadership journey. You will explore the historical context of civic universities, tracing how their missions have evolved in response to social, economic, and political change. You will also examine the contemporary policy landscape shaping the civic role of higher education, including national and local frameworks that influence institutional priorities and partnerships. In addition, the unit introduces you to the growing evidence base that informs effective civic practice, drawing from research, case studies, and lived experience across the sector. These insights will help you situate your own work within the wider movement for place-based impact and institutional transformation, connecting your role to broader systems of change. The unit concludes with a 15-minute video introducing the 14 waypoints across the seven terrains – your navigation points for the deep-dive units ahead. As you progress, you’ll begin to identify the themes, challenges, and opportunities most significant to your own civic context and leadership ambitions, setting the stage for more focused exploration in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts:

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the historical evolution of civic universities and their public purpose
• Recognise the contemporary drivers and barriers shaping civic engagement
• Explore the evidence base informing effective civic practice
• Identify the 14 waypoints across the seven terrains
• Connect historical context to current practice in your own institution

Key Concepts:

• Anchor institutions and their role in place-based development
• The civic university movement in the UK - Place-based policy frameworks
• Co-production and community-engaged scholarship
• Waypoints as evidence-based guidance for civic practice

INSPIRE: The Power of Civic Universities

Watch: Inspirational Civic Stories

Step inside a hidden hospital museum wherecommunity storytellers, curators and researchers explore human organs, deadly diseases and the evolution of medical care. This short film reveals rare collections, behind-the-scenes curatorial work and how a civic university connects local people with life-changing health research.

Watch: Inspirational Civic Stories

Meet Cardiff parents who never went to university but are now confidently navigating applications, student finance and campus life alongside their children. This short video shows how the Parent Power project breaks down barriers, builds community leadership and turns higher education into a shared family project.

Reflection Activity:

After watching these stories, take a moment to reflect. What resonated most with you, and why? Where did you see your own community, family or work reflected? What is one small, concrete step you feel inspired to take now to create something similar in your own place?

Write 2-3 sentences in your learning journal.

LEARN: Building Your Civic Knowledge Foundation

Here is a timeline of the civic university movement, click on the blue icons to learn more about each of the key dates.

1800s

1963

1990s-2010s

2019

1990s - 2000s

2020–Present

Robbins and Realignment

Agreements and Accountability

The Redbrick Revolution

Polytechnics to Civic Comeback.

Publish or Perish Era

Post-Pandemic Civic Renaissance

Reflective task:

Spend some time learning about your organisation. Research how the key dates on our civic university timeline impacted your organisation and its civic story. Write a short paragraph reflection in your journal. If you are interested in learning more, listen to our NCIA CiviCast episode with John Goddard all about the history of the civic movement while you complete your journal. Simply click on the photo below to watch the episode.

Part 2: Understanding Anchor Institutions

Anchor institutions are large organisations that are rooted in place and contribute to their communities through multiple channels. They are unlikely to relocate and have significant economic, social, and cultural impact.

Characteristics of Anchor Institutions:

• Rooted in Place: Long-term commitment to a specific geography

• Major Employer: Significant local workforce

• Economic Power: Substantial purchasing power and assets

• Convening Capacity: Ability to bring diverse stakeholders together

• Knowledge Assets: Research expertise and specialist knowledge

• Social Infrastructure: Facilities, networks, and cultural resources

Understanding Anchor Institutions

Universities are powerful anchor institutions because they contribute to their places through a variety of ways. Click on each button to learn more about each theme.

Place-Shaping

Employment

Education and Skills

Procurement

Knowledge and Research

Reflection Activity:

Use your learning journal to record your thoughts on the following:

• Which dimension of your university’s anchor institution role do you know most about?
• Which dimension do you know least about?
• What would help you understand the full scope of your institution’s civic contribution?

Part 3: The Contemporary Policy Landscape

A civic leader needs to understand how local and national policies interact with their work. The NCIA have undertaken a great deal of work to help practitioners engage with policies in an effective way.We have lots of helpful resources to help you get started. To learn more click on the buttons.

Explore

Watch

Read

National Policy Drivers

National policy is pushing universities to think and act more civically in how they use their assets, partnerships and expertise. Click each of the buttons to learn more about each theme.

Devolution and Local Governance

Research, KE and Civic Impact

Skills, Work, and Inclusion

Industrial Strategy and Place

Barriers to Civic Engagement

Strong policy signals do not automatically translate into practice. Institutions face persistent barriers that blunt civic ambition. Click on each dot to learn more about the barriers.

Reflective Activity:

Connect with someone in your civic network – a colleague, partner or peer in another organisation – and explore the following:

• Which national drivers are most visible in your local context right now, and who is shaping the agenda?
• Which of the barriers above most strongly match your lived experience of trying to work civically?
• Where have you seen these barriers being navigated well in practice, and what made the difference?
• What one practical change in incentives, culture, partnerships or evidence would most unlock civic work in your place?

Capture 3–5 key insights in journal from this conversation and keep them to hand as you move into the next units, where each “terrain” will dig into practical approaches for working with – and around – these barriers.

APPLY: Connecting Knowledge to Your Context

Activity 2: Your Local Civic Ecosystem

Instructions:

Begin mapping the civic ecosystem in your place. This is a preliminary map – you’ll develop it throughout the module. You can draw this in your learning journal or make a digital record.

In your locality, who are the other major anchors? List:

Step 1: Identify the Major Anchor Institutions

• Local authorities (city council, county council, combined authority)
• Health sector (NHS Trusts, clinical commissioning groups)
• Other educational institutions (FE colleges, other universities)
• Large employers
• Major cultural institutions
• Community infrastructure organisations

Step 2: Identify Community Assets

What are the key community organisations, networks, and assets?

• VCSE organisations
• Community centres and faith organisations
• Residents’ groups and social movements
• Community businesses and social enterprises
• Neighbourhood networks

Activity 2: Your Local Civic Ecosystem (Continued)

Step 3: Map Existing Connections

Which of these does your university already work with? Draw lines connecting your institution to partners you know exist.

Step 4: Identify Gaps

Where are there organisations or sectors your university doesn’t connect with? What might explain those gaps?

Use the Place Navigator resource to support this mapping. The Navigator provides frameworks for understanding local infrastructure and identifying partnership opportunities. Click the map icon to learn more about our place Navigator tool.

Why This Matters: You can’t navigate terrain you don’t understand. This preliminary mapping begins building your local intelligence – essential knowledge for civic leadership.

Part 4: Introducing the 14 Waypoints

Watch our video on the 14 Waypoints and read the summary by clicking the guide icon below.

Reflection : In your learning journal make some notes on:

• Which waypoint are you most curious to learn more about?
• Which waypoint seems most relevant to a challenge you’re currently facing?
• Which waypoint represents something you’ve never considered before?

Now consider your own organisation:

• Current Strength: Which waypoint does your university already do well? What’s the evidence?
• Critical Gap: Which waypoint represents the biggest gap or opportunity for your institution?
• Quick Win: Which waypoint could your university make progress on relatively easily?
• Long-Term Ambition: Which waypoint represents longer-term transformational change for your institution?

Why This Matters: Not all waypoints are equally relevant to every institution or every individual at this moment. This helps you focus your learning and identify where to direct energy

REFLECT: Consolidating Your Foundation

Reflection Prompts:

Take 10 minutes to write responses to these prompts in your learning journal: 1. Shifting Perspectives Has anything you learned in this unit challenged or changed your thinking about civic universities? What specifically? 2. Your Institution’s Story Having explored the historical context, what surprises you about your own institution’s civic journey? What makes sense? 3. Navigating Barriers Looking at the barriers to civic engagement, which do you see most clearly in your context? What strategies might help navigate them? 4. Curiosity and Questions What questions are emerging for you as you prepare to explore the seven terrains in depth?

Knowledge Check: Test Your Understanding

Interactive Quiz (5 questions)This quiz helps consolidate your learning. You can retake it as many times as you like.

Knowledge Check: Test Your Understanding

Knowledge Check: Test Your Understanding

Knowledge Check: Test Your Understanding

Knowledge Check: Test Your Understanding

Looking Ahead: Deep Dive into the Terrains

You’ve now built a strong foundation of civic knowledge.

You understand: ✓ The historical evolution and contemporary landscape of civic universities ✓ Universities as anchor institutions with multiple community contributions ✓ Policy drivers and barriers shaping civic work ✓ Evidence-based principles for effective civic engagement ✓ The 14 waypoints guiding practice across seven terrains

What’s Next? In the following units, you’ll explore each terrain in depth:

• Unit 3: Civic Leadership – Before exploring the terrains, we focus on YOU as a civic leader
• Unit 4: Purpose – Why do universities engage? Articulating public benefit and embedding civic mission.

• Unit 5: Place – Where does civic work happen? Connecting local and regional scales.

• Unit 6: People – Who are your partners? Building authentic relationships and cultivating active citizenship.

• Unit 7: Partnership – How do you collaborate? Creating equitable partnerships and coordinating collective action.

• Unit 8: Practice – What do you do? Aligning operations with values and measuring impact.

• Unit 9: Process – How do you organise? Building institutional capacity and learning systems.

• Unit 10: Policy – What shapes your work? Navigating policy landscapes and influencing development.

• Unit 11: Conclusion – Celebrating your journey, end-of-module survey, and ongoing development planning.

Foundations of Civic Knowledge Summary:

Key Takeaways

✓ Civic universities have historical roots in place-based missions, recently renewed ✓ Universities are powerful anchor institutions contributing through multiple channels ✓ Contemporary policy drivers create opportunities; barriers remain but are navigable ✓ Evidence consistently shows authentic partnership and place-based responsiveness works ✓ The 14 waypoints provide evidence-based guidance across seven terrains ✓ Your institution has its own civic story – understanding it helps you shape its future

Next Unit: Civic Leadership

Unit 3: Civic Leadership

Unit 3: What to Expect

This unit focuses on you as a civic leader and your capacity to lead from any position within your institution. It invites you to reflect on what leadership means in a civic context and how your personal values, experiences, and professional environment shape your approach to leading change. Through this unit, you’ll explore your leadership identity, examine a range of leadership theories and approaches, and consider how they apply to university-community partnerships. You’ll also develop practical strategies for exercising civic leadership, whether through influencing institutional priorities, fostering collaboration, or championing inclusive and place-based initiatives, regardless of your formal role or position.

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts:

Learning Objectives:

• Recognise yourself as a civic leader regardless of job title or position
• Understand different leadership styles and identify your own natural approach
• Build confidence in your civic leadership identity and capability
• Address imposter syndrome and other common confidence barriers
• Develop strategies for authentic, values-based leadership
• Create a personal leadership action experiment

• Leadership as relational and distributed, not hierarchical
• Authentic leadership aligned with personal values
• Confidence-building through practice and reflection
• Adaptive leadership responding to context
• The “in-between spaces” where civic leaders operate

Key Concepts:

INSPIRE: You Are Already Leading

Opening Reflection: Your Leadership Story

Before diving into this unit, take a moment to reflect on your own experience. Record your thoughts in your learning journal.

Reflection Prompt (3 minutes):Think of a time when you influenced positive change, even without having formal authority or a leadership title. This might be:

• Connecting people or ideas that led to something new
• Advocating for something you believed in
• Helping a colleague, student, or community member navigate a challenge
• Facilitating a discussion where different perspectives came together
• Building a relationship that opened doors

Write: (2-3 minutes):

• What was the situation?
• What did you actually do?
• What was the outcome?
• How did it feel?

Reflection: Many of the most powerful moments of civic leadership don’t happen in formal leadership roles. They happen in the “in-between spaces” where you use your influence, relationships, and values to create change.

Unit 3: Civic Leadership Inspirational

Case Studies: Civic Leaders in Action

Please watch these two videos:

Co-Design in Action: Nina Ruddle, Head of Public Policy Engagement at Wrexham University and an award-winning leader of North Wales’s civic mission strategy on real community partnership.

Ho-Kit Lam, Community Engagement Officer at the University of Reading, gives an overview of students leading a safety project.

Case Study 1: Ho-Kit Lam;Community Engagement Officer at University of Reading

The Leadership Move

Ho-Kit’s Approach

The Challenge

Impact:

The student-led initiative proved far more effective than top-down campaigns. Students engaged their peers, community partners participated authentically, and the university learned something vital: sometimes the most powerful leadership is the leadership that enables others to lead.

Ho-Kit’s Reflection:

“The key learning has been the student-led element. When you give space for student leadership, remarkable things happen. But it requires trust and it requires willingness to not have all the answers.”

Civic Leadership Skills Demonstrated:

Facilitation over direction

Co-design and shared ownership

Building confidence in others

Case Study 2: Nina Ruddle;Strategic Civic Engagement Lead at Wrexham University

The Leadership Move

Nina's Approach

The Challenge

Impact

By genuinely listening first, Nina built trust. When Wrexham did eventually propose partnerships and initiatives, they were grounded in authentic community understanding rather than university assumptions. Partnerships lasted because they were genuinely responsive to community needs.

Nina’s Reflection:

“Civic leadership in a place like North Wales isn’t about having the answers. It’s about showing up, listening authentically, and over time building the relationships that make real collaboration possible. It requires patience.It requires humility.”

Civic Leadership Skills Demonstrated:

Deep listening and empathy

Learning from place and people

Relationship building over time

Humility and responsiveness

Reflection: What Do These Stories Reveal?

Pattern Recognition Activity:

Notice what these civic leaders have in common – and what’s notably absent:

What’s Present: ✓ Genuine relationships and trust-building ✓ Listening and learning from others ✓ Willingness to share or step back from control ✓ Conviction about their values and vision ✓ Confidence to try something different ✓ Operating across organisational boundaries

What's Absent:✗ Traditional “command and control” approaches ✗ Certainty about having all the answers ✗ Top-down instruction ✗ Siloed departmental working

Key Insight:

Civic leadership isn’t always about position – it’s about practice. These civic leaders exercise influence because of their relationships, their values, and their willingness to enable others.

Learn

In this session, you’ll gain a clear understanding of what “civic leadership” means in the context of higher education, using the new Civic Capabilities Framework. This section brings the core knowledge domains to life - offering focused insights on the theories, principles, and lived attributes that underpin effective, inclusive leadership for civic change.

What is Civic Leadership?

Civic leadership in universities is about connecting across boundaries, enabling teams, and partnering with others for positive social outcomes, transcending formal titles or positional authority. Leaders in this space are sometimes called boundary spanners, bridge-builders, facilitators, or knowledge brokers. Their value is found in how they work to connect, align, and mobilise people to deliver collective impact.

Knowledge: What Civic Leaders Need to Know

Click on the blue rectangles to learn more about each section. Then click on the cogs icon below to read the full report.

• Understand models and traditions of public engagement and deliberative practice that enable inclusive dialogue and shared decision-making in complex, diverse contexts.
• Engage with a spectrum of approaches - from consultation through to co-creation - that foreground relationships, trust, and meaningful involvement.

• Appreciate that universities and their partners are constantly evolving.
• Recognise that culture, structure, and relationships are shaped and reshaped over time, and that learning how to adapt is as vital as any technical skill.

• Recognise the impact of power, identity, and lived experience on participation in civic work.
• Build and support systems where all people - staff, students, and communities - can genuinely experience belonging, access, and influence.

• See how ideas and evidence travel between research, policy, practice, and communities.
• Learn to bridge these worlds, so knowledge is shared, valued, and used to inform good civic practice.

• Understand that every place is shaped by its own histories, relationships, and identities.
• Ground civic action in the unique strengths and narratives of “place.”

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

• Be aware of the policy agendas, institutions, and forces at play at multiple levels—recognising how your actions connect to wider structures and priorities.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

3. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

1. Engagement Theory and Practice

2. Organisational Learning

5. Local and Contextual Knowledge

6. Organisational and Sectoral Understanding

4. Knowledge Mobilisation

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Capabilities and Attributes

Capabilities of civic leaders combine skills, knowledge, and behaviours in ways that enable trust-building, strategic thinking, coordination, programme design, effective advocacy, communication, and collective evaluation.

Attributes—such as empathy, curiosity, reflection, resilience, authenticity, and a relational approach—underpin how leaders “show up” in their work, particularly when navigating complexity or ambiguity.

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Capabilities

Attributes

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"People who contribute to projects as outlined above often go beyond their formal responsibilities to make a difference. Their work is vital in a system that has long favoured specialisation at the expense of the ability to see the big picture, or to adapt and operate effectively in very different contexts. All of this requires emotional intelligence, the ability to refresh mental models, agility, and the ability to learn from experience."Civic Capabilities Framework (2025)

Apply

In this section, apply the Civic Capabilities Framework to assess and advance your own civic leadership. Download and review the framework (pages 10-15) from the NCIA website by clicking the cog icon below. These pages feature a self-assessment grid for knowledge areas, capabilities, and attributes, with levels ranging from foundational to advanced. Cosider how you would like to record your thoughts, can you do this in your journal or would you prefer to record it digitally? Choose whichever option works for you.

Activity: Self-Assessment and Action Planning:

Complete the Grid: For each row in the framework's grid (covering knowledge domains like Engagement Theory, Organisational Learning, EDI, Knowledge Mobilisation, Local Knowledge, and Organisational Understanding; plus capabilities and attributes), rate your current level honestly. Use the descriptors provided to place yourself in the appropriate box, e.g., "Emerging", "Developing", "Proficient", or "Advanced". Jot down brief evidence or examples from your experience to support each rating. Identify Growth Actions: For each area, brainstorm 1-2 specific, actionable steps to progress to the next level up. Focus on practical experiments, such as seeking feedback, joining a cross-boundary project, or reading a targeted resource. If you already rate yourself at the top level (Advanced), outline actions to deepen your expertise - e.g., mentoring others, leading a reflective evaluation of a past civic initiative, or exploring emerging trends through peer networks.

Worked Example Grid Entry (for Engagement Theory):

Current Rating: Developing (I facilitate basic consultations but struggle with co-creation in diverse groups). Action to Advance: Attend a workshop on deliberative practice and pilot a co-design session with community partners in my next project. Capture your full grid and actions in your learning journal or a digital tool. This exercise builds self-awareness and turns insights from the Inspire and Learn sections into tangible steps for your civic leadership journey. Reflect: Reflection is a core civic capability; here, you will consider how the Framework’s knowledge, skills, and values relate to your own civic practice and aspirations.

Prompt: Reflect for two minutes on the following questions and make brief notes for your learning journal: Which knowledge area from the Civic Capabilities Framework most resonates with your current work or ambitions? Why? Where do you see opportunities to adopt or strengthen a “boundary-spanner” mindset? What is one capability or attribute (from the Framework) you aim to practise more intentionally in your civic leadership moving forward?

Guided Reflection

Unit 4: Purpose

Unit 4: What to expect

This unit explores why universities engage civically and how this purpose translates into meaningful and sustained institutional action. You will examine purpose at two interconnected levels: your university’s collective civic mission and your own personal civic purpose as a leader working within and beyond the institution. Through this unit, you’ll explore how to articulate and evidence public benefit, embed civic purpose into core strategies and systems, and align your own leadership practice with institutional mission. By connecting these dimensions, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how individual and collective purpose drive long-term civic impact.

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts

Learning Objectives:

• Understand multiple motivations and drivers for university civic engagement
• Identify the difference between what a university says its civic purpose is and what it actually does in practice.
• Explore the synergies between place-based and global work
• Develop strategies for embedding civic mission institutionally
• Clarify your personal civic purpose and how it connects to institutional mission
• Audit your institution’s civic purpose and identify strengthening opportunities

Key Waypoints Explored:

• Place-based working complements and enhances global and national impact
• Embed civic engagement as a core university mission

Key Concepts:

• Civic mission and institutional purpose
• Local and global synergies
• Public benefit and value creation
• Institutional embedding through strategy, resources, incentives, culture, and accountability
• Purpose-aligned leadership

INSPIRE: When Purpose Becomes Practice

This interview with Hughie Brown shows how a single programme can hard-wire civic responsibility into everyday teaching, assessment and partnerships. It offers practical insights on aligning learning, client briefs and safeguarding so that student consultancy work delivers tangible value for local creative communities and organisations.

Reflection: Turning Purpose into Practice

Reflection Prompt: After watching Hughie’s story, consider these questions and make a note in your learning journal. What struck you most about the approach? Was it the scale, the strategic nature, the time commitment, or something else? Where did the purpose come from? Was it inspired by civic commitment, economic self-interest, or something else? Does it matter? What enabled the shift from purpose to practice? What had to change to enable Hughie to undertake this work? Who had to be involved? What barriers had to be overcome? What similar opportunities might exist in your own institution and place? What does your university currently spend, employ, and operate that could be intentionally aligned with purpose?

LEARN: Understanding and Embedding Civic Purpose

Part 1: Waypoint: Embed civic engagement as a core university mission

Moving civic engagement from interesting add-on to core institutional mission requires systematic action across multiple institutional domains. Key Insight: Civic engagement is sustainable only when embedded institutionally. Individual champions can doremarkable work, but it’s fragile – dependent on their presence and energy. Institutional embedding creates sustainability.

The UPP Foundation released the "Understanding and Embedding Civic Purpose" report, which outlines some of the motivations for embedding civic into an institution’s core mission. Click on the buttons below to learn more about each theme. Click on the folder icon to read the full report.

Moral Imperative

Strategic Positioning

Historical Mission

Student Demand

Accountability

Economic Development

Research Excellence

Interactive Reflection: What Drives Civic Engagement at Your Institution?

Following the learning, consider these questions below. Make a note in your learning journal:

• Which motivations are strongest at your institution and what is your evidence for this?

• Which are weakest or absent and what is your evidence for this?

• Are there tensions between motivations?

• Which motivations resonate most with your personal commitment?

• Which motivations could be strengthened?

Part 2: Waypoint: Place-Based Work Complements and Enhances Global and National Impact

The False Binary: Local OR Global

Common Assumption:

• Real impact means international research networks
• Place-based work is parochial, limiting
• Civic engagement distracts from world-leading research
• Local engagement is a trade-off, not an enhancement

Reality: Many academics and leaders believe there’s a fundamental tension between local engagement and global excellence. Our evidence suggests something different. Global challenges manifest locally. Local solutions translate globally. This creates powerful synergies.

How Place-Based Work Enhances Global Impact

Click on each person to see how their experiences in their role demonstrates our learning.

Synergy 1: Global Challenges, Local Laboratory

Synergy 2: Innovation Through Context and Constraint

Synergy 3: International Networks Strengthened by Local Knowledge

Synergy 4: Reputation and Differentiation Through Impact

Practical Strategies for Creating Local-Global Synergies

Click on each button to learn more about each of the strategies

4.Storytelling and Communication

1. Explicit Connection-Making

2.Diverse Research Teams

3.Funding Alignment

Part 3: Clarifying Your Personal Civic Purpose

Beyond institutional purpose, it’s important to clarify YOUR personal civic purpose – what drives your civic work, what you’re trying to achieve, what matters to you. This personal clarity strengthens your leadership effectiveness. People follow leaders with clear conviction and authentic commitment more readily than they follow leaders who seem uncertain or performative about their values.

From Espoused to Enacted Purpose

Important distinction:

Espoused purpose = what your institution says it values publicly Enacted purpose = what actually shapes decisions and actions

One challenge in civic universities is misalignment between espoused and enacted purpose.

Example: A university’s strategic plan states: “We are committed to community partnerships and shared benefit.”

But in practice:

• Academics are penalised for taking time for community partnerships
• Community organisations are treated as research subjects, not partners
• Procurement continues going to multinational suppliers
• Community voice isn’t included in decision-making

Your Leadership Role: As a civic leader, part of your work is reducing this gap – helping your institution enact the purpose it espouses. This requires understanding both levels clearly.

Activity: Articulating Your Personal Civic Purpose

Instructions:

In your learning journal, complete these prompts to clarify your personal civic purpose. Be honest and specific.

Prompt 1: What I Believe

Complete these sentences:

• “I believe universities should…?”
• “I believe communities deserve…?”
• “I believe my role can contribute by…?”
• “I believe will be different when…?

Prompt 2: What Drives Me

• What specifically motivates your civic work?
• Values? (Justice, equity, partnership, innovation, etc.)
• Personal experience? Relationships?
• Desire to solve specific problems?
• Vision of how things could be different?

Write 2-3 sentences about what fundamentally drives your civic commitment.

Activity: Articulating Your Personal Civic Purpose (continued)

Prompt 3: The Change I Want to See

What specific change are you working toward?

This should be specific, not abstract. Examples:

• “I want to see young people from disadvantaged areas accessing careers in tech through university internships.”
• “I want university research to actively serve community-identified priorities, not just academic interests.”

• “I want procurement to strengthen local economic resilience.”

Prompt 4: My Unique Contribution

What specifically can you contribute toward that change?

Your role, position, relationships, expertise, networks, skills – what’s your particular leverage? How are you positioned to contribute?

Prompt 5: Alignment and Tension

Where does your personal civic purpose align with your institution’s stated purpose?

Is there tension between what you believe should happen and what your institution actually does? How do you navigate that tension?

My Personal Civic Purpose Statement

Synthesise what you’ve written into a personal purpose statement,3-4 sentences capturing your commitment. Write this in your learning journal.

Example: “I’m committed to ensuring that community research partnerships are genuinely equitable, with communities leading research design and owning intellectual property. I navigate this by consistently advocating for partnership protocols, co-design processes, and community governance. Ultimately, I want research to serve communities, not extract from them.”

APPLY: Aligning Purpose to Practice

Activity 1: Civic Purpose Audit – Espoused vs. Enacted

Instructions:

Conduct a mini-audit of how your institution articulates its civic purpose and how authentically that purpose is enacted. Make notes in your learning journal.

Step 1: Document Espoused Purpose

• Gather key documents describing your institution’s civic purpose:
• Strategic plan (look for mission, vision, values statements)
• Website content about civic engagement
• Civic University Agreement (if it exists)
• Annual reports or impact statements
• Promotional materials

Questions to guide your reading:

• What civic purpose is articulated?
• How explicitly is it stated? - is it prominent or buried?
• Who is the intended audience?
• What evidence of impact is provided?

Capture the Key Statements:

• What does your institution say about its civic purpose?

Activity 1: Civic Purpose Audit – Espoused vs. Enacted (continued)

Step 2: Assess Enacted Purpose

Now look at actual institutional practices and decisions:

Examine:

• Budget allocation: Where does money actually flow? Is civic work adequately resourced?
• Promotion criteria: Do academics actually get promoted for community-engaged work?
• Procurement: Do policies prefer local suppliers or are all bidders treated equally?
• Hiring: Do job descriptions mention civic commitment? Do candidates’ civic engagement matter?
• Partnership: Are community organisations actually involved in decision-making?
• Communication: Are civic stories publicly told or kept internal?
• Leadership time: How much time do senior leaders spend on civic work?

Assessment Questions: For each area, ask:

• What does current practice suggest is actually valued?
• How well does enacted purpose match espoused purpose?
• Where’s the biggest gap?

Rate alignment (1 = total gap, 5 = full alignment):

• Budget alignment:
• Promotion alignment:
• Procurement alignment:
• Hiring alignment:
• Partnership alignment:
• Communication alignment:
• Leadership alignment:

Activity 1: Civic Purpose Audit – Espoused vs. Enacted (continued)

Step 3: Analyse Gaps

Where’s the biggest gap between what’s espoused and what’s enacted? Identify the 2-3 most significant misalignments.

For each:

• What explains the gap? (Competing priorities, resource constraints, lack of awareness, resistance, etc.)
• Who has influence over this gap?
• What could reduce the gap?

Step 4: Generate Recommendations

What could your institution do to strengthen alignment between espoused and enacted civic purpose?

Identify 3-5 specific, actionable recommendations:

• Focus on domains where you have some influence
• Prioritise changes that would have significant impact
• Consider what’s realistic given current context

Format:

• Write a 500-700 word analysis
• Or create a visual map showing espoused purpose vs enacted practice
• Or present findings in visual/narrative combination

Activity 2: Personal Purpose Statement and Strategic Alignment

Instructions: Using your personal civic purpose statement from the Learn section, now reflect on how your personal purpose aligns with and complements your institution’s purpose. Make notes in your learning journal.

Part A: Explicit Alignment Where does your personal civic purpose align most strongly with institutional purpose?

• Specific example of alignment
• How you leverage institutional commitment
• How you strengthen institutional practice

Part B: Addressing Gaps

• Where does your personal purpose identify gaps in institutional purpose?
• Specific area where personal commitment exceeds institutional priority
• Why this matters
• How you might influence institutional movement toward this priority

Part C: Your Strategic Role

• Given your position and influence, what’s your strategic role in strengthening civic purpose at your institution?
• What are you uniquely positioned to influence?
• What relationships do you have? What credibility or authority?
• What’s your 12-month strategy for strengthening purpose alignment?

Activity 3: Purpose in Practice – Design a Purpose-Aligned Initiative

Instructions: Design a specific initiative or change in your area of influence that would strengthen alignment between institutional purpose and institutional practice. Note all your thoughts in your learning journal.

Initiative Overview What gap are you addressing? (E.g., “Civic values not reflected in how community partnerships are governed”)

Strategic Design

Why does this matter? (Connection to institutional purpose, community benefit, leadership effectiveness)

Goal: What specific change would you create? (E.g., “Establish a community advisory board for the partnership programme”) Rationale: Why this approach? What evidence informs it?

Scope: Is this piloting with one programme or department, or broader? Stakeholders: Who needs to be involved? Who might resist? Resources Needed:

• Time
• Budget
• Personnel
• External support

Timeline: What’s the realistic implementation timeline?

Activity 3: Purpose in Practice – Design a Purpose-Aligned Initiative (continued)

Success Indicators

How will you know if this initiative strengthens purpose alignment?

• Change in institutional policy/practice
• Change in culture/mindset
• Improved partnerships/outcomes
• Expanded beyond initial scope

Barriers and Mitigation

• What might prevent success?
• For each barrier, what’s your mitigation strategy?

Next Steps

• Who will you talk to first?
• What permissions/approvals are needed?
• What’s your first concrete action?

REFLECT: Deepening Purpose Clarity

Reflection Prompts: Make notes in your learning journal

1. Purpose and Identity

• How has exploring civic purpose shifted how you think about your role and your institution?
• What surprised you?
• What challenged you?
• What gave you hope?

2. Personal-Institutional Alignment : Reflecting on your personal civic purpose and your institution’s stated purpose:

• Where do they align most strongly?
• Where’s the tension?
• How do you navigate that tension?
• Is it energising or depleting?

3. From Purpose to Practice

• What one change would most significantly strengthen alignment between your institution’s espoused civic purpose and what actually happens?
• Why this change?
• What would it take to make it happen?
• What’s your role?

4. Leadership and Purpose

• How does having clarity about civic purpose strengthen your leadership?
• What becomes easier?
• What becomes harder?
• What becomes possible?

5. Looking Forward

• As you move toward the remaining terrain units, what purpose questions will you carry forward?
• What do you want to understand more deeply?
• What tensions want resolution?
• What possibilities excite you?

Consolidation: Purpose as Foundation

Key Takeaways from Unit 4

✓ Universities engage civically for multiple motivations – historical mission, moral imperative, strategic positioning, student demand, research excellence, economic development, accountability ✓ The local-global binary is false – place-based work complements and enhances global research excellence and impact ✓ Purpose requires institutional embedding across five domains: strategy/governance, resources/infrastructure, incentives/recognition, culture/communication, partnerships/accountability ✓ Significant gaps often exist between espoused and enacted purpose – part of civic leadership is reducing these gaps ✓ Personal purpose clarity strengthens leadership effectiveness – people follow leaders with authentic conviction ✓ Purpose into practice requires strategic action – doesn’t happen naturally; requires deliberate choices and leadership

Your Next Steps

With Unit 4’s Purpose foundation, you’re ready to explore the rest of our civic terrains. Each of the next six terrain units will help you apply purpose to specific areas of practice:

Unit 5: Place – Purpose expressed through understanding and responding to geographic contexts Unit 6: People – Purpose enacted through authentic relationships and partnerships Unit 7: Partnership – Purpose coordinated across collaborative institutions Unit 8: Practice – Purpose made real through operational decisions Unit 9: Process – Purpose embedded in institutional organisation Unit 10: Policy – Purpose shaped by and influencing policy contexts

Unit 5: Place

Unit 5: What to expect

This unit explores ‘Place’ as a central civic terrain, focusing on how universities understand, interpret, and anchor their work within specific geographic contexts. You will develop practical skills in mapping place, analysing local assets and challenges, and balancing hyper-local neighbourhood engagement with broader strategic regional partnerships. The unit also examines how universities can leverage their physical, cultural, and digital infrastructure to deliver wider community benefit. At its core, this unit reinforces the principle that place profoundly shapes how, where, and with whom universities create impact, collaboration, and lasting civic value..

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts:

Learning Objectives:

• Understand your place – its assets, challenges, power structures, and opportunities
• Map the civic ecosystem in your locality
• Develop strategy for multi-level place-based engagement (hyper-local to regional)
• Identify university infrastructure that could serve community benefit
• Create a place-responsive civic initiative in your context
• Build place-based relationships and networks

Key Waypoints Explored: Waypoint: Embed hyper-local working alongside strengthening strategic regional partnerships Waypoint: Universities can boost impact by sharing infrastructure - physical, social and cultural

Key Concepts:

• Place-based development and placemaking
• Hyper-local and regional scales
• Community assets and challenges
• Geographic anchoring of university mission
• Infrastructure sharing
• Place-based relationships and knowledge

INSPIRE: Understanding Your Place

Listen to our podcast with Tania (or read the transcript) Click the button to reach our podcast.

Reflection: Your Relationship to Place

Use your learning journal to reflect on the following:

1.On Building Authentic Place- Based Relationships Tania describes her daily practice of buying from local businesses and building relationships with key community figures (like the car park attendant) as foundational to her community engagement work. What barriers might prevent universities in England from adopting a similar approach to relationship-building? What would need to change institutionally for this to become embedded practice rather than dependent on individual champions?

2.On Power, Intent, and Unintended Consequences Tania reveals a tension in her Mexico City work: while she was genuinely supporting community members, the university was simultaneously purchasing homes for real estate speculation, making her relationship-building efforts inadvertently part of a gentrification strategy. How can universities and locally placed community partners better identify and challenge hidden institutional interests that might undermine civic engagement efforts? What safeguards or accountability mechanisms could help?

3.On Sharing Infrastructure for Multiplied Impact Tania describes how Centro University in Mexico City mobilised its physical campus, its staff expertise, and its student capacity alongside existing community assets (local hospital, school, sports centre, cultural spaces). Rather than the university operating as a closed institution, it became a shared resource. Reflecting on Tania's example: What physical, social, and cultural infrastructure does your university currently hold that could be more deliberately shared with place-based partners? What would prevent or enable greater permeability of university resources into community benefit?

4.On Balancing Hyper-Local Relationships with Regional Systems Tania emphasises the importance of deep, street-level relationships and community trust-building, yet she also notes that both the Conservative and Labour parties are increasingly prioritising devolution and a "place agenda" that requires collaboration between anchor institutions (universities, local authorities, health services, cultural organisations). How can universities maintain authentic hyper-local engagement in specific neighbourhoods while simultaneously participating in strategic regional partnerships and networks? Where might these scales of working support or undermine each other?

Imagining Place Futures: Design-Led Policymaking in Practice

Place: An informative policy case study

Professor Radka Newton, Dr Jekaterina Rindt, and Dr Mirian Calvo from Lancaster University developed an innovative approach to local place based policymaking through participatory Future Scenario Planning (FSP). Their research, presented at the DRS 2024 Conference, demonstrates how design-driven methods can tackle regional policy challenges beyond traditional national innovation labs. Working with stakeholders on sustainable transport policy in Lancaster and Morecambe around the Eden Morecambe development, they deployed FSP to foster collaborative decision-making across silos. The methodology explores multiple future scenarios, tests them against uncertainties, and engages local communities in meaningful debate about place-based policy innovation.

Reflection: Consider these qustions and note your thoughts in your learning journal. 1. How could your institution use participatory scenario planning to bridge silos between departments or partners when addressing a shared place-based challenge? What barriers might you encounter, and how could you overcome them? 2. When you think about policy challenges in your locality (climate, transport, quality of life, infrastructure), how might co-creating multiple future scenarios with diverse stakeholders change the place based policy options you consider? What voices might currently be missing?

"The findings highlight the potential for innovative methods to prompt discussion and debate about the formation of local policy, and engage local communities." Radkha Newton

Learn more about FSP by clicking this button.

LEARN: Understanding Place as Civic Terrain

Part 1: What Is “Place” and Why Does It Matter?

Definition: Place is not just geography. Place is the combination of:Physical location: specific neighbourhoods, cities, regionsCommunities: the people and relationships in that locationAssets and challenges: the resources, capabilities, problems presentHistory and identity: how place has been shaped and how people understand itPower dynamics: who has influence, whose voice matters, what’s been decidedRelationships: connections between institutions, organisations, and residents

Why Place Matters for Civic Engagement:

Solutions that work in one place don’t necessarily work in another. Unemployment in an industrial city has different roots and solutions than unemployment in a rural area. Effective civic engagement must be place-responsive.

Effective partnerships are place-based. They’re built on actual relationships with actual people and organisations in actual communities. Abstract partnerships don’t work – place-based ones do.

Universities are rooted in specific places. Their impact flows from that rootedness. Engaging with place authentically means accepting responsibility for impact where you’re located.

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1. Specificity

3. Partnership

2. Rootedness

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When universities are genuinely part of places, their civic work has legitimacy. Communities listen to institutions they trust. Trust is built through sustained place-based relationship.

Place teaches. Communities have knowledge, experience, and wisdom. Universities learn through place-based engagement in ways they can’t in isolation.

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5. Learning

4. Legitimacy

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Part 2: Waypoint: Embed hyper-local working alongside strengthening strategic regional partnerships

Many universities try to choose: focus on their immediate neighbourhood OR focus on regional/national strategy. The evidence suggests these are complementary, not competing.

Hyper-Local Scale

• Immediate neighbourhoods surrounding campus
• Residents who live near campus
• Community organisations in immediate vicinity
• Local schools, health centres, social services
• Walkable distance relationships

Regional Scale

• Multi-authority regions
• Significant economic zones
• Regional strategies (economic,health,education)
• Multiple cities and their hinterlands
• Metro mayors and combined authorities

City Scale

• The broader city or metropolitan area
• Multiple neighbourhoods with diverse characteristics

• Significant anchor institutions
• City council and major service providers
• Cross-neighbourhood relationships

National and International Scales

• National policy and programme funding
• International research networks
• National bodies and funders

Part 2: Waypoint: Embed hyper-local working alongside strengthening strategic regional partnerships (continued)

Why Both Scales Matter

Hyper-Local Focus enables:

• Deep relationships and trust
• Authentic understanding of specific community needs
• Sustainable local impact
• Student learning through direct community engagement
• Reciprocal benefit (community and university both benefit)

Strategic Regional Focus enables:

• Alignment with regional economic development
• Connection to regional policy and funding
• Reach beyond immediate neighbourhood
• Contribution to multi-institutional initiatives
• Addressing challenges too large for single neighbourhood

Part 2: Waypoint: Embed hyper-local working alongside strengthening strategic regional partnerships (continued)

How Scales Complement Each Other

Example: Youth Employment A university could focus on regional strategy: partner with regional education/employment bodies, contribute to regional skills development strategy, influence policy. Important and impactful at scale. OR the university could focus hyper-locally: work with neighbourhood youth services, create local apprenticeships, build relationships with local young people. Also important and impactful.

But the integration is more powerful:

• Regional strategy identifies key skills gaps
• Hyper-local partnerships understand specific barriers young people in their neighbourhood face
• University creates apprenticeships addressing regional gaps but tailored to local context
• Youth from neighbourhood access careers
• Regional priorities met Local community strengthened
• University learning enriched

Neither scale is more important – they’re interdependent.

Part 2: Waypoint: Embed hyper-local working alongside strengthening strategic regional partnerships (continued)

Interactive Mapping: Your Multi-Level Place

Instructions: Map your own institutional engagement across scales.

Hyper-Local (Neighbourhood):

• Which neighbourhoods surround your campus?
• How do you currently engage?
• What relationships exist?
• What opportunities?
• What barriers?

City:

• What’s happening across your city?
• Where do you have strategic partnerships?
• What major initiatives?
• Regional positioning?

Regional:

• What region does your university serve?
• What regional partnerships and relationships?
• How are you connected to regional strategy?
• Regional policy influence?

In your journal, create a visual map or detailed list showing your current engagement at each scale and opportunities for growth.

Part 3: Waypoint: Universities can boost impact by sharing infrastructure - physical, social and cultural

Universities are significant holders of infrastructure: physical, social, and cultural assets. Sharing this infrastructure for community benefit magnifies civic impact.

Types of University Infrastructure. Click the blue buttons to learn more.

Physical Infrastructure

Social Infrastructure

Cultural and Knowledge Infrastructure

Organisational Infrastructure

Sharing Infrastructure – Practical Examples

Social Infrastructure Sharing: Student Mentoring, Professional Networks, Leadership Development

Physical Infrastructure Sharing:

Knowledge Infrastructure Sharing: Community Research Partnerships, Skills Programmes, Expert Consultation

Student Mentoring, Professional Networks, Leadership Development

Strategic Infrastructure Sharing Framework

Consider the steps below and make a note in your learning journal

Use this activity to explore the idea of sharing university infrastructure in a safe, small and manageable way. You are not expected to contact partners, negotiate access or launch a pilot. The aim is to practice strategic thinking using things you already know.

Step 1: Choose one asset

Start by focusing on just one concrete example of university infrastructure.

In your learning journal, list one asset you think might be shareable. For example: a specific room, a recurring volunteering opportunity,a drop‑in advice hour, a piece of equipment, or an existing organisational system such as a booking form or mailing list.

Describe it in 3–4 bullet points:

• What it is
• Who currently uses it
• When it is busy or quiet
• Any constraints you already know about, e.g. security, staffing timetabling, insurance, safeguarding).

Keep this realistic and specific. Avoid “the whole estate” or “all student volunteers”; pick something small and concrete that you understand reasonably well.

Strategic Infrastructure Sharing Framework (continued)

Step 2: Identify one plausible community need

Next, think about how this one asset might support a local need. In your learning journal:

• Write down one group or type of organisation who might benefit (for example: a local youth group, a grassroots community organisation, a VCSE partner you already know, a local school, a tenants’ association).

• Based on what you already know from your work, community contacts, or local civic initiatives, describe one need this group is likely to have that your chosen asset could help with (for example: safe evening meeting space, one‑off mentoring, a place to host a workshop, access to planning support).

• Turn this into a short “hypothesis statement” (3–4 lines maximum), starting with:

• “If we offered [asset] in [this way] to [this group], it could help because…”

This step is about informed guesswork, not a full needs assessment. You are not committing the university to act; you are practising how to align a specific asset with a plausible local need.

Strategic Infrastructure Sharing Framework (continued)

Step 3: Design a tiny “no promises” micro‑experiment

Now sketch how you might test this idea in a very small, time‑limited way, if conditions were right. In your learning journal:

Imagine one micro‑experiment using your chosen asset, such as:

• a single event or workshop
• a short series (for example, three sessions in a term)
• a limited trial library (for example, one month of a weekly slot)

Answer the following prompts in 2–3 bullet points each:

• Internal basics: What would you need in place inside the university for this to work at a micro‑scale? Think about simple permissions, one named point of contact, and any basic processes (for example: a short booking form or safeguarding check).

• Risks: Name one risk for partners (for example, cancelled access, unclear expectations, hidden costs) and one risk for the university (for example, reputational risk, staff time, health and safety), and note one simple way to reduce each.

• Success signals: Identify 2–3 specific signs that this tiny experiment is “working well enough” to be worth exploring further (for example: consistent attendance, positive informal feedback, staff reporting that the process is manageable).

This is a thinking exercise only. You are not expected to run this micro‑experiment as part of the module. The goal is to sharpen your judgement about what is realistic, low‑risk and mutually beneficial when sharing infrastructure.

Strategic Infrastructure Sharing Framework (continued)

Optional extension (if you have capacity)

If it feels appropriate in your context, you may want to sense‑check your idea with a trusted colleague.

• Arrange an informal 10–15 minute conversation with someone who understands your institution’s civic work, estates, or volunteering.
• Share your one‑asset idea and micro‑experiment outline, and ask:

“From your perspective, what feels realistic here?” “What risks or blockers am I underestimating?” “Is there anything very small we could try in future, if the timing and permissions were right?” Make a brief note of what you learned. Do not promise anything to partners on the basis of this conversation; treat it as a quick test of your thinking.

Reflection prompt

To close the activity, add a short reflection to your journal (4–6 lines):

• What did this exercise reveal about how your university currently uses (or under‑uses) its infrastructure for civic purposes?
• What would need to change—policies, culture, processes or relationships—to make small, low‑risk sharing experiments easier to try in future?

Part 4: Understanding Your Place – Place Mapping

To engage civically in place, you must understand your place deeply. This section guides you in creating a comprehensive place map – your own intelligence about your geographic context. Before you begin you will need - large paper, multi coloured pens & post it notes, you could also do this electronically on a platform such as Miro.

Interactive Place Mapping Tool

Instructions:

Choose your format:

• Visual map (hand-drawn or digital)
• Detailed written description organised by layers
• Database or spreadsheet capturing key information
• Combination of formats

For each layer, capture:

• Key information
• Key relationships/connections
• Questions you still have
• Opportunities for university engagement

Focus on:

• Specificity – actual names, organisations, people (where appropriate)
• Relationships – how things connect
• Assets and challenges equally
• Power dynamics
• University’s current and potential role

Place Mapping Framework

Layer 3: Economic Landscape

• Major employers
• Business sectors and types
• Economic challenges

(unemployment, deprivation, decline)

• Economic assets and growth areas
• Skills gaps
• Poverty and wealth distribution
• Social enterprise and community business sector

Layer 1: Geographic Basics-

• Your city/region name and size
• Your campus location(s)
• Immediate surrounding neighbourhoods
• Key geographic features

(rivers, green space, boundaries, infrastructure)

• Transport connections
• How place is physically organised

Questions:

• What’s the economy like?
• What jobs exist?
• What are economic challenges?
• What are growth opportunities?

Layer 2: Demographic Understanding -

• Population size and growth
• Age profile
• Ethnic diversity
• Education levels
• Employment status
• Income and deprivation
• Housing types and tenure

Click the cog icon to be taken straight to our Civic Capabilities Framework.

Questions:

• Who lives here?
• What’s the diversity?
• What are demographic challenges and assets?

Place Mapping Framework(continued)

Layer 4: Community Landscape

• Major community organisations and service providers
• Faith communities and cultural organisations
• Voluntary and social enterprise sector

• Resident groups and informal networks
• Youth organisations and services
• Health and social care provision
• Education infrastructure

Layer 6: Assets and StrengthsUniversities often focus on challenges. Assets-based approach also asks: what’s strong here?

• Community leaders and active residents
• Existing successful initiatives
• Cultural vitality

• Natural assets and green space
• Historical significance
• Networks and relationships
• Social cohesion
• Skills and talents present

Questions:

• Who’s organising community activity?
• What services exist?
• What relationships exist between organisations?

• What gaps exist?

Layer 5: Challenge Mapping

• Key challenges community faces

(from community perspective)

• Root causes of challenges
• Who’s affected most?
• What’s already being done?
• What’s missing?

Click the cog icon to be taken straight to our Civic Capabilities Framework.

Major challenges might include:

• Youth unemployment or underemployment
• Health inequalities
• Educational attainment gaps
• Housing shortage or poor quality
• Environmental degradation
• Social isolation
• Economic inequality
• Community safety concerns

Place Mapping Framework (Continued)

Layer 7: Power and Relationships

• Who makes major decisions?
• Where’s power located?
• Who has voice? Who’s marginalised?
• What tensions or conflicts exist?
• What are historic relationships?
• What trust exists?
• What partnerships already exist?

Layer 8: University Presence

• Current university footprint in place
• Current partnerships and relationships
• Community perceptions of university

• Existing community engagement activities
• Untapped opportunities
• Barriers to deeper engagement

Click the cog icon to be taken straight to our Civic Capabilities Framework.

A Place Snapshot

We are exploring the idea of 'deep place learning' by using publicly available information and our own experiences, without carrying out any new outreach or fieldwork. Follow the instructions below and make notes in your learning journal.

Activity: Place Snapshot in 60–90 Minutes

1. Choose a place (5 minutes)

• A neighbourhood, street, campus edge, or town centre that matters to you or your institution.
• It can be somewhere you already know; no new visit required.

2. Quick desk scan (20–30 minutes)

Using only online and existing sources, create a one‑page “snapshot”:

• Demographic and deprivation indicators (e.g. ONS, local authority dashboards).
• Visible assets: community organisations, green/blue spaces, schools, faith groups, cultural venues, businesses.
• Existing university links: placements, research projects, outreach, estates presence. Reflect on your colleagues across your organisation is there someone who already has a partnership in or with this area? If there is, reach out to them about this to learn more.

3. Lived experience reflection (15–20 minutes)

• If you know the place: jot down 5–7 bullet points on how it feels to be there (who you see, what you notice, what feels welcome or unwelcome)
• If you don’t know it: can you organise a visit? This could be alone or with a colleague. If this is not possible for you at this time, jot down 5–7 bullet points on what you *imagine* it might feel like, based on your scan. Note two things you are curious about but cannot answer from your desk.

A Place Snapshot (continued)

4.Mini sense‑check (optional, 10–15 minutes)

• Share your one‑pager with one colleague or peer who has some connection to the place (professionally or personally).
• Ask: “What have I missed or misunderstood?” and “What would you prioritise learning more about?”

5.Short reflection (200–300 words or bullet list)

Prompt options:

• How did your picture of this place change as you looked more closely?
• Where are the biggest gaps between data, your assumptions, and lived realities?
• What one small, respectful next step *might* the university take if it wanted to know this place better?

Optional extension - Visit your Place

Before you go: clarify your focus

In your journal (5–10 minutes):

• Name the place or micro‑area you will walk (for example: one high street, a park and its surrounding streets, the streets around a campus building).
• Write 3–4 lines on what you want to notice this time that you did not pay attention to before (for example: how space is used at different times of day, signs of welcome/exclusion, movement patterns, green space, services and amenities).

Set an intention to observe quietly, not to take photos of people, and not to initiate conversations.

A Place Snapshot (continued)

During your walk: slow, structured observation

As you walk, pay attention to:

Plan for 30–45 minutes of walking, at a slow pace.

Physical environment

• Buildings, housing types, shopfronts, vacant units, public buildings, religious or cultural spaces.
• Green and blue spaces (trees, parks, rivers, canals), benches, lighting, signage, crossings.

Use of space (without focusing on individuals)

• Where people tend to gather or pass through (for example: corners, bus stops, entrances, play areas).
• Times and places that feel busy or quiet.
• Any patterns you can see about who seems to be using which spaces, without staring or following anyone.

Signals and stories of the place

• Posters, noticeboards, murals, graffiti, memorials, flags, displays in windows.
• Evidence of community activity (for example: flyers for events, food banks, community centres, youth groups, residents’ associations).
• Signs of investment or disinvestment (repairs, boarded‑up buildings, new developments, temporary fixes).

Make brief notes in a notebook or on your phone using short phrases or quick sketches. Only take photographs of physical features (buildings, streetscapes, signage, green spaces) and avoid capturing identifiable people.

A Place Snapshot (continued)

After your walk: map and make meaning, record your thoughts in your learning journal.

Within 24 hours of your walk:

1. Create a simple “place sketch” (10–15 minutes)-

• Draw or outline the route you took and mark 5–7 points that stood out to you.
• Next to each point, add 1–2 words or a short phrase (for example: “informal meeting spot”, “disused building”, “community noticeboard”, “step‑free access”, “no seating”).

2. Reflect on patterns and assumptions (15–20 minutes)In your journal, respond to these prompts in bullet points or a short paragraph:

• What three things did you notice that you had not seen or thought about before?
• What felt like an “asset” in this place (for example: services, spaces, symbols, connections)?
• What felt like a barrier or pressure point in this place?
• Where did your previous mental picture of this place turn out to be incomplete or inaccurate?

3. Link to your civic role (5–10 minutes)

• Note one way this walk changes how you think about your institution’s presence, absence or impact in this place.
• Note one small question you want to take back into your own organisation (for example: “How do our timetables align with how this area actually works?”, “Are we assuming this place has X when it clearly doesn’t?”, “How visible/invisible are we here?”).

Respect and care for the place

Treat what you observed as something you hold in trust:

• When you share insights with colleagues, describe patterns and features of the place, not stories about individuals.
• Avoid turning the walk into “evidence” for a pre‑decided narrative (for example, only looking for problems or only looking for “success stories”). - Remember that this is a single, partial glimpse; it should prompt humility and curiosity, not definitive conclusions about the area.

Activity 2: Multi-Scale Strategy – Balancing Hyper-Local and Regional

Instructions:

Design a strategy for your institution (or your area of influence within your institution) for engaging across multiple geographic scales. Record your ideas in your learning journal.

Part A: Current State Analysis

Map your current engagement:

Hyper-Local:

• What relationships/partnerships exist?
• How deep is engagement?
• What impact?
• What barriers?

Part B: Strategic Opportunities

Identify the most promising:

• Hyper-local opportunity
• City-scale opportunity
• Regional opportunity

City/Metropolitan:

• What partnerships/strategic relationships?
• Level of engagement?

• Impact?
• Opportunities?

For each:

• Why is this strategic?
• What would deepening engagement look like?
• What relationships/partnerships needed?
• What resources needed?

• Expected impact?

Regional:

• What regional strategy connections?
• Policy engagement?
• Regional partnerships?
• Opportunities?

Activity 2: Multi-Scale Strategy – Balancing Hyper-Local and Regional (continued)

Part C: Intergration Strategy

How could hyper-local, city, and regional work support each other?

• Where are there natural connections?
• How could learning flow between scales?
• How could local initiatives inform regional strategy?
• How could regional strategy support local initiatives?

Part D: Action Plan

Identify ONE concrete action over next 6 months:

• What will you do?
• Which scale(s) does it involve?
• Who needs to be involved?
• What resources needed?
• How will you know if it’s successful?

REFLECT: Deepening Place Connection

Reflection Prompts: Write your thoughts in your learning journal.

1. Your Relationship to PlaceHow is your understanding of your institution’s place shifting after working thorough the tasks in this unit?

• What’s becoming clearer?
• What’s becoming more complex?
• What feels most important?

2. Place-Based Relationships Reflecting on place-based work:

• What relationships are strongest?
• Which need strengthening?
• How is trust built in place-based work?
• What’s your role in relationship-building?

3. Multi-Scale Thinking

How do you think differently about multi-scale engagement now?

• Where’s your institution strongest?
• Where could you deepen?
• How do scales support each other?

4. Infrastructure Possibilities

What infrastructure-sharing possibilities most excite you?

• Why?
• What would need to happen?
• What’s your role?

5. Place Belonging What would it mean for your institution (or you as its representative) to genuinely “belong” to place?

• What would that change?
• What barriers exist?
• What would strengthen it?

Consolidation: Place as Anchor

Key Takeaways from Unit 5

✓ Place is foundational to civic engagement - specific geographic context shapes what’s needed and what works ✓ Multi-scale engagement is essential – hyper-local depth and regional strategy are complementary, not competing ✓ Understanding your place requires systematic learning – eight-layer place mapping provides structure ✓ Universities hold significant infrastructure – physical, social, knowledge, organisational – that can serve communities ✓ Infrastructure sharing multiplies civic impact – relatively small effort, significant community benefit ✓ Place-based relationships are foundation for trust and authenticity – time investment in place pays ✓ Your place has assets AND challenges – civic engagement builds on both

Your Next Steps

With Place foundation, you’re ready to explore People – the relationships and human connections that make civic work come alive. Unit 6: People - focuses on authentic partnerships, co-design, lived experience, and cultivating active citizenship.

Unit 5 Summary:

Key Takeaways

✓ Place is not just geography – it’s communities, assets, challenges, history, and power dynamics ✓ Both hyper-local and regional engagement matter; they complement each other ✓ Understanding your place requires systematic learning and genuine connection ✓ Universities hold diverse infrastructure – physical, social, knowledge, organisational ✓ Infrastructure sharing is powerful civic tool often underutilised ✓ Place-based relationships build trust and authenticity ✓ Your institution’s place is both responsibility and opportunity

Unit 6: People

Unit 6: What to expect

This unit explores People as a civic terrain – focusing on how authentic relationships, community expertise, and active citizenship form the foundation of civic practice. You will examine the principles of co-design and learn how to recognise lived experience as a vital form of expertise in shaping equitable and inclusive initiatives. The unit also introduces strategies for developing fair and sustainable partnerships, creating civic experiences that foster trust, shared ownership, and community capacity. Above all, it emphasises that civic work is fundamentally relational – about people connecting across difference with mutual respect, empathy, and a shared sense of purpose..

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts

Learning Objectives:

• Understand principles of authentic, equitable partnership with communities
• Recognise lived experience as valued expertise equal to academic knowledge
• Develop skills in co-design and co-production processes
• Create meaningful civic experiences building active citizenship
• Address power imbalances in university-community relationships
• Build your capacity for genuine cross-sector collaboration

Key Waypoints Explored:

Waypoint: Partner with communities through co-design and lived experience Waypoint: Cultivate belonging and active citizenship through civic experiences

Key Concepts:

• Co-production and co-design
• Lived experience and community expertise
• Power dynamics and equity
• Active citizenship and belonging
• Relational practice and authenticity
• Community-led action

INSPIRE: People at the heart of civic

INSPIRE: People at the heart of Civic - Victoria Nunn

From Lived Experience to Shared Power in Research

Victoria Nunn is a part-time PhD candidate in Social Sciences at Northumbria University and Development Coordinator at VONNE. Her work explores how voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations shape mental health research as leaders and knowledge producers, not just delivery partners. Drawing on 25 years of lived experience alongside professional roles across academia, the NHS and the VCSE sector, Victoria acts as a bridge between communities, researchers and policymakers. Her practice-centred approach challenges tokenism by embedding lived experience throughout research design, delivery and dissemination. As Victoria notes, “lived experience doesn’t just add a personal touch - it can change the direction and quality of research outputs.” This case study shows how trust, authenticity and honest conversations about power are essential to building equitable, long-term civic research partnerships. Further insight into this approach can be found through the VONNE website by clicking the icon below.

People at the heart of civic

Watch our video podcast with Mems Ayinla, Director of Student Influence at the University of Sheffield Students' Union, and Caitlin Hill, a Student Neighbourhood Ambassador with Manchester Student Homes and recent Sociology and Politics graduate. Students shape their neighbourhoods most powerfully when they feel a sense of belonging, are included in decision-making, and are supported to be active citizens alongside their studies. This conversation explores practical ways universities and students’ unions can treat students as neighbours and partners in place, not just temporary residents.

Key principles in the video

• Students are residents and neighbours, not a separate category, so language, programmes and governance structures should reflect students as part of local communities alongside long‑term residents. Lived experience and student expertise (including paid ambassador roles and tenants’ organising) are treated as vital civic assets that must be recognised, resourced and fairly compensated.

• Belonging and inclusion are created through intentional design of “third spaces” (e.g. neighbourhood ambassadors, community meals, societies, volunteering) that connect mental health, social connection and place.

• Data, rich qualitative insight and theory of change are used to understand who is excluded, redesign offers and be transparent when approaches have not worked as intended.

• Students’ unions are positioned as agile civic leaders and conduits between students, universities and place‑based partners, and should be fully utilised in institutional civic strategies.

Key principles in the video

Impact

• Civic roles such as student neighbourhood ambassadors and community forums build confidence in advocacy, navigating housing systems and working with local charities, which students carry into wider civic and professional life.

• Hyperlocal initiatives (door‑knocking, curry and pizza nights, local walking inquiries) reduce isolation, ease tensions between students and long‑term residents and foster recognition of shared challenges like housing quality and cost of living.

• Citywide, student civic engagement strengthens local economies, enriches community organisations and contributes to a pipeline of graduates who stay, volunteer and lead in the places where they studied.

Key Learning

• Civic experiences work best when they are accessible, visible and co‑designed with those who have previously been excluded, including international students, renters and minoritised groups.

• Universities should match their institutional power with real accountability in issues like housing and neighbourhood relations, listening to community‑generated evidence and acting on it rather than leading with predefined agendas.

• Embedding civic responsibility as a core mission means aligning curriculum, student experience, estates, governance and partnerships so that active citizenship is a normal, supported part of university life, not an optional extra.

LEARN: Partnership as Relational Practice

Part 1: Waypoint – Partner with Communities Through Co-Design and Lived Experience

This section draws on the NCIA report Meaningful Engagement Between Students and Local Communities, co-produced with the Institute for Community Studies, to explore what authentic co-design looks like in practice. To read the full report, click on the picture below.

What is co-design / co-production?

Core definition:

Co-design (often called co-production) means communities and institutions designing solutions together from the very beginning of a project through to implementation and evaluation. It goes beyond asking for feedback on a pre-designed initiative and instead creates space for shared problem-definition, shared decision-making and shared learning.

Power spectrum

Read these definitions of types of community engagement by clicking on the buttons.

Consultation

Co-production

Community-led

Collaboration

Reflective taskMake a note in your journal

• Think of a current student–community initiative at your institution.
• Where does it sit on this spectrum, and what would it take to move one step further towards co-production?

Principles of Authentic Co-design and Expertise Recognition

Authentic co-design recognises both academic expertise and lived experience as valuable and necessary.

• Academic expertise includes disciplinary knowledge, research methods, theoretical frameworks and evidence from previous studies.

• Lived experience includes direct knowledge of how an issue is felt in everyday life, what has been tried before and what actually works in a given context.

Our Meaningful Engagement report shows that meaningful practices emerge when student skills (for example in design, research or organising) are combined with community partners’ deep knowledge of places and histories. In a neighbourhood welcome initiative, community partners shaped the tone and content of events while students contributed energy, communication skills and practical organising capacity. Click on the hands icon to read the full report.

Reflective task

Make a note in your journal: In your own context, whose expertise is currently centred, and whose is missing or under-recognised?

Community-defined priorities Authentic co-design starts with the question: “What matters to you, and what do you want to change?” rather than “How can students help us achieve our institutional objectives?” Our findings highlight that communities and students experienced engagement as meaningful when activities were grounded in issues they identified, not only in priorities such as employability or recruitment. In one campaign-focused case study, community organisers used structured listening to identify concerns about low pay and insecurity in local cultural institutions before any student-facing activities were designed.

Principles of Authentic Co-design and Expertise Recognition (continued)

Equal voice in decisions

Co-design requires community partners and students to have real influence over core decisions:

• How the problem is framed.
• What success looks like.
• How resources are allocated.
• Who leads which aspects of work.
• How learning will be shared

In the architecture "live project" model called Hands on Bristol, featured in our report, community partners negotiate briefs with students and staff. This shapes both the learning outcomes and tangible outputs, such as designs or spatial interventions, that matter locally.

Reflection Activity: In your learning journal record your thoughts on the following. Review one case from the report and identify one point where partners had strong voice in decisions and one point where voice was limited.

Transparent processes

Transparency about decision-making, timeframes and constraints is essential for trust. Key elements to share openly:

• How decisions will be made and by whom.
• What time and resources are realistically available.
• What students can and cannot do within their course or placement.
• Risks, limitations and uncertainties.

The report notes that community partners appreciated clarity about the duration and intensity of student involvement; where these were vague, partners sometimes experienced frustration or felt let down. Where boundaries were clear, shorter-term student projects could still contribute positively to longer-term community work.

Principles of Authentic Co-design and Expertise Recognition (continued)

Reciprocal benefit

Authentic co-design aims for reciprocal benefit rather than one-way extraction

• Community benefits might include: addressing locally defined issues, increased capacity or visibility, and greater influence over decisions that affect them.
• University and student benefits might include: deeper learning, enhanced sense of belonging, more relevant research and stronger civic reputation.

Cases in the report show reciprocal benefit when, for example, neighbourhood events fostered social cohesion for residents while helping students feel welcome in their new area, or when living wage campaigns produced material gains for local workers alongside rich organising experience for students.

Reflective task

In your learning journal

Review the case studies in the report and map the benefits for both community and university in one case, noting where benefits are imbalanced.

Lived Experience as Expertise

Key Insight: People living with challenges often have profound expertise about those challenges. Solutions designed with people living challenges are often more creative and effective. Click on each button to hear from these community members.

"Lived experience experts shouldn’t just sit on the sidelines or give advice - they should actually have a vote in decisions. They should help decide where resources go, and have a say in how we judge what success looks like.”

"Community experts’ voices should be visible in publications, presentations, communications, not just mentioned in acknowledgments, but featured as contributors."

"Too often, community experts give their time unpaid or underpaid. Truly valuing them means paying for their expertise and recognising their contribution publicly, not just financially.”

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

A person experiencing homelessness understands barriers to housing and employment in ways researchers never will. Centring lived experience means people aren’t just subjects of research but agents in their own solutions.

A parent of a child with disability understands accessibility barriers and systemic discrimination. Lived experience encompasses emotional, social, practical dimensions research often misses.

A young person in an underfunded school understands educational inequity. People living with challenges know what’s real, what works, what doesn’t. When people see their own experience reflected and valued, engagement increases.

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Part 2: Waypoint – Cultivate Belonging and Active Citizenship

What is Active Citizenship?

Active citizenship means people:

• Understand themselves as part of community
• Feel they have agency and can influence things
• Participate in community decisions and actions
• Contribute to community life
• Develop skills and confidence
• Feel sense of belonging

It’s not just volunteering – it’s deeper sense of participation in shaping one’s community. Before people become active citizens, they need to feel they belong – that they’re part of community, that community wants them there, that their contribution matters.

How Universities Cultivate Active Citizenship

Universities are more than providers of qualifications; they are civic and democratic communities where students can develop as active citizens. A “student civic experience” involves learning, participation and reflection that help students build civic identities, skills and commitments that last beyond graduation. Civic universities create opportunities for students to engage with real issues in the places they live and study, and to see how their disciplines connect to public life. When this is done well, students gain capabilities that support their wellbeing, employability and sense of belonging, while communities benefit from new energy, ideas and resources.

Meaningful civic experiences

Civic experiences can take many forms but share some common features. Click on each button to find out more:

Direct community engagement

Reflection and learning

Networks and belonging

Skill development

Recognition and celebration

The UPP report 'Enhancing the Student Civic Experience' suggests that students who participate in such experiences are more likely to feel connected to their institution and locality, and to carry civic habits into later life. This supports goals such as retaining graduates locally and strengthening local social equality. To read the full report, click on the brain icon.

Meaningful civic experiences

These principles can be operationalised through a simple design framework

1. Define the need: Work with community partners to understand the issues they prioritise and the outcomes they seek. 2. Clarify learning outcomes: Identify the knowledge, skills and civic dispositions students should develop through the experience. 3. Design for reflection: Build in structured moments where students connect their experience to theory, policy and systemic analysis. 4. Ensure reciprocity: Plan for mutual benefit, including appropriate resourcing, recognition and feedback mechanisms for partners and students. 5. Build relationships: Support ongoing communication, mentoring and pathways so that engagement can continue across modules, years and into graduate life.

Making power dynamics visible

Authentic civic partnership requires universities to confront how power operates in and around their institutions. Power arises from formal roles, control over resources, status as knowledge-producers, networks and cultural norms about whose voices are heard. Acknowledging these dynamics is a first step. Universities typically hold greater positional, resource and knowledge power than many community organisations, and students’ own power varies by background, status and identity. Recognising this helps avoid pretending that all actors enter partnerships on equal terms.

Designing experiences for growth

Designing civic experiences requires balancing student learning with community benefit and institutional responsibility.

Five principles underpin this work, click on the button to learn more.

Authenticity

Agency

Reciprocity

Sustainability

Criticality

This approach links campus-based civic work to wider questions of social equality, local democracy and graduate retention. Supporting students to understand power and place helps them act as changemakers during their studies and as graduates, whether they stay in the local area or contribute to civic life elsewhere.

APPLY: Building Your Partnership Practice

Activity 1: Co-Design Simulation – Experience the Process

Instructions:

Work through a mini co-design process around a challenge relevant to your context. Make your notes in your learning journal.

Step 1: Define Challenge

Identify a specific challenge you want to address:

• Youth engagement in higher education
• Community health and wellbeing
• Economic development
• Environmental sustainability
• Educational attainment
• Social isolation
• Other community-identified challenge

Step 2: Perspective Collection

You need to include another voice here. If you cannot connect with a community member, can you link up with a colleague who has and therefore can share a more authentic perspective? Can you do some research which helps you gain real insight?

University Perspective:

• What do we know from research?
• What does policy say?
• What resources could we bring?
• What constraints exist?

Community Perspective:

• What’s lived experience of this challenge?
• What do people actually need?
• What’s been tried before?
• What would work?

Activity 1: Co-Design Simulation – Experience the Process (continued)

Step 3: Co-Define Problem

Bring perspectives together:

• What overlaps?
• What’s different?
• What does each side misunderstand about the other?
• What’s the real problem (integrating both perspectives)?

Step 4: Co-Design Solution

Together, brainstorm:

• What could work?
• What would be practical?
• What would address real needs?
• What could be piloted?

Step 5: Reflection

• How different was the co-designed solution from what you initially thought?
• What did you learn from including other perspectives?
• What was challenging about co-design?
• What was valuable?

Activity 2: Exploring a Civic Experience

Make notes in your learning journal.

Step 1: Focus and Purpose

Think of one community issue or opportunity related to your place (e.g. local sustainability, wellbeing, inclusion, or heritage).

• Why does this matter locally?
• How could a civic experience begin to address it?

Write 2–3 sentences describing your civic idea.

Step 2: People and Participation

Sketch out who might take part and what they would do.

• Who are the learners or community partners involved?
• What’s one activity or shared goal that brings them together?
• How long might it run (a day, a week, a term)?

Step 3: Learning and Belonging

Based on the report’s focus on social action as learning, note briefly:

• One thing participants might learn about (e.g. local systems, civic voice, teamwork).
• One skill they might practise (e.g. collaboration, dialogue, reflection).
• One way the experience could strengthen belonging (e.g. shared storytelling or co-design).

Activity 2: Exploring a Civic Experience

Step 4: Mutual Benefit and Reciprocity

Reflect on how this experience benefits everyone involved.

• How does the community gain?
• How do participants grow or contribute?
• What makes it a two-way exchange rather than outreach “to” others?

Step 5: Evaluation

Consider how you’d know the experience had an impact.

• What small signs of change or feedback would you look for?
• How would you use that insight to make it even better next time?

Do you already run or lead on a project like the one above? Replace the activity above with this extension task on the next page.

Extension Activity: Deepening Your Civic Practice

Aim: Build on an existing civic experience or programme you lead. Use this task to refine its design, strengthen reciprocity, and embed civic learning more intentionally. This task is based on the learnings in The Case for Social Action within the Higher Education Experience report by Student Hubs. Read the full report by clicking the button.

Step 1: Revisit Purpose and Alignment

Link your current civic work to the central principles in The Case for Social Action within the Higher Education Experience: agency, belonging, reciprocal partnership, and civic learning.

Reflect briefly:

• How does your initiative already express these principles?
• Where might the alignment be strengthened?

Step 2: Map the Learning Journey

Identify what participants actually learn and experience through involvement - not just what’s delivered.

Consider:

• What kinds of growth (knowledge, confidence, social connection) you see in participants.
• Which learning moments are planned, and which emerge organically.
• Whether reflection and action are meaningfully connected.

Add a short “participant journey map” or table to visualise this (e.g. entry → engagement → action → reflection → legacy).

Extension Activity: Deepening Your Civic Practice(continued)

Step 3: Strengthen Reciprocity

Examine the flow of benefits between the university and your community collaborators.

Ask:

• What forms of value, resource, or recognition flow to partners?
• Are community partners shaping the agenda or mainly responding to it?
• What could help the exchange feel more mutual and sustained?

Capture one practical change you could test to deepen reciprocity.

Step 4: Embed Sustainability

Think about what enables your civic work to last and adapt over time.

• Who holds the knowledge and relationships?
• How is learning from each cycle fed back into planning?
• What would make the work more resilient or institutionally supported?

Sketch two actions to make your initiative more sustainable—socially, financially, or organisationally.

Step 5: Evidence and Storytelling

Plan how you’ll share and evidence impact.

• What stories, voices, or data best demonstrate the experience’s civic value?
• How could you use these narratives to advocate for deeper institutional commitment or policy change?

Optional: produce a one-page “impact narrative” combining evidence and personal insight. Share this with your colleagues or network. Can you use it as a topic for discussion in a team meeting or away day?

REFLECT: Your Partnership Journey

REFLECT: Your Partnership Journey

Write your thoughts in your learning journal.

Reflection Prompts

1. Power Dynamics You’ve ExperiencedReflect on partnerships you’ve been part of:

• Where have you experienced power imbalances?
• How did they affect the work?
• What would have shifted with more equitable power-sharing?

2. Co-Design Practice

• When have you experienced genuine co-design?
• What made it feel genuine?
• When has collaboration felt less equal?
• What was the difference?

3. Lived Experience

• Who in your network has lived experience expertise?
• How is that expertise currently valued?
• How could it be more intentionally included?

4. Belonging

• Where do you experience belonging?
• What creates that sense of belonging?
• How could your civic work create more belonging for others?

5. Your Growth

• How is your capacity for authentic partnership developing?
• What’s becoming easier?
• What’s still challenging?
• What do you want to practice?

Key Takeaways from Unit 6

✓ Co-design and co-production are powerful approaches to creating authentic, equitable partnerships ✓ Lived experience is valued expertise equal to academic knowledge – partnerships are stronger when both are present ✓ Power dynamics are real and significant – authentic partnership requires intentionally addressing them ✓ Belonging and active citizenship are cultivated through meaningful, reciprocal civic experiences ✓ Genuine partnership requires time, commitment, and transparency – not something rushed ✓ Community leadership is possible when universities genuinely share power – frameworks like Queen Mary’s toolkit enable it

Unit 7: Partnership

Unit 7: What to expect

This unit explores Partnership as a civic terrain – examining how universities move from individual relationships to strategic, coordinated collaboration across multiple organisations. You will explore how to build equitable partnerships grounded in trust, shared power, and mutual accountability, while learning to coordinate thematic alliances that deliver collective impact. The unit also considers how to design and sustain effective partnership structures that enable long-term cooperation. At its core, this unit focuses on the systemic level of civic engagement – how universities and other anchor institutions align their resources, influence, and priorities to address shared challenges and strengthen place-based impact.

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts

Learning Objectives:

• Understand principles of authentic equitable partnership with communities
• Develop strategies for building trust and genuine power-sharing
• Learn approaches for coordinating partnerships around shared thematic challenges
• Address and navigate power dynamics in multi-institutional partnerships
• Create sustainable partnership governance and accountability structures
• Assess and strengthen existing partnerships

Key Waypoints Explored:

Waypoint: Build authentic equitable place-based partnerships Waypoint: Coordinate thematic partnerships for collective impact

Key Concepts:

• Equitable power-sharing and genuine partnership
• Partnership development stages
• Multi-sector collaboration
• Collective impact approaches
• Partnership sustainability
• Community-centred accountability
• Power dynamics in partnerships

INSPIRE: Partnerships That Endure and Transform

Civic Commitments in Partnership Practice: Embedding Student Knowledge Exchange with Community Anchors

Click on the 4 icons to learn more about these inspiring civic projects

This case study draws on emerging PhD research by Emily Bastable (University of Southampton) on integrating student knowledge exchange into the taught curriculum. It showcases practice from University of the Arts London (UAL) through Stef Thorne (Associate Director of Knowledge Exchange) and Andrew Marsh (Curator in Practice, BA Culture, Criticism and Curation), and from the University of Southampton through modules led by Principal Teaching Fellow Karen Clinkard and the late Professor Pathik Pathak. ​ The case study drives us to consider is how university staff, students and external partners co‑design curriculum‑embedded projects that address live social, environmental and economic challenges in their localities. Students work with community anchors (galleries, libraries, SMEs, charities, social enterprises) and are assessed on their ability to contribute ethically to real‑world change. These projects help students apply theory, build transferable skills and understand the civic purpose of their subject, while partners gain insight, capacity and tangible outputs linked to shared priorities. They also create a “front porch” for universities, opening accessible routes for community anchors and businesses to collaborate around place‑based challenges.

Civic Commitments in Partnership Practice: Embedding Student Knowledge Exchange with Community Anchors, continued

Learning for Practice Across these examples, several transferable lessons emerge for anyone seeking to embed civic engagement through place‑based partnerships.

• Design around a real, shared problem that matters locally and aligns with both curriculum outcomes and partner priorities.

• Work with community anchors (galleries, libraries, SMEs, charities, social enterprises) who already hold relationships and trust in place, and build ethical frameworks and care into every stage of collaboration.

• Give students structured autonomy, choice of content, project type or role, while scaffolding them with practical toolkits, formative feedback and access to practitioners.

• Explicitly connect the work to institutional drivers (civic, sustainability, graduate outcomes, access and participation, KE/KEF), so that projects are recognised and supported, not marginal.

Use your learning journal to consider these questions:

1. How could students in your organisation work with local community anchors (such as galleries, SMEs, charities or social enterprises) on problems that are both genuinely civic and clearly aligned with your existing learning outcomes and assessments?
2. What kinds of support, structures and institutional drivers (e.g. civic strategies, sustainability goals, employability, KE) would you need to put in place to ensure that these partnerships are ethical, reciprocal and sustainable rather than one‑off projects?

Explore these ideas

Listen to Professor Sally Pearse (for about 5 minutes) introduce the Early Years Community Research Centre in Sheffield - bringing partners together around the shared theme of early years and trauma informed practice.

Key Elements That Made Partnership Work:

Genuine Shared PurposePartners aligned around outcomes that mattered to families and communities, not just around institutional priorities. The partnership existed to serve community needs, not to serve university, council, or other agendas. Long-Term Commitment Partners understood this as a multi-year journey requiring sustained investment, not a short term project with defined endpoints. Long-term commitment enabled relationship deepening and adaptive learning. Intentional Power-Sharing The partnership explicitly addressed power dynamics and designed structures ensuring all partners had genuine voice in decisions. Power wasn't assumed to be equal, it was actively worked on. Investment in Relationships Time and resources were dedicated to relationship building, not just task delivery. Colleagues across organisations got to know each other as people, built trust, and understood each other's contexts. Remember Sally talking about the multiple projects worked on together. Flexibility and Willingness to Learn When approaches didn't work as expected, partners were willing to adjust. Learning from experience was built into partnership culture. Clear and Honest Communication Partners were transparent about what was working, what wasn't, what was challenging, and what needed to change. Difficult conversations happened openly.

Reflection: Recognising Barriers and Possibilities

After considering this partnership example, reflect:

1. What barriers might have prevented this partnership from existing before? (Institutional silos? Different priorities? Lack of existing relationships? Funding structures? Competing timelines?)

2. What had to shift internally within each organisation to make genuine partnership possible? (Culture? Incentives? Decision-making? Resource allocation?)

3. Where in your institution and community do you see similar fragmentation that genuine partnership could address?

4. What would it take to build similar partnership in your context? (Who would need to be involved? What barriers would you face? What would have to shift?)

Write 2-3 paragraphs in your learning journal.

LEARN: Understanding Partnership as Civic Terrain

Part 1: Waypoint: Build Authentic Equitable Place-Based Partnerships

Equitable place-based partnerships flourish when universities systematically cultivate collaborative relationships built on genuine recognition of diverse forms of expertise, authentic power-sharing, and sustained commitment to mutual benefit across different community contexts and priorities.

What Makes Partnership "Authentic"?

Many institutions engage in partnerships, but not all are truly authentic. Understanding the difference is crucial. Learn more about this on the next slide. Want to learn more? Click on the pink icon below to be taken to the complete NCIA Equitable Partnerships Toolkit.

Building Authentic Equitable Place-Based Partnerships - What It Looks Like

Click on the buttons to learn more.

Partnership as Exchange

Authentic Partnership

Partnership as Consultation

Why it matters

Why it matters

Why it matters

• Partners have genuine voice in decisions affecting the partnership
• Different types of expertise (academic, lived experience, organisational) are recognised as equally valuable
• Communities define their own priorities; the university contributes to those priorities
• Resources and recognition flow equitably
• Communication is honest and transparent
• Long-term commitment, even when immediate results are unclear
• Relationships matter as much as tasks

• University decides what it wants to do, then finds partners to help deliver
• "Partnership" exists mainly for institutional benefit (research data, volunteer labour, community access)
• Communities are consulted but don't genuinely shape decisions
• University holds significant control and resources
• Communication is mainly top-down
• Commitment ends when funding or project phases out
• Transactional rather than relational

• University designs initiative, then asks community feedback
• Community input shapes details but not fundamentals
• University retains decision-making power
• Commitment is genuine but genuine power-sharing doesn't happen
• Relationships are professional but not deep

Better than extraction, but not true partnership. Communities often feel their input is heard but not really acted on. Sustainability is limited.

Authentic partnerships generate mutual trust, genuine mutual benefit, and lasting change. Communities trust partners who show up consistently, listen genuinely, and follow through formation about a topic.

Communities recognise exchange relationships and trust them less. They feel used. These partnerships often collapse when funding changes.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Use this side of the card to provide more information about a topic. Focus on one concept. Make learning and communication more efficient.

Title

Title

Title

Write a brief description here

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The Queen Mary Principles for Equitable Partnership

These ten principles, co-designed with community partners, provide concrete guidance for authentic equitable partnerships. Click on each icon below to learn more.

1. Take time to develop understanding of each other's contexts and communities

2. Share your motivations and expectations for partnership and listen to those of your partners

3. Recognise power imbalances and identify how you can proactively work to minimise the m

4. Decide clear aims, outcomes and outputs, agreeing what success looks like for all and how it will be measured

5. Share the resource needs for your partnership and decide where it's appropriate and feasible to share resources

9. Respect each other's contributions and time. Be proactive, share ownership of tasks, and follow through with actions

10. Recognise when things don't go to plan and take appropriate action. Adapt to changing contexts and be flexible

6. Be honest and transparent about each organisation's policies, processes and working practices

7. Agree whether and how participants are recompensed for their time

8. Agree ways of communicating which are timely, clear and work for all partners

Part 2: Waypoint: Coordinate Thematic Partnerships for Collective Impact

Universities maximise civic impact by actively coordinating and participating in thematic partnerships that bring together diverse civic actors around specific shared challenges such as climate change, public health, economic development, or social justice. These focused collaborations enable significantly more effective coordination of collective expertise and resources.

Understanding Thematic Partnerships

What Are They?

Thematic partnerships organise multi-sector collaboration around specific issues or challenges. Rather than ad-hoc relationships, partners coordinate systematically around shared goals.

Examples of Thematic Partnerships

Click on the buttons to learn more.

University, NHS Trust, local authority, VCSE organisations, and community groups coordinate around shared health priorities (e.g., reducing health inequalities, addressing mental health crisis, supporting older people's wellbeing).

University, local authority, community organisations, businesses, and environmental groups coordinate around climate commitments (e.g., net zero targets, resilience building, just transition).

Title

Title

Climate Action Theme

Health and Wellbeing Theme

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Subtitle

Subtitle

University, schools, FE colleges, employers, and community organisations coordinate around education priorities (e.g., raising attainment, widening participation, skills development).

University, local authority, business leaders, social enterprises, and community representatives coordinate around economic priorities (e.g., inclusive local growth, supporting social enterprises, workforce development).

Title

Title

Education and Skills Theme

Economic Development Theme

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Subtitle

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Why Thematic Coordination Matters

Scale and Reach Coordinated effort reaches further than siloed work. One organisation can achieve something; multiple coordinated organisations can achieve much more. Reduced Duplication When partners coordinate, they can avoid doing the same thing separately and instead build on each other's work. Stronger Voice Multiple organisations speaking together have stronger voice in policy and funding conversations than any single organisation. Learning and InnovationThematic partnerships create spaces where diverse expertise combines to solve complex problems in creative ways. Sustained ImpactImpact that's coordinated across multiple partners lasts longer and reaches deeper than isolated initiatives. Collective Accountability Partners can be mutually accountable for progress toward shared goals.

How Thematic Partnerships Work

Governance Structure

Clear governance enables coordination:

• Partnership board bringing together senior representatives from key organisations
• Working groups focused on specific issues or activities
• Clear decision-making processes so everyone knows how decisions are made
• Defined roles so it's clear who's responsible for what

Shared Goals and Strategy

Partners align around:

• Shared analysis of the challenge or opportunity
• Shared goals for what change you're working toward
• Shared strategy for how you'll work together
• Shared metrics for measuring progress

How Thematic Partnerships Work(continued)

Coordination Infrastructure

Making partnership work requires:

• Dedicated coordination role (person or team facilitating partnership)
• Regular meetings where partners stay connected and aligned
• Communication systems keeping partners informed
• Resource pooling where partners combine resources for greater impact
• Learning systems capturing and sharing what's working

Long-Term Commitment

Unlike project-based work with defined endpoints, thematic partnerships:

• Operate over multiple years
• Adapt and evolve as context changes
• Are embedded in institutional strategies
• Outlast individual staff members

Building Thematic Partnerships

Click on the icons to learn how to build and maintain these partnerships.

Stage 3: Implementation and Action

Stage 1: Convening and Exploration

Stage 2: Design and Agreement

Stage 4: Evaluation and Learning

Stage 5: Renewal or Evolution

The University's Role in Thematic Partnerships

Universities can function as:

Conveners

Using their convening power to bring organisations together around shared challenges.

Knowledge Providers

Contributing research, expertise, and analysis to partnership work.

Collaborators

Working alongside other organisations with genuine power-sharing, not assuming leadership.

Honest Brokers

Providing independent evidence and analysis that serves partnership rather than university interests

Capacity Contributors

Contributing resources (staff time, student energy, facilities) to partnership work.

Learners

Learning from community partners, other organisations, and community experience.

APPLY: Building Your Partnership Practice

Activity 1: Partnership Audit - Assessing Equitable Principles

Instructions:

Use your learning journal to record all your ideas. 1. Select an existing or potential partnership between your organisation and another civic, community, or public-sector body, then analyse how fair and balanced it is using agreed equitable partnership principles. Select one partnership where you already work (or plan to work) with another organisation on a civic or community priority, such as a research project, community programme, policy initiative, or thematic network.​ 2. Create a partnership overview which includes:

• Name of partnership:
• Organisations/partners involved:
• How long has it existed? (or how long is it planned to exist?)
• Primary shared goal or outcomes:
• Community being served:

3. Assess Against Equitable Partnership Principles. Click on the icon below, it will display a table which will support your assessment. You should recreate the table in your learning journal and record your assessment.

Activity 1: Partnership Audit - Assessing Equitable Principles(continued)

4: Strengths Analysis

Which principles are strongest in this partnership?

For each strong principle, identify:

• What evidence shows this strength?
• What enables it?
• How is it sustained?

Overall partnership strengths:

5: Development Areas

Which principles are weakest or missing?

For each development area, identify:

• What would strengthening this look like?
• What's currently preventing it?
• What would enable progress?

Barriers to greater equity:

6: Concrete Next Steps

Select ONE principle you'll strengthen in the next 30-90 days:

• Which principle?
• Why this one?
• What specifically will you do?
• Who needs to be involved?
• How will you know if it's strengthened?
• Timeline:

Activity 2: Review the Equitable Partnerships Toolkit

Spend some time exploring the NCIA’s Equitable Partnerships Toolkit. The toolkit provides practical exercises, case studies and resources for you to develop principles for equitable partnership in your place and context.You don’t need to complete the whole toolkit during this module, but it could be a great extension activity. For now, take some time to look through it and note any exercises that might be particularly useful in your role. Click the icon below to be redirected straight to the toolkit.

REFLECT: Deepening Your Partnership Understanding

Reflection Prompts:

Write the following 5 headers in your learning journal, and spend about 2-3 minutes on each thinking about the prompts, writing down your answers.

1. Your Partnership Philosophy

How do you think about partnership? What does authentic equitable partnership mean to you?

• What does equity mean in partnership contexts?
• What barriers have you experienced to authentic partnership?
• What partnerships have felt genuinely equitable?
• What made them different?
• What possibilities excite you?

2. Power Dynamics and Your Role

Reflecting on your own relationship to power in partnerships:

• Where do you hold power?

(Position, resources, knowledge, relationships, institutional backing)

• How do you typically use that power?
• When have you shared power well? When have you held tight to it?
• What would it feel like to genuinely share power with community partners?
• How comfortable are you not being in control?

Reflection Prompts:(continued)

3. Partnership Challenges You've Experienced

Thinking about partnerships you've been part of:

• What's been most challenging?
• What's been most rewarding?
• What have you learned?
• What would you do differently now?
• Where have misalignments occurred?

4. Your Commitment to Equitable Partnership

As a civic leader, what's your commitment to equitable partnership?

• How will partnership be different because of your leadership?
• What power imbalances will you actively work to address?
• How will you ensure genuine community voice?
• Who will hold you accountable?

5. Thematic Partnership Opportunities

Looking at your place and context:

• What thematic partnerships already exist?
• Where are gaps where coordination would add value?
• Which thematic partnerships could you contribute to?
• How is your institution positioned in these partnerships?
• Where could power-sharing be stronger?

Key Takeaways from Unit 7

✓ Authentic partnerships require intentional design and long-term commitment - they don't happen naturally ✓ Equitable partnership means genuine power-sharing - not consultation, not exchange, not tokenism ✓ Ten principles provide concrete guidance for building authentic equitable partnerships ✓ Power imbalances are real -they must be named and actively addressed ✓ Thematic partnerships multiply impact by coordinating diverse organisations around shared challenges ✓ Universities contribute distinctive assets but must not assume leadership in partnerships ✓ Clear communication and transparent processes build trust in partnerships ✓ Sustainability requires long-term commitment beyond individual projects or funding cycles ✓ Partnership quality matters more than partnership quantity - one genuine partnership creates more change than many transactional ones ✓ Community voice and leadership must be foundational, not supplementary

Your Next Steps

You’ve now explored partnership as strategic civic terrain. With this foundation, you’re ready to move deeper into how civic practice is enacted – through operations, evaluation, and institutional change.

Unit 8: Practice

- focuses on aligning university operations with civic values and measuring authentic impact.

Unit 7 Summary: Key Takeaways

focuses on aligning university operations with civic values and measuring authentic impact.✓ Partnership moves from individual relationships to coordinated collaborative action ✓ Authentic partnership is distinguished from consultation or exchange relationships ✓ Ten Queen Mary principles provide guidance for equitable partnerships ✓ Power imbalances must be named and actively addressed ✓ Clear communication and resource sharing are expressions of genuine partnership ✓ Thematic partnerships bring diverse organisations together around shared challenges ✓ Universities contribute without assuming dominance in partnerships ✓ Long-term commitment enables partnership sustainability and deeper impact ✓ Partnership success requires institutional support, not just individual champions

Unit 8: Practice

Unit 8: What to expect

This unit explores Practice as a civic terrain – focusing on how universities can align their everyday operations, policies, and decision-making processes with civic values to demonstrate authentic community impact. You will examine approaches to embedding civic responsibility across teaching, research, procurement, and governance, ensuring that institutional practices reflect and reinforce community priorities. The unit also introduces methods for measuring and communicating impact through both quantitative indicators and qualitative storytelling. Ultimately, this unit emphasises that the internal operations of a civic university should actively model the equity, inclusion, and positive change it seeks to promote in wider society.

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how to align university operations with civic values and community priorities
• Develop comprehensive approaches to measuring civic impact using mixed methods

• Embed civic responsibility across teaching, research, knowledge exchange and professional services
• Address the gap between espoused values and enacted practice
• Create accountability systems that centre community voice
• Design initiatives that align internal practices with external civic commitments

Key Waypoints Explored:

Waypoint: Embed civic responsibility across university practice, reflecting real local needs Waypoint: Measure civic impact through quantitative metrics and qualitative narratives

Key Concepts:

• Alignment of operations with civic values
• Anchor institution responsibilities (employment, procurement, estates)
• Mixed-methods impact measurement
• Theory of change and logic models
• Community-centred accountability
• Institutional coherence between values and actions

INSPIRE: When Practice Reflects Purpose

Preston Model: University of Central LancashireWatch this video exploring how the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) embedded civic responsibility across its operations through the Preston Model, demonstrating how procurement and employment practices can directly serve community wealth-building goals.

Key Insights from the Preston Model

Procurement as Civic PracticeUCLan redirected significant portions of its procurement spending to local and social value suppliers, deliberately using its purchasing power to strengthen the local economy. This wasn't charity -it was strategic alignment of university operations with place-based economic development goals. Employment as Civic Contribution The university examined its employment practices to ensure it functioned as an exemplar employer, providing living wages, progression pathways, and opportunities for local residents. Anchor Institution Collaboration UCLan worked alongside other anchor institutions (NHS, local authority, colleges) to coordinate procurement and employment strategies, multiplying collective impact through collaborative action. Long-Term Commitment This wasn't a one-off project. The Preston Model represents sustained institutional change where civic values are embedded in everyday operational decisions. Measurable Community BenefitThe model demonstrates tangible outcomes: money staying in the local economy, jobs created for local residents, social enterprises supported, community wealth increased.

Reflection: From Inspiration to Application

After watching the Preston Model story, consider:

1. What struck you most? Was it the scale, the strategic nature, the collaboration, or the measurable outcomes? 2. Which university operations could be aligned with civic values in your institution? Think about procurement, employment, estates, student services, research priorities, teaching content, or knowledge exchange activities. 3. What barriers might prevent this kind of alignment in your context? (Procurement rules, competing priorities, lack of awareness, resistance, resource constraints?) 4. What would enable progress? (Leadership commitment, policy changes, partnership development, evidence of impact?)

Write 2-3 paragraphs in your learning journal.

INSPIRE: Civic Anchors in Action: Turning University Spaces and Strategies Outward

These twin case studies from the University of Edinburgh show how civic intent becomes lived practice when universities act as local “anchors”. Together, the Community Access to Rooms scheme and the Community Plan 2025–30 demonstrate how surplus space and institutional strategy can both be re‑designed around community benefit. One works from the ground up, sharing physical assets to reduce isolation, support culture and enable grassroots groups. The other works from the top down, co‑creating a mandate that backs staff and students to engage with place. Both illustrate practical, transferable ways to embed civic behaviours into core university activity. Click the icons to learn more about each project.

LEARN: Understanding Practice as Civic Terrain

Part 1: Waypoint - Embed Civic Responsibility Across University Practice

Universities demonstrate authentic civic commitment when their internal operations genuinely reflect stated civic values. This requires systematic examination of all university activities to ensure coherence between what institutions say they value and what they actually do.

Five Anchor Institution Responsibilities

Universities function as anchor institutions contributing to their places through multiple channels. Each represents an opportunity to embed civic practice:

1. Employment - what it means

Universities are often among the largest local employers. Civic employment practice means:

• Offering living wages and secure contracts
• Creating progression pathways for staff at all levels
• Prioritising local recruitment where possible
• Providing apprenticeships and work experience opportunities
• Supporting staff volunteering and civic engagement
• Creating inclusive, diverse workplaces

Examples:

• Guaranteed living wage for all staff including subcontractors
• Local recruitment partnerships with employment services
• Apprenticeship schemes providing routes into university careers
• Staff volunteering days supporting community organisations

Questions for Your Context:

• Does your university pay a living wage to all staff and contractors?
• Where does your university recruit from?
• What progression opportunities exist for support staff?
• How does your university support staff civic engagement?

Five Anchor Institution Responsibilities(continued)

2. Procurement - what it means

Universities spend significant sums purchasing goods and services. Civic procurement means:

• Prioritising local suppliers where value for money is comparable
• Supporting social enterprises and community businesses
• Breaking large contracts into smaller accessible ones
• Including social value criteria in tendering
• Building supplier diversity
• Paying promptly and fairly

Examples:

• Preston Model redirecting spend to local suppliers
• Social value weighting in procurement scoring
• "Meet the buyer" events for local suppliers
• Supply chain partnerships with social enterprises

Questions for Your Context:

• Do you know what percentage of university spend goes to local suppliers?
• Do procurement policies include social value criteria?
• Are contracts accessible to small and social enterprises?
• How quickly does your university pay suppliers?

Five Anchor Institution Responsibilities(continued)

3. Estates and Environment- what it means

Universities own significant physical infrastructure. Civic estates practice means:

• Opening facilities for community use
• Sustainable building and energy practices
• Green space accessible to communities
• Campus development benefiting wider area
• Affordable housing provision
• Infrastructure serving community priorities

Examples:

• Community access to libraries, sports facilities, cultural spaces
• Carbon reduction strategies serving regional climate goals
• Campus development including social housing
• Green corridors connecting campus to neighbourhoods

Questions for Your Context:

• Which campus facilities are accessible to community members?
• What barriers prevent greater community access?
• How do campus development plans consider community benefit?
• What is your university's environmental impact on its place?

Five Anchor Institution Responsibilities(continued)

4. Teaching and Learning - what it means

Universities teach thousands of students. Civic teaching practice means:

• Community-engaged pedagogies and service learning
• Curriculum addressing local challenges
• Placements benefiting community organisations
• Student civic experiences building active citizenship
• Lifelong learning opportunities for local residents
• Co-created teaching with community partners

Examples:

• Service learning modules addressing community priorities
• Live briefs with local organisations
• Student consultancy supporting social enterprises
• Short courses responding to local skills needs

Questions for Your Context:

• How many students engage in community-based learning?
• Does curriculum connect to local challenges?
• What barriers prevent greater community-engaged teaching?
• How are community partners involved in curriculum design?

Five Anchor Institution Responsibilities(continued)

5. Research and Knowledge Exchange - what it means

Universities generate and exchange knowledge. Civic research practice means:

• Research addressing community-identified priorities
• Co-production with community partners
• Knowledge exchange supporting local development
• Open access to research findings
• Community involvement from design through dissemination
• Applied research serving place-based challenges

Examples:

• Community-based participatory research
• Knowledge exchange partnerships with local organisations
• Research translation for policy makers
• Public engagement with research findings

Questions for Your Context:

• How much research addresses local priorities?
• How are communities involved in research design?
• How accessible are research findings to non-academics?
• What mechanisms exist for community-led research?

Click the icon to locate an interactive activity

Part 2: Waypoint: Measure Civic Impact Through Quantitative Metrics and Qualitative Narratives

Comprehensive civic evaluation requires measurement frameworks integrating both quantitative metrics and qualitative narratives. Universities need to demonstrate impact in ways that satisfy academic rigour whilst remaining meaningful to community partners and diverse stakeholders.

Why Both Metrics and Narratives Matter

Quantitative Metrics Provide:

• Scale and reach (how many people, how much money, how many partnerships)

• Trends over time
• Comparability across contexts
• Evidence for accountability and reporting
• Data for decision-making

Qualitative Narratives Provide:

• Depth and meaning (how people experience change)
• Context and complexity
• Relationships and cultural shifts
• Unexpected outcomes and learning
• Community voice and lived experience

Together They Create:

• Complete picture of impact
• Credible evidence for multiple audiences
• Understanding of how and why change happens
• Learning for improvement
• Compelling stories backed by data

The NCCPE Guide to Evaluation

The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), a key partner within the National Civic Impact Accelerator (NCIA) programme, has long been recognised for its leadership in promoting high-quality public and community engagement across the UK higher education sector. The NCCPE has developed a comprehensive resource, a Guide to Evaluation, which provides a clear and practical methodology for distinguishing between outputs, outcomes, and impacts. This guide supports universities and their partners to design and assess engagement activities with greater rigour, helping them understand not only what has been delivered, but what difference it has made to people, places, and policies. Learn more about NCCPE and their methodology by clicking the icons below.

Info

Developing a Theory of Change

A Theory of Change can be helpful to articulate how you expect your civic activities to lead to intended outcomes and impacts. It makes explicit your assumptions about how change happens. Basic Structure: Inputs → Activities → Outputs→ Outcomes → Impacts Example: Community Research Partnership

• University research expertise
• Community knowledge and networks
• Funding for co-production
• Partnership time and trust

• Research report co-authored
• Community presentations delivered
• Policy briefings produced

Title

Title

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Inputs

Outputs

Subtitle

Subtitle

• Policy changes reflecting community evidence
• Community capacity for future research
• More equitable university-community relationships
• Social outcomes improve

Title

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Impacts

Subtitle

• Community members gain research skills
• University researchers understand community context
• Policy makers engage with evidence
• Relationships strengthen

• Co-design research priorities
• Train community researchers
• Conduct participatory research
• Co-analyse findings

Title

Title

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Outcomes

Activities

Subtitle

Subtitle

LEARN: Understanding Process as Civic Terrain

Accountability to Community

Effective measurement centres community voice and accountability:

Community Involvement in Evaluation:

• Communities help design evaluation questions
• Community members collect and analyse data
• Findings shared in accessible formats
• Community partners shape recommendations
• Evaluation serves community learning needs

Locally Meaningful Metrics:

• Success defined by community priorities, not only academic standards
• Indicators developed collaboratively
• Contextually appropriate measures
• Valuing qualitative evidence equally with quantitative

Transparent Reporting:

• Honest about challenges and limitations
• Sharing learning from unsuccessful attempts
• Accessible language and formats
• Community ownership of narratives

APPLY: Aligning Your Practice

Activity: Practice Alignment Initiative

Purpose: Design a clear, practical initiative that would help bring your university’s civic values and everyday operational practices into better alignment. Use your learning journal to record your for each heading.

1. Initiative OverviewStart by outlining the broad idea for your initiative. Complete each point below in a few sentences.

• Domain: Choose one area to focus on (e.g. Employment, Procurement, Estates, Teaching, or Research).
• Current Gap: Describe where or how civic values and operational practices are currently misaligned.
• Civic Values at Stake: Identify which civic values should be better reflected or practiced in this area.
• Community Benefit: Explain how your proposed initiative would help meet community priorities or generate positive outcomes locally.

2. Detailed Design Now flesh out the design of your initiative, thinking about what would be needed to make it work. Goal: Describe the specific change or improvement your initiative aims to achieve. Rationale: Explain why you have chosen this approach. What evidence, examples, or case studies support your design? Scope: Clarify whether this would be a small pilot project or a wider institutional change. Which part(s) of the university would it involve? Stakeholders:

• Who needs to be involved in designing or delivering the initiative?
• Who is likely to support it?
• Who might resist it—and why?
• How will you engage each group?

Activity: Practice Alignment Initiative (continued)

3. Resources Needed: Identify what’s required to implement the initiative, including:

• Time
• Budget
• Expertise
• Authority or permissions

Implementation Steps:List the key steps or actions to launch and deliver your initiative. Timeline: Suggest a realistic timeframe for each phase. 4. Success Indicators Decide how you’ll measure whether your initiative is actually strengthening civic practice. Quantitative Indicators: Which measurable outcomes would show progress or success (e.g. percentage changes, participation numbers, budget shifts)? Qualitative Indicators: What evidence of changed culture, relationships, or perceptions would demonstrate impact? Community-Defined Success: Imagine your community partners reflecting on your initiative one year from now, what would they say if it’s working well?

Activity: Practice Alignment Initiative (continued)

5. Barriers and Mitigation Anticipate challenges and how you’ll address them. Make a list of; a) potential barriers b) mitigation strategies 6. Next Steps End by planning immediate actions to move your idea forward.

• First conversation: Who do you need to talk to first?
• First permission: From whom do you need approval or support?
• First action: What is the very first step you can take?
• Timeline: By when will you take these first actions?

REFLECT: Deepening Your Practice

Reflection Prompts (15 minutes)

Write down the following headers in your journal and spend 2-3 minutes each noting down your reflections.

1. Practice and Authenticity

Reflecting on the alignment between civic values and operational practice:

• Where does your institution walk the talk?
• Where's the biggest gap between what's said and what's done?
• Why do these gaps exist?
• What would authentic alignment look like?

2. Your Sphere of Influence

Considering your role and position:

• Which operational practices can you influence?
• What authority or relationships do you have?
• Where could you create change?
• What support would you need?

3. Measurement Challenges

Thinking about civic impact evaluation:

• What's most challenging about measuring civic impact in your context?
• What gets measured currently? What's missing?
• Whose voice is centred in evaluation?
• How could measurement become more community-centred?

Reflection Prompts (15 minutes)(continued)

4. Quick Wins and Long-Term Change

Looking at opportunities for practice alignment:

• What's one quick win - a change that could happen relatively quickly?
• What's one long-term transformation - more difficult but potentially transformational?
• How do quick wins and long-term changes support each other?

5. Leadership for Practice Change

Considering your role as civic leader:

• What does it take to shift institutional practice?
• How do you navigate competing priorities and resistances?
• What coalitions would support practice change?
• How do you maintain momentum?

Consolidation: Practice as Foundation

Key Takeaways from Unit 8

✓ Authentic civic commitment requires alignment between values and operations - institutions must walk the talk ✓ Universities function as anchor institutions through employment, procurement, estates, teaching, and research ✓ Each operational domain offers opportunities to embed civic responsibility and serve community priorities ✓ The Preston Model demonstrates how strategic alignment of operations can drive community wealth-building ✓ Comprehensive impact measurement requires mixed methods - both quantitative metrics and qualitative narratives ✓ Community voice must be centred in evaluation - success defined by community priorities, not only academic standards ✓ Theory of change articulates assumptions about how civic activities lead to outcomes and impacts ✓ Practice alignment requires strategic leadership - identifying opportunities, building coalitions, navigating barriers

Your Next Steps

With Practice foundation established, you're ready to explore Process - how universities organise themselves internally to enable and sustain civic engagement. Unit 9: Process focuses on institutional organisation, governance, coordination, and systematic learning for civic engagement.

Unit 8 Summary: Key Takeaways

✓ Civic practice means aligning university operations with stated civic values ✓ Five anchor institution responsibilities: employment, procurement, estates, teaching, research ✓ Each domain offers opportunities to embed civic responsibility ✓ Preston Model demonstrates strategic operational alignment ✓ Impact measurement requires both quantitative metrics and qualitative narratives ✓ Community accountability is essential for authentic evaluation ✓ Theory of change articulates how activities lead to outcomes and impacts ✓ Practice alignment requires leadership, strategy, and sustained commitment

Unit 9: Process

Unit 9: What to expect

This unit explores Process as a civic terrain – examining how universities organise themselves internally to enable, connect, and sustain meaningful civic engagement. You will learn how to map and coordinate civic activity across diverse themes and functions, ensuring alignment between individual initiatives and institutional goals. The unit also focuses on developing mechanisms for systematic learning from evidence and experience, embedding reflection and improvement into everyday practice. Above all, it highlights how strong civic engagement depends on intentional institutional design, where governance, culture, and strategy work together to support and amplify civic mission, not just individual enthusiasm.

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how to map comprehensive civic activities across your institution
• Develop systems for coordinating civic work across departments and themes
• Establish systematic learning mechanisms from evidence and experience
• Create governance structures supporting civic engagement
• Build organisational cultures that enable civic work
• Design institutional processes that sustain civic mission

Key Waypoints Explored:

Waypoint: Map and coordinate across a full range of civic themes and activities Waypoint: Learn systematically from evidence and experience

Key Concepts:

• Institutional mapping and coordination
• Civic themes and domains
• Systematic learning and improvement
• Organisational culture for civic engagement
• Governance and accountability structures
• Knowledge management and sharing

INSPIRE: From Invisible to Coordinated

INSPIRE: People at the heart of Civic - Stevie Smith

Coordinating Civic Systems for Regional Skills

Stevie Smith is the Collaborative Newcastle Universities Programme Lead at Newcastle and Northumbria Universities, where she leads cross-institutional civic collaboration focused on aligning education with regional skills needs. Working with Newcastle College and Education Partnership NE College Group, Stevie coordinated a city-wide mapping of health and social care provision from Level 3 to Level 7. This work brought universities, further education providers, NHS trusts, policymakers and the North East Combined Authority into structured dialogue to address fragmentation in skills planning. As Stevie reflects, “bringing together people from different institutions, who often have competing priorities, to work towards a common goal” is central to effective civic action. This information demonstrates how shared data, common language and inclusive forums enable universities to organise collectively and deliver place-responsive education systems. Further detail on this approach can be found through the Collaborative Newcastle Universities Agreement by clicking the icon below.

Coordination Creates Collective Impact

Podcast: Mapping Civic Activities

Tune in to Dr Julian Dobson’s CiviCast podcast, where he delves into how universities can take a more strategic approach to mapping and connecting their wide-ranging civic activities. Drawing on insights from research and practice, Dr Dobson discusses why a coordinated overview of civic engagement is essential for understanding institutional strengths, identifying opportunities, and avoiding duplication. Listeners will hear how developing shared frameworks, investing in institutional knowledge, and fostering cross-departmental collaboration can help universities build stronger civic partnerships. The discussion also explores how these approaches can translate into measurable local benefits, from improved community outcomes to more effective regional collaboration and a clearer sense of civic identity and purpose. Click on the icon below to listen to the podcast

Key Insights:

Comprehensive Mapping

Many universities are developing systematic approaches to documenting civic engagement happening across all faculties, departments, and professional services areas.

Thematic Organisation

Activities can be organised by themes (health and wellbeing, environment, education, economic development, culture) making it easier to identify synergies and opportunities for collaboration.

Central Coordination

Some universities have centrally coordinated public engagement or civic departments, connecting colleagues working on similar themes, sharing learning, and identifying opportunities for collective action.

Systematic Learning

The mapping process itself generates learning about what works, what challenges exist, where gaps remain, and where opportunities lie for strengthening civic impact.

Institutional Intelligence

The mapping creates valuable institutional intelligence enabling strategic decisions about resource allocation, partnership development, and priority setting.

Reflection: From Inspiration to Application

After listening to Julian’s podcast, consider:

1. How well does your institution understand the full scope of its civic activities? What's visible? What remains hidden or disconnected?

2.What would comprehensive mapping enable in your context? Better coordination? Strategic resource allocation? Identification of gaps? Celebration of breadth?

3. What challenges might comprehensive mapping face? Time requirements? Staff capacity? Difficulty defining boundaries? Resistance?

4.What would be a realistic first step toward better coordination? Mapping one theme? Connecting colleagues in one domain? Creating simple database?

Write 2-3 paragraphs in your learning journal.

Part 1: Waypoint: Map and Coordinate Across a Full Range of Civic Themes

Effective civic coordination requires universities to systematically map and understand the complete range of civic themes and activities occurring across their institution, enabling strategic coordination of resources and efforts for maximum collective community impact.

The Seven Domains of Civic Activity

The Sheffield Hallam CRESR Civic Impact Framework identifies seven interconnected domains of civic activity. Understanding activity across all domains provides comprehensive institutional intelligence. The framework identifies seven domains of universities' civic commitment – the core areas in which universities impact their places and communities. It also identifies six phases of progress. Progress is envisaged as a cyclical and iterative process, in which the learning then informs further reviews and development, as shown in the diagram below.

The Seven Domains of Civic Activity

Watch the following video from 16:07 to get a deeper explaination of the seven domains of civic engagement.

Benefits of Comprehensive Mapping

It is important to comprehensively map your activity, click on each box to learn more:

Comprehensive mapping reveals where opportunities exist for expanding civic engagement into under-served themes or communities.

Comprehensive understanding of civic activity informs strategic planning, priority setting, and external communication.

Mapping makes civic work visible, enabling recognition and celebration of breadth and depth of institutional commitment.

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Gap Identification

Institutional Intelligence

Visibility and Recognition

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Understanding the full landscape enables identification of synergies, avoidance of duplication, and strategic resource allocation.

Mapping connects colleagues working on similar themes who may not have known about each other's work, fostering collaboration.

Mapping generates insight about what works, what challenges exist, and where innovation is needed.

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Strategic Coordination

Relationship Building

Learning and Improvement

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Part 2: Waypoint: Learn Systematically from Evidence and Experience

Continuous civic improvement requires universities to establish systematic learning approaches that capture valuable insights from direct experiences alongside broader external evidence, enabling ongoing refinement and enhancement of civic strategies. Find out more about the learning cycle on the next slide.

The Learning Cycle

Systematic learning involves ongoing cycles of action, reflection, adaptation, and improvement. Click on the buttons to learn more.

6. Repeat

1. Plan

2. Act

5. Adapt

3. Evaluate

4. Reflect

Sources of Learning

There are many different sources of learning. Click the buttons below:

• Research on civic engagement and community development
• Evidence reviews and meta-analyses
• Sector case studies and toolkits
• National and international best practice
• Policy research and evaluations.

• Evaluation data from your civic activities
• Feedback from partners and participants
• Observations and reflections from staff
• Stories and testimonials
• Monitoring data on participation, reach, outcomes

• Networks and communities of practice
• Action learning sets
• Benchmarking with other institutions
• Collaborative research and evaluation
• Conference presentations and discussions

• Community partners' expertise and insight
• Lived experience knowledge
• Local history and context
• Indigenous and traditional knowledge
• Community-generated evidence

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Internal Evidence

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Community Wisdom

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Peer Learning

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External Evidence

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APPLY: Building Your Process Infrastructure

Activity 1: Civic Activity Mapping Exercise

Instructions:

Conduct a preliminary mapping of civic activities in your institution (or your area of influence). This is a scoping exercise, not a comprehensive institutional mapping.

Step 1: Define Scope

What will you map?

• One department/faculty?
• One theme (e.g., health partnerships)?
• All activity you personally know about?
• Your institution overall?

Choose realistic scope given time available.

Step 2: Develop a simple framework

Create a simple spreadsheet or document to capture (use the below headings for your table) :

Activity Name Theme Partners Scale Contact Impact

Theme Options: Place/Partnership, Health/Wellbeing, Culture/Creativity, Education/Skills, Economy/Enterprise, Environment/Sustainability, Citizenship/Governance

Scale Options: Neighbourhood, City, Regional, National, International

Activity 1: Civic Activity Mapping Exercise (continued)

Step 5: Organise and Analyse

Using your framework:

• Code each activity by theme
• Identify patterns

(Which themes are strongest? (Where are gaps?)

• Note interesting connections
• Recognise strengths

Step 3: Identify Information Sources

Where will you find information?

• Your own knowledge
• Colleague conversations
• Department websites
• Research databases
• Communications materials
• Partnership lists

Questions to Guide Analysis:

• Which themes have most activity?
• Which themes have least?
• Where are concentrations of effort?
• Where are opportunities?
• What surprised you?
• What connections could be strengthened?

List 3-5 sources you'll use.

Step 4: Collect Data

Spend 60-90 minutes gathering information:

• Document activities you know about
• Have brief conversations with colleagues
• Review accessible documents
• Search databases

Step 6: Generate Insights

Write 2-3 paragraphs reflecting:

• What did this mapping reveal?
• What's stronger than you expected?

(Where are unexpected gaps?)

• What coordination opportunities exist?
• What would comprehensive mapping enable?

Aim for breadth, not comprehensive depth.

REFLECT: Deepening Your Process Understanding

Reflection Prompts (15 minutes)

Write the following 5 headers in your journal, and spend about 2-3 minutes on each thinking about the prompts, writing down your answers.

3. Coordination Challenges - Considering coordination of civic activities:

• What makes coordination difficult?
• Where does fragmentation exist?
• What would better coordination enable?
• What's your role in coordination?

Sources of Learning

1. Organisational Culture - Thinking about how your institution organises for civic engagement:

• What organisational culture supports civic work?
• What cultural barriers exist? -

(How do structure and culture interact?)

• What cultural shift would most enable civic work?

4. Mapping and Visibility - Thinking about institutional understanding of civic work:

• How visible is civic work in your institution?
• What remains hidden?
• What would comprehensive mapping enable?
• Who would benefit from greater visibility?

5. Sustainable Infrastructure - Looking at long-term sustainability:

• What infrastructure currently sustains civic work?
• What's fragile or dependent on individuals?
• What institutional infrastructure is needed?
• How do you build sustainability?

2. Knowledge and Learning - Reflecting on systematic learning:

• How well does your institution learn from civic experience?
• What prevents learning?
• What enables it?
• How could learning become more systematic?

Consolidation: Process as Foundation

Key Takeaways from Unit 9

✓ Effective civic engagement requires intentional institutional design - not just individual passion ✓ Comprehensive mapping across themes enables strategic coordination and reveals strengths and gaps ✓ Seven domains capture breadth of civic activity: social impact, environment, health & wellbeing, arts & culture, economic, estates & facilities, institutional leadership ✓ Systematic learning requires deliberate infrastructure - regular reflection, documentation, knowledge sharing, use of evidence ✓ Coordination mechanisms multiply collective impact - thematic networks, central coordination, shared resources ✓ Organisational culture and structure must support civic work - not create barriers ✓ Sustainability requires institutional infrastructure - not dependence on individual champions

Your Next Steps

With Process foundation established, you're ready to explore Policy - how universities navigate policy landscapes and contribute to evidence-based policy development.

- focuses on multi-level policy engagement, influencing policy development, and positioning civic work strategically.

Unit 10: Policy

Unit 9 Summary: Key Takeaways

✓ Process refers to how universities organise internally for civic engagement ✓ Comprehensive mapping reveals full scope of civic activity across themes ✓ Coordination enables synergies, avoids duplication, builds collective impact ✓ Systematic learning captures insights from evidence and experience ✓ Learning infrastructure includes reflection, documentation, sharing, use of external evidence ✓ Coordination mechanisms include thematic networks, central units, regular communication ✓ Organisational culture shapes what's possible in civic work ✓ Sustainable civic engagement requires institutional infrastructure

Unit 10: Policy

Unit 10: What to expect

This unit explores Policy as a civic terrain – focusing on how universities understand, navigate, and shape the policy environments that influence civic engagement. You will examine multi-level policy contexts, from local devolution initiatives to national frameworks, and learn how to engage strategically with policymakers, funders, and civic partners. The unit explores how research, evidence, and advocacy can be used to inform and influence policy in ways that create lasting public benefit. Ultimately, it emphasises that civic universities must be both responsive to external policy landscapes and proactive in shaping policies that advance equity and community priorities.

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts

Learning Objectives:

• Understand multi-level policy landscapes affecting civic engagement (national, regional, local)
• Develop strategies for navigating policy opportunities and constraints
• Learn approaches for contributing evidence to policy development
• Position civic work strategically within policy frameworks
• Build relationships with policy makers at multiple levels
• Translate research into accessible policy insight

Key Waypoints Explored:

Waypoint: Navigate multi-level policy landscapes strategically Waypoint: Contribute evidence to policy development

Key Concepts:

• Multi-level governance and policy contexts
• Policy windows and opportunities
• Evidence-based policy development
• Research translation and knowledge mobilisation
• Policy engagement and influence
• Strategic positioning

INSPIRE: Influencing Policy Through Evidence

INSPIRE: Influencing Policy Through Evidence

Case Study: Policy@Manchester

Have a look at how the University of Manchester's Policy@Manchester initiative systematically translates academic research for policy makers, demonstrating how universities can contribute evidence that shapes policy development. The Policy@Manchester initiative exemplifies how a university can become a vital partner in regional and national policy formation through accessible scholarship, policy briefings, and strategic engagement. Click the button below to learn more.

Policy@Manchester

Key Insights from Policy@Manchester:

Systematic Translation Approach

Policy@Manchester developed infrastructure for translating complex academic research into accessible formats for policy makers, including briefings, blogs, podcasts, and events. Click on the buttons below to learn more.

Recognising that policy makers consume information differently, they produce diverse formats: short briefings, longer reports, visual infographics, audio content, in-person seminars.

The initiative invested in long-term relationships with policy makers at local, regional, and national levels, building trust and understanding of policy needs.

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Multiple Formats

Relationship Building

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Tracks policy citations, policy maker engagement, and documented policy impact, demonstrating how research contributes to evidence-based policy development.

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Measurable Influence

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Maintains academic rigour and independence whilst being policy-relevant, positioning the university as honest broker providing evidence rather than advocacy.

Policy@Manchester both responds to policy maker requests and proactively offers evidence on emerging issues, positioning research to inform policy debates.

Responsive and Proactive

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Academic Credibility

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INSPIRE: People at the heart of Civic - Chris Pich

Rebuilding Democracy Through Co-Created Policy Pathways

Dr Christopher Pich, Associate Professor in Marketing at the University of Nottingham, and Dr Guja Armmandottir, Senior Lecturer in Marketing at Nottingham Trent University, led a collaborative research project addressing democratic disengagement in Jersey. Working across education, policy and the third sector, they co-developed a Democratic Engagement Toolkit to tackle systemic and logistical barriers to voter participation. Their research challenged assumptions that low turnout reflects apathy, showing instead that “young people are not disengaged - they crave impartial knowledge and meaningful involvement.” By centring co-creation, evidence and cross-sector collaboration, the project demonstrates how policy tools can reshape incentives for democratic participation and support sustained civic engagement beyond election cycles. Further insight into Dr Pich’s work and related civic policy research can be explored by clicking the icon below.

Video: Understanding the Policy Landscape

Watch the NCIA's video explaining how national policy increasingly expects universities to contribute to local and regional priorities, creating both opportunities and accountabilities.

Reflection: Policy Context and Opportunity

After reviewing Policy@Manchester and the interview with NCIA's John Fell:

1. What policy driver do you think most affect your institution? Which create opportunities? Which create tensions?

2. How well positioned is your institution currently to influence policy? What relationships exist? What infrastructure?

3. What research expertise could inform policy in your place? Health? Education? Economy? Environment? Social issues?

3. What would enable stronger policy engagement? Resources? Relationships? Translation capacity? Leadership commitment?

Write 2-3 paragraphs in your learning journal.

Understanding Policy as Civic Terrain

Part 1: Waypoint: Navigate Multi-Level Policy Landscapes Strategically

Universities can develop capabilities for navigating complex multi-level policy landscapes, understanding how national, regional, and local policy frameworks create both opportunities and constraints for effective civic action.

Understanding Multi-Level GovernancePolicy affecting civic engagement operates at multiple interconnected levels. Click the bottons below to learn more.

Regional Level

National Level

Local Level

Part 2: Waypoint: Contribute Evidence to Policy Development

Universities can demonstrate authentic civic leadership by actively contributing to evidence-based policy development, systematically translating their research capabilities and institutional knowledge into practical policy insights that serve community priorities and enhance democratic governance.

Research Translation for Policy Impact

Why Translation Matters

Academic research is often published in formats inaccessible to policy makers:

• Technical language and jargon
• Length and complexity
• Focus on academic debates rather than practical implications
• Behind paywalls
• Months or years to publish

Effective translation makes research:

• Accessible to non-specialist audiences
• Focused on policy implications
• Timely and responsive
• Actionable and practical
• Connected to policy priorities

Translation Formats

There are a range of different formats that can be used to translate evidence into policy recommendations. Click the buttons to find out more.

Evidence Reviews

Seminars and Roundtables

Policy Briefings

Commissioned Research and Evaluation

Data Visualisations and Infographics

Blogs and Articles

APPLY: Navigating and Influencing Policy

Activity 1: Policy Landscape Mapping

Instructions:

Grab your journal and map the policy landscape affecting civic engagement in your context. Click on each picture for the activity details. Replicate the tables in your learning journal.

Activity 2

Activity 1

Activity 3

Activity 1: Policy Landscape Mapping (continued)

Step 4: Connections and Alignment

Where do policies at different levels align?(e.g., national industrial strategy + regional growth strategy + local economic development plan) Where are tensions or contradictions? (e.g., misaligned priorities, differences in approach) Where is your institution already engaged? (e.g., VC sits on a Local Skills Board) Where are missed opportunities? (e.g., no representation at our Combined Authority board) Make notes in your learning journal.

REFLECT: Deepening Your Policy Understanding

Reflection Prompts (15 minutes)

Write the following 5 headers in your journal, and spend about 2-3 minutes on each thinking about the prompts, writing down your answers.

1. Policy Landscapes and Opportunities

Thinking about multi-level policy contexts:

• Which policy level most affects your civic work?
• Where are policy opportunities?
• Where are policy constraints?
• How could you navigate more strategically?

2. Evidence and Influence

3. Translation Challenges

4. Relationships and Trust

5. Your Role in Policy Engagement

Reflecting on policy engagement:

• What great research in your institution could inform policy?
• How effectively is research currently translated?
• What relationships with policy makers exist?
• What would strengthen policy influence?

Reflecting on policy engagement:

• What makes translation difficult?
• What skills or resources are needed?
• What incentivises or discourages researchers?
• How could translation become more systematic?

Thinking about policy maker relationships:

Considering your civic leadership:

• How are relationships currently built?
• How is trust established?
• What enables responsive engagement?
• Where are relationship gaps?

• What's your role in policy engagement?
• How can you support researchers?
• How can you build relationships?
• What opportunities can you create?

Consolidation: Policy as Civic Terrain

Key Takeaways from Unit 10

✓Policy contexts operate at multiple interconnected levels - national, regional, local ✓Strategic policy navigation requires understanding opportunities and constraints at each level ✓Effective policy engagement requires relationship building - long-term trust with policy makers ✓Research translation makes academic evidence accessible and actionable for policy audiences ✓Multiple translation formats serve different needs - briefings, blogs, reviews, visualisations, events ✓Universities can function brokers - providing evidence-based insight ✓Community voice strengthens policy evidence - combining academic research with lived experience ✓Coordination within institutions avoids duplication and strengthens collective impact

Your Next Steps

You've now explored all seven civic terrains: Purpose, Place, People, Partnership, Practice, Process, and Policy. You've developed understanding of Leadership and built practical skills for civic engagement.

Unit 11: Conclusion and Consolidation

- brings together your learning, celebrates your journey, and supports you to develop your ongoing civic leadership practice.

Unit 10 Summary: Key Takeaways

✓ Policy operates at national, regional, and local levels ✓ Strategic navigation requires understanding multi-level contexts ✓ Policy windows create opportunities for influence ✓ Research translation makes evidence accessible and actionable ✓ Effective translation requires multiple formats for different audiences ✓ Long-term relationships with policy makers enable influence ✓ Universities contribute evidence to inform policy development ✓ Infrastructure supports systematic policy engagement ✓ Community voice strengthens policy evidence ✓ Coordination within institutions maximises collective impact

Unit 11: Synthesis and next steps

Unit 11: What to expect

This final unit brings together your learning journey across the Civic Leadership Module and helps you make sense of how the different elements connect in practice. You will consolidate your understanding of the seven terrains, celebrate your growth and confidence as a civic leader, and develop plans for your ongoing civic leadership practice within your own institutional and place-based context. This unit provides structured space for reflection, integration, and forward planning, enabling you to identify concrete next steps, commitments, and support needs as you continue your civic leadership journey beyond the module.

Learning Objectives and Key Concepts

Learning Objectives:

• Consolidate learning across the seven terrains of civic engagement
• Reflect on your growth as a civic leader throughout the module
• Assess your development against the Civic Capabilities Framework
• Develop a personal civic leadership action plan
• Identify ongoing learning and development priorities
• Connect with the broader community of civic practitioners

Key Concepts:

• Integration and consolidation of learning
• Civic leadership identity and capability
• Continuous professional development
• Reflective practice
• Action planning for ongoing impact

INSPIRE: Your Civic Leadership Journey

Watch this final message from NCIA Team Member Adam Leach, reflecting on the civic leadership journey and looking forward to your ongoing practice.

Where Are You On Your Journey?

Reflect back on how your felt at the beginning of this module. Now its time to revist the scale. Where are you now? Have you progressed? How do you feel about your current status? Wht are your successes? Have you overcome some barriers?

Your Learning Journey – Reflecting Back

After watching the video, take a moment to reflect:

Think back to Unit 1, when you began this module - refer back to your journal.

• What were your hopes and expectations?
• What did you want to learn or develop?
• How did you see yourself as a civic leader?
• What challenges were you facing?

Now, having completed the module:

• What has shifted in how you understand civic engagement?
• How has your civic leadership identity developed?
• What capabilities have you strengthened?
• What are you most proud of from this journey?

Write 3-4 paragraphs in your learning journal reflecting on your journey.

LEARN: Consolidating Your Understanding

Part 1: The Seven TerrainsThroughout this module, you've explored seven interconnected terrains of civic engagement. While each unit focused on one terrain, effective civic leadership requires understanding how they connect and reinforce each other. Click on each box to learn more.

The Seven Terrains Framework

Place - Where civic work happens

• Understanding your geographic context
• Balancing hyper-local and regional engagement
• Sharing university infrastructure
• Building place-based relationships

Policy- What shapes your work

• Navigating multi-level policy landscapes
• Contributing evidence to policy development
• Strategic positioning
• Influencing policy for community benefit

Practice- What you do

• Aligning operations with civic values
• Anchor institution responsibilities
• Measuring impact through mixed methods
• Walking the talk

Process- How you organise

• Mapping and coordinating civic activities
• Learning systematically from evidence
• Creating enabling organisational culture
• Building sustainable infrastructure

Partnership - How you collaborate

• Equitable power-sharing
• Thematic coordination for collective impact
• Sustainable partnership structures
• Community-centred accountability

People - Who you partner with

• Co-design and co-production
• Centring lived experience
• Cultivating active citizenship
• Building authentic relationships

Purpose - Why universities engage civically

• Articulating public benefit
• Embedding civic mission institutionally
• Synergies between local and global work
• Personal and institutional purpose alignment

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Purpose

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Place

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People

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Practice

Policy

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Partnership

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Process

Why universities engage civically

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Where civic work happens

How you organise

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Who you partner with

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What you do

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How you collaborate

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What shapes your work

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How the Terrains Connect

Purpose drives everything: Your civic purpose (why you engage) shapes decisions about where, with whom, and how you work. Clear purpose enables authentic practice. Place grounds your work: Understanding your place (where you engage) informs who your partners are, what policy contexts matter, and how practice manifests locally. People are central: The relationships you build (who you partner with) enable partnerships, inform practice, and create accountability. Partnership multiplies impact: How you collaborate determines whether individual relationships become collective action and sustained change. Practice demonstrates authenticity: What you actually do reveals whether civic values are genuine or performative. Process enables sustainability: How you organise internally determines whether civic work is fragile (dependent on individuals) or sustainable (institutionally embedded). Policy creates context: Understanding policy landscapes helps you navigate opportunities and constraints whilst contributing evidence to shape better policy. Together, they create a system: Effective civic engagement isn't about excelling in one terrain - it's about developing integrated capability across all seven, recognising how they reinforce and depend on each other.

Part 2: Your Development as a Civic Leader

In Unit 3, you explored the Civic Capabilities Framework, assessing your knowledge, capabilities, and attributes across multiple domains. Now, having completed the module, you have opportunity to reflect on your growth.

Revisiting the Civic Capabilities Framework

The Framework identifies six knowledge domains, multiple capabilities, and key attributes for civic leaders:

Knowledge Domains:

1. Engagement Theory and Practice 2. Organisational Learning 3. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) 4. Knowledge Mobilisation 5. Local and Contextual Knowledge 6. Organisational and Sectoral Understanding

Capabilities combine skills, knowledge, and behaviours enabling trust-building, strategic thinking, coordination, programme design, advocacy, communication, and evaluation.

Attributes such as empathy, curiosity, reflection, resilience, authenticity, and relational approach underpin how you show up in civic work.

Activity: Personal Civic Leadership Action Plan

Instructions: Using your learning journal, follow the instructions to develop a 6-12 month action plan for your civic leadership practice.

Part A: Vision and Purpose

Your Civic Leadership Vision Looking 12 months ahead, what does success look like for you as a civic leader?

• What will you have achieved?
• What relationships will you have built?
• What capabilities will you have strengthened?
• What impact will you have contributed to?

Write 3-4 sentences articulating your vision.

Your Civic Leadership PurposeRevisit the personal civic purpose statement you developed in Unit 4. Does it still resonate? If so, restate it here. If not, revise it: My civic leadership purpose is...

Activity: Personal Civic Leadership Action Plan (Continued)

Part B: Strategic PrioritiesBased on your learning throughout this module, identify 3-5 strategic priorities for your civic leadership over the next 6-12 months. These should be specific, meaningful, and connected to the terrains you've explored. Use the below format for structure: Priority 1: Focus Terrain: (Purpose/Place/People/Partnership/Practice/Process/Policy) What: Specific priority or goalWhy: Why this matters (connection to your purpose and context) How: Key actions you'll takenSuccess Indicators: How you'll know you're making progressSupport Needed: Resources, relationships, permissions Timeline: By when

Part C: Immediate Next StepsWhat are your first concrete actions for each priority? Use the below format for structure:Priority 1:First Step:Action: With whom: By when:

Activity: Personal Civic Leadership Action Plan (Continued)

Part D: Ongoing Learning and DevelopmentHow will you continue developing your civic leadership capabilities?

Learning Resources: Which NCIA or Civic University Network resources will you engage with?

• Civic Field Guide sections?
• CiviCast podcasts?
• Toolkits and frameworks?
• Evidence reviews?
• Case studies?

Communities of Practice: Which networks or communities will you join or engage with?

• Civic University Network events?
• Thematic networks (health, environment, etc.)?
• Regional civic networks?
• Action learning sets?

Relationships and Mentoring: Who will support your ongoing development?

• Peer supporters or mentors?
• Colleagues you'll learn with?
• Partners who'll provide feedback?
• Networks providing challenge and inspiration?

Practice-Based Learning: How will reflection continue in your practice?

• Regular journaling?
• After-action reviews?
• Learning conversations with colleagues?
• Annual self-assessment?

Activity: Personal Civic Leadership Action Plan (Continued)

Part E: Sustainability and Accountability

How will you sustain momentum? What will help you maintain commitment when competing priorities arise? Who will you be accountable to? Who will you share your action plan with? Who will check in on progress? How will you celebrate progress? How will you recognise and celebrate milestones? How will you adapt? Your plan should be living document. When will you review and adjust? (Suggested: quarterly review)

Activity: Sharing Your Learning

Instructions:One of the most powerful ways to consolidate learning is to share it with others. Plan how you'll share your learning from this module. Consider the questions below and then record your next steps in your journal. Who Could Benefit from Your Learning?

• Colleagues in your team or department?

• Senior leaders in your institution?
• Community partners?
• Students?
• Peer institutions?
• Sector networks?

What Will You Share?

• Key insights from specific units?
• Tools or frameworks you found valuable?
• Your civic leadership action plan?
• Reflections on your journey?
• Resources from the Civic Field Guide?

How Will You Share?

• Team presentation?
• Written summary?
• Workshop or training session?
• Informal learning conversations?
• Blog post or article?
• Network presentation?

CELEBRATE: Your Achievement

Congratulations! You have completed the NCIA Civic Leadership Module. This represents significant investment of time, energy, and intellectual and emotional engagement with complex, challenging, and inspiring work.

You have: ✓ Explored seven terrains of civic engagement in depth ✓ Examined your own civic leadership identity and capability ✓ Engaged with evidence, frameworks, and practical tools ✓ Reflected deeply on purpose, values, and practice ✓ Connected theory to your own context and challenges ✓ Developed practical skills and strategies ✓ Created action plans for ongoing impact You are now:

• A more confident civic leader
• Better equipped to navigate complexity
• Connected to resources and networks
• Part of a growing community of civic practitioners
• Ready to contribute to transformational change

CONNECT: Your Civic Leadership Community

You're Not Alone! Civic leadership isn't solitary work. You're part of a growing community of civic practitioners across England and beyond, all working toward similar goals of strengthening universities' civic contributions and creating positive change in communities.

Ways to Stay Connected

Click the icons to find useful resources and networks

Closing Thoughts

Civic leadership is both challenging and deeply rewarding work. It requires navigating complexity, building trust across difference, persisting through setbacks, and maintaining hope when change feels slow. But it also offers profound meaning: the opportunity to contribute to positive change in communities, to bridge divides, to amplify community voice, to align powerful institutions with community priorities, and to strengthen democracy and social justice. The seven terrains you've explored provide a framework for civic practice, but they're not prescriptive. Every place is different. Every institution is different. Every civic leader brings unique strengths, experiences, and perspectives. What matters most is authenticity: showing up consistently, building relationships with integrity, learning from mistakes, centring community voice, sharing power genuinely, and staying committed to the long-term work of place-based transformation. You've built a strong foundation through this module. Now it's over to you to build on that foundation through your daily practice, your relationships, your choices, and your leadership. The communities you serve are fortunate to have you as a civic leader. Thank you for your commitment to civic universities and to the communities they serve.

Certification of Completion

On the next slide, you’ll find a Certificate of Completion confirming your participation in this module. To download your certificate, select the Share button in the top-right corner and choose Download. You’ll be prompted to select a format - we recommend PDF or JPG. You can then choose to download only the final slide, allowing you to print a single copy if needed, helping to reduce unnecessary printing. The certificate can also be used digitally for sharing with colleagues or on social media as evidence of learning. Thank you for taking part and for your commitment to civic leadership.

Evidence and Measurement

• Civic outcomes are relational, long term and hard to attribute
• Limited shared metrics make it difficult to tell a compelling, comparable story of impact

3. Reflect

• Make sense of findings
• Generate insights and lessons
• Identify implications
• Share learning

4. Storytelling and Communication

• Tell stories of how local work has global significance
• Demonstrate research translation from place to policy
• Show international learning from local context
• Celebrate both local and global outcomes

Why: Resource sharing is concrete expression of mutual benefit. It's also practical -- pooling resources often multiplies what's possible. How: Be transparent about what resources each partner has and could contribute. Discuss what could be shared (funding, expertise, facilities, networks). Recognise this may evolve over time. Practical step: Create simple resource map. What does each partner contribute? Where could resources be more equitably shared? How will this enable better outcomes?

Publish or Perish Era (1990s–2000s)

The introduction of the Research Assessment Exercise (now REF) shifted incentives to globally oriented research. Civic and community engagement was side lined, often seen as peripheral service work, and universities competed on national and international stages, leading to reduced place-based impact and recognition for local partnerships.

Key Actors:

• Combined authorities and metro mayors
• Local / Combined Authority Business Boards
• Regional innovation networks
• NHS Integrated Care Systems
• Regional cultural and educational partnerships

Key Policies:

• Regional economic strategies
• Innovation and growth plans
• Skills and employment priorities
• Health and wellbeing strategies
• Cultural and creative strategies

Why It Matters:

• Regional strategies increasingly shape place-based development and funding opportunities.

Engagement Opportunities:

• Membership of regional boards and partnerships
• Research informing regional strategies
• Anchor institution collaborations
• Regional funding bids

Co-production

The institution and community share power and have equal voice in key decisions.

SMART goals

SMART goals are a widely used framework for setting effective objectives by ensuring they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This approach helps individuals and organizations clarify their intentions, track progress, and increase the likelihood of success by defining clear outcomes, setting benchmarks for measurement, ensuring the goal is realistic and aligned with broader priorities, and establishing a deadline for completion. By making goals SMART, teams can focus their efforts, stay motivated, and better evaluate their achievements.

For example: By July 31, I will establish two new ongoing civic partnership activities with local community organisations linked to my programme, each involving at least 20 students, by co-designing one community-based project per partner, integrating these into assessment where appropriate, and evaluating impact through student reflections and partner feedback forms.

The Challenge

Wrexham University wanted to build genuine civic relationships across North Wales. But there was a risk of the university being perceived as extractive – coming in, taking what it needed (stories, data, students’ time), and leaving.

1. Employment

• Often among the largest local employers
• Diverse workforce from entry-level to highly skilled
• Careers for local residents
• Apprenticeships and training opportunities

2. Procurement

• Significant purchasing power
• Potential to support local and social value suppliers
• Infrastructure investment in estates and facilities
• Stimulating local business growth

Skills, Work and Inclusion

Skills and employment policy stresses technical routes, lifelong learning and employer responsiveness. For universities, this means:

• Collaborating with FE and other providers on local skills systems
• Partnering with employers on pathways, apprenticeships and short courses
• Linking widening participation to local labour market and inclusion goals

Process

Civic as organisational culture

What does being a “civic university” mean for how institutions organise and govern themselves? This terrain explores how universities map and coordinate civic activities across themes, establish systematic learning from evidence and experience, and create organisational cultures that support civic mission.

• How is your university organised to deliver civic impact?
• What governance structures support civic work?
• How do you learn and improve continuously?

Click here to explore our Process terrain of our Civic Field Guide

3. Knowledge and Research

• Research addressing local challenges
• Expertise supporting policy development
• Innovation driving economic development
• Cultural programming and public engagement

I Am…

A Student Leader

“I care about issues affecting my community – climate change, educational attainment, social isolation. I want to make a difference but don’t always know where to start.”

What they need: Meaningful opportunities to engage with real community challenges, recognition that my time and contribution are valuable, skills development that enhances employability.

People

Civic as people-centred relational behaviour

This terrain focuses on universities as actors in society. It examines how institutions position communities as equal partners, centre lived experience as expertise, and create meaningful civic experiences that cultivate belonging and active citizenship among students, staff, and community members.

• Who are your civic partners?
• How do you ensure authentic collaboration?
• What makes relationships equitable and sustainable?

Click here to explore our People terrain in our Civic Field Guide

University Senior Leader

“In a highly competitive academic environment, what really sets a university apart is not just the calibre of its publications, but the visible difference it makes in the world beyond its campuses. Take urban regeneration. Two institutions might both be publishing in the top journals on this topic. But if my university not only does that work, but also partners closely with local communities, helps to deliver tangible improvements in specific neighbourhoods and then shares what we learn with policymakers, something different happens. We start to be known as a place where applied excellence lives – a destination for researchers who want their work to matter, for students who care about impact, for funders and policymakers looking for credible partners. And crucially, this isn’t instead of academic excellence; it is on top of it. That combination of rigour and real‑world regeneration is what makes me, as a senior leader here, incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved.”

I Am…

A Community & Grassroots Partner

“I’m incredibly busy with limited resources, looking for funders, volunteers, spaces, and ways to deliver more impact for my frontline work.”

What they need: Universities to understand what they can genuinely offer, partnerships that support core work without treating it as a vanity project, protection of their intellectual property.

I Am…

A University Senior Leader

“Civic is an important part of my job but not my whole job. I am accountable for a large portfolio of work in the university. I have an external profile and make strategic decisions for the university.”

What they need: To translate concepts into practice, understand drivers of civic engagement, align civic work with institutional priorities like REF, KEF, and TEF, and join up existing civic activities.

• Set clear goals and success indicators
• Design activities informed by evidence
• Articulate theory of change
• Identify learning questions.

1. Plan

Cultural and Knowledge Infrastructure

• Academic expertise across disciplines
• Research capabilities
• Learning programmes and courses
• Publishing and communication platforms
• Collections and archives
• Creative and artistic capacity

3. Evaluate

• Gather diverse evidence
• Analyse what worked and why
• Identify unexpected outcomes
• Centre community voice

Organisational Infrastructure

• Project management capabilities
• Legal and compliance expertise
• HR and employment services
• IT and technology services

1. Explicit Connection-Making

• When conducting place-based research, explicitly identify global significance
• Document how local solutions translate to other contexts
• Participate in international networks with local case examples
• Position local work as contribution to global knowledge

Incentives and Progression

• Metrics and assessment often privilege traditional research and student outcomes over civic value
• Academic promotion and reward structures rarely recognise long-term civic partnership work

2. Act

• Implement activities
• Document processes and decisions
• Collect ongoing data
• Stay responsive to emerging needs

Key Actors:

• UK Government departments (Education, Science, Innovation & Technology, Housing & Communities, Health, Treasury)
• Research England and UKRI - Office for Students (OfS)
• Parliament and parliamentary committees

Key Policies:

• Higher education funding and regulation
• Research assessment (REF) and knowledge exchange (KEF)
• Industrial strategy and innovation policy
• Skills policy and lifelong learning
• Levelling up and place-based growth policy

Why It Matters:

• National policy sets frameworks, funding, and incentives shaping what's possible for civic engagement.

Engagement Opportunities:

• Consultation responses
• Evidence to parliamentary inquiries
• Research informing national policy debates
• Sector advocacy through mission groups

Economic Development

Universities drive local economic growth as major employers, innovative companies, and skills providers. As anchor institutions, they can maximise positive impact through responsible employment practices, strategic procurement supporting local businesses, spin-out company support, and estate development that enhances wider communities. Universities connect local economies globally while building resilient, diversified regional economies. Page Reference: 14–15, 55–59 (Executive Summary and Part E, Recommendations 10–11)

Collaboration

The institution and community work together on delivery, but the institution still sets most of the agenda.

Place Navigator

The Place Navigator is a dynamic visual tool that helps university staff understand their local area, map civic activity, and identify key partners to build more effective place-based collaborations.

• It makes it easier to see “who’s who” in a local place, so staff can quickly spot gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for new or deeper civic partnerships.​
• It supports more strategic, joined-up decision making by helping universities align their civic projects with local needs, systems, and priorities rather than working in isolation.

Interactive Activity: Operational Alignment Audit

In your learning journal, rate your institution's alignment between civic values and practice in each domain: Rating Scale: 1 = Significant gap between values and practice, 5 = Strong alignment

Strengthening the civic university

Our report outlines key insights and recommendations from NCIA’s policy roundtable series on how universities and policymakers can work together more effectively to enhance civic impact and address place-based challenges.

Click here to go straight to our report

4. Education and Skills

• Training future workforce
• Lifelong learning opportunities
• Widening participation initiatives
• Student volunteering and civic engagement

Criticality

Civic work should open up questions about systems, structures and histories, rather than framing engagement only as individual “helping”.

Polytechnics to Civic Comeback (1990s–2010s)

Polytechnics were established as local, civic-focused institutions. Their reclassification as universities in 1992 pushed many towards national competition, eroding their local mission. Left-behind places and policy debates in the 2010s prompted renewed interest in civic engagement, culminating in sector-wide efforts like the Civic University Commission.

Stage 5: Renewal or Evolution

Partners decide whether to continue, evolve, or conclude partnership. Questions:

• Is the partnership still valuable?
• Are partners still committed?
• Have circumstances changed?
• Should we continue as-is, evolve, or conclude?

3. Funding Alignment

• Seek funding specifically for applied research impact
• Use REF impact pathways to connect local and global contributions
• Pursue international research grants with local partnerships built in

Reflection and learning

Structured reflection helps students connect what they did to wider social and political issues, deepening their understanding of inequality, democracy and power.

Social Infrastructure

• Networks and relationships
• Volunteer base (students and staff)
• Professional networks
• Mentoring capacity
• Leadership development programmes
• Convening power and ability to bring people together

Devolution and Local Governance

Devolution deals and combined authorities are reshaping who sets priorities and controls resources. For universities, this means:

• Building relationships with metro mayors and combined authorities
• Engaging with evolving regional priorities and deals
• Navigating multi-level governance and forming strategic place-based alliances

Networks and belonging

Working alongside peers, staff and community partners builds social capital, a sense of place and a feeling of belonging to a wider civic movement.

Why: Communication breakdowns undermine partnership. Different people have different communication needs and preferences.How: Ask how partners prefer to communicate. Provide multiple formats (email, face-to-face, phone). Ensure communication is accessible (language, jargon, format). Follow up on decisions.Practical step: Establish clear communication protocols. Who communicates what? When? In what format? Check that all partners feel informed and able to participate.

Agency

Students and community partners should shape priorities, design activities and influence decisions, building confidence, ownership and civic voice.

Step 1: National Policy Context

Identify 3-5 key national policies affecting civic engagement in your place. Examples to consider: REF impact, KEF metrics, Industrial strategy, Education and Skills White Paper, Net zero and climate policy

The NCCPE Guide to Evaluation

Impacts = Longer-term transformations • Policy changes • Community capacity strengthened • Social or economic development • Cultural shifts Example: Output: Delivered 6 co-design workshops with 45 community members Outcome: Community members gained confidence in advocacy skills; university researchers understood community priorities more deeply; new community-university partnership established Impact: Policy changed to reflect community input; community organisation secured funding for resident-led initiative; ongoing collaboration addressing health inequalities

A methodology for distinguishing between outputs, outcomes, and impacts: Outputs = What you do • Number of events • Number of participants • Resources produced • Partnerships established Outcomes = Changes that result • Increased knowledge or skills • Changed attitudes or behaviours • Stronger relationships • New collaborations

Why: Time and expertise have value. Recognising this through payment (or other recognition) demonstrates respect and enables broader participation. How: Discuss upfront whether participants will be paid, how much, when, and what processes are involved. Be transparent. Build payment into budgets. Practical step: Don't assume voluntary participation. Ask community partners what recognition/payment is appropriate. Build budgets that enable fair compensation.

Direct community engagement

Students volunteer, take part in service-learning modules, work on community-based research, support local organisations or join neighbourhood initiatives that respond to locally identified priorities.

Culture and ways of Working

• Historic distance between universities and their places can linger in assumptions and behaviours
• Internal hierarchies and silos fragment civic efforts and relationships

Why: Partnerships grounded in real understanding are stronger than those based on assumptions. Understanding takes time. How: Have genuine conversations. Ask questions. Listen without immediately jumping to solutions. Learn community history, current challenges, existing assets, and relationships. Practical step: Before formally launching partnership, invest in listening and learning. Attend community gatherings. Spend time in community spaces. Ask what community partners need the university to understand.

Policy Briefings (1-4 pages)

Content:

• Clear headline message
• Context and policy relevance
• Key findings in accessible language
• Practical implications and recommendations
• Evidence sources

When Useful:

• Responding to consultations
• Informing policy debates
• Executive summaries of complex research

Stage 1: Convening and Exploration

Someone convenes potential partners around a shared issue. Explore whether genuine shared interest exists. Questions:

• Is there genuinely shared interest in this theme?
• Who are the key players?
• What's currently happening?
• Where are gaps or duplication?
• Is there willingness to coordinate?

6. Repeat

Learning is continuous, not one-off.

Practice

Civic as practical action leading to impact

How do universities embed civic practices into their academic and operational activities? This terrain examines how institutions align their operations – procurement, employment, estates, teaching, research – with community priorities, and how they measure impact through both quantitative metrics and qualitative narratives.

• What does your university actually do?
• How do internal operations reflect civic values?
• How do you demonstrate authentic community impact?

Click here to explore our Practice terrain of our Civic Field Guide

Agreements and Accountability (2019)

The UPP Foundation’s Civic University Commission introduced Civic University Agreements. These frameworks require universities to analyse local needs and commit to ambitious, place-based engagement strategies, formally embedding the civic mission. Sector-wide adoption raised standards, reinforced local partnerships, and demonstrated a renewed commitment to regional impact.

Universities as citizen organisations

Our video argues that universities should act as citizen organisations rooted in their local communities, using real stories and existing learning to foster belonging, active citizenship and meaningful civic impact for students, staff and residents

Click here to go straight to our video

2. Diverse Research Teams

• Include international collaborators in local research
• Bring international researchers into place-based projects
• Share local knowledge with global networks
• Document learning in formats accessible to international audiences

Stage 3: Implementation and Action

Partners implement coordinated strategy. Questions:

• Are we doing what we said we'd do?
• Are partners fulfilled?
• Is progress being made?
• What's working? What isn't?
• What adjustments are needed?

Sustainability

Effective civic experiences are embedded in long-term relationships and institutional civic strategies, not one-off projects that disappear when funding ends.

Step 3: Local Policy Context

Identify 3-5 key local policies or strategies. Examples to consider: Local authority plans, Economic development strategy, Community strategies, Health and social care plans, Environmental action plans

Physical Infrastructure

• Buildings and meeting spaces
• Athletic facilities and recreational space
• Libraries and learning spaces
• Laboratories and research equipment
• Cafes and public spaces
• Parking and transportation
• Green spaces and outdoor areas

Historical Mission

Civic universities evolved to serve local communities and address societal needs. From their establishment, they balanced local engagement with national pressures. Originally attracting mature and diverse learners, they’ve experienced tension between global ambitions and local responsibilities. Today, universities function as anchor institutions, essential to place-based development and community wellbeing in increasingly complex economies. Page Reference: 28–29

Why: Respect is fundamental. When partners feel their contributions are valued and colleagues do what they say they'll do, trust builds. How: Deliver on commitments. Acknowledge and celebrate others' contributions. Contribute fairly. Don't make community partners do all the emotional labour. Practical step: Track commitments. Follow up. Celebrate progress. Acknowledge specific contributions. Make it safe to raise concerns if things aren't working.

Blogs and Articles

Content:

• 800-1,200 words
• Accessible language
• Clear argument or insight
• Connection to current debates
• Links to fuller evidence

When Useful:

• Quick response to emerging issues
• Building profile and visibility
• Reaching broader audiences

Industrial Strategy and Place

Government focus on regional productivity and “levelling up” keeps place-based growth firmly on the agenda. For universities, this means:

• Shaping and delivering local and regional economic strategies
• Working with Local Enterprise Partnerships and other intermediaries
• Supporting innovation, business growth and inclusive local economies

Climate Researcher

“Climate change is the ultimate global challenge, but its impacts are painfully specific to place – to particular coastlines, neighbourhoods and communities. In my work on sea-level rise, I could quite happily stay in front of a model in a lab, plugged into international datasets and global collaborations. But the science becomes far more powerful when I sit in a village hall with a coastal community that is already sandbagging doorways and redrawing evacuation routes. When research is co-designed with those communities, it starts to do several things at once: it answers a real, immediate need; it generates far richer, context-specific data; it produces adaptation strategies that actually work in that setting; and it shows, very clearly, why this science matters beyond academic journals. Paradoxically, the more grounded my research is in a specific shoreline, the stronger and more globally significant it becomes.”

Strategic Positioning

True civic universities embed civic purpose in institutional strategy through clear, locally-rooted analysis. They develop formal Civic University Agreements with place-based partners, defining governance structures, priorities, and measurable outcomes. Strategic positioning requires universities to know themselves, understand their place, work collaboratively, and maintain clear geographic and thematic boundaries for sustainable civic impact. Page Reference: 34–35 (Part D)

The Leadership Move

Ho-Kit exercised civic leadership by stepping back from expert authority and enabling others to lead. This required confidence – confidence to let go of control, confidence that students would do excellent work, confidence in a different way of leading.

Place

Civic as a physical location

How do universities anchor their work in specific geographies? This terrain explores how universities define their civic boundaries, balance hyper-local neighbourhood engagement with strategic regional partnerships, and open their physical, social, and cultural infrastructure for community benefit.

• Where is your place?
• How does your university connect to local and regional communities?
• What assets does your institution share?

Click here to explore our Place Terrain in our Civic Field Guide

Civic Engagement Manager and team

“As a Civic Engagement Manager working in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, I see every day how constraints can be a catalyst for innovation. With a tiny budget, complex needs, a diverse community and a small team, we simply can’t replicate glossy, resource‑intensive youth programmes designed in better‑resourced settings. Instead, we’ve had to build creative, relational, low‑cost ways of engaging young people that grow out of long‑term, embedded relationships on the ground. What’s interesting is that these place‑shaped solutions often travel better than the expensive models: because they’re lean, adaptable and rooted in real lives, other communities can take them, tweak them and make them work in their own context. The limits we live with locally are exactly what push us to develop innovations with much wider application.”

Partnerships and Power

• Different timescales, accountabilities and risk appetites complicate collaboration
• Power imbalances and competition between institutions can undermine trust locally

5. Place-Shaping

• Physical estates and infrastructure
• Partnerships with civic leaders
• Community programmes and services
• Contributing to local identity and culture

Partnership

Civic as mutual agreements on shared priorities

Relational behaviour must translate into place-based partnerships with other anchor institutions. This terrain explores how universities coordinate thematic partnerships around shared challenges and build equitable collaborative structures that honour diverse expertise and share power genuinely.

• How do you move from connections to genuine collaboration?
• What makes partnerships equitable?
• How can diverse partners align around shared community priorities?

Click here to explore our Partnership terrain of our Civic Field Guide

Research, KE and Civic Impact

Research and knowledge exchange policy increasingly expects visible, place-based public benefit. For universities, this means:

• Framing civic commitments through CUAs and other local compacts
• Demonstrating place-based impact in research assessment and KE activity
• Connecting into programmes such as the National Civic Impact Accelerator to build evidence and practice

Civically Engaged Researcher

"My work is stitched into international networks – collaborators across continents, shared datasets, global debates about health inequalities. That global perspective is essential, but it only becomes truly meaningful when it is grounded in the places where people actually live and seek care. When I partner with local health services and communities, I see how those broad patterns of inequality show up in specific neighbourhoods, clinics and households. Together, we test which interventions actually work in those settings and how to embed them in everyday practice. That local embeddedness is not a distraction from my international research; it is what gives my contributions weight. The more closely I work with places and communities, the stronger and more relevant my voice becomes in global conversations about health equity.”

Why: Power imbalances are real and significant. Ignoring them doesn't make them disappear -- pretending equality exists when it doesn't undermines authenticity. How: Name power differences openly. Universi ties typically hold resource power, knowledge power, positional power. Communities hold place knowledge, relationship power, legitimacy. What power does each partner bring? How can less-powerful partners be explicitly supported? Practical step: In partnership design, build mechanisms to address power imbalances: community leadership roles, resource sharing, decision-making structures that explicitly give voice to less-resourced partners.

Post-Pandemic Civic Renaissance (2020–Present)

COVID-19 underscored universities’ critical local roles. Drivers including devolution, the Levelling Up agenda, and the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) have embedded civic responsibilities into institutional strategy. Student demand for social purpose and sustainable impact ensures the civic university model remains firmly rooted for the future.

Why: Different organisations have different constraints. Understanding these prevents frustration and enables realistic planning. How: Explain your institution's systems. What decisions require approval? How long do processes take? What compliance or regulatory requirements exist? What's flexible? Practical step: Share relevant policies and processes openly. Help partners understand constraints and navigate them. Where possible, adapt processes to be more partnership-friendly.

Recognition and celebration

Public acknowledgement, awards and credit-bearing opportunities signal that civic work is valued and central to the mission of a “truly civic” university.

Evidence Reviews

Content:

• Systematic synthesis of existing research
• Clear conclusions and implications
• Identification of evidence gaps
• Practical recommendations

When Useful:

• Informing strategy development
• Supporting policy design
• Demonstrating evidence base

The Leadership Move

Nina exercised civic leadership through patience and genuine relational commitment. She could have created a slick partnership brochure and launched formal initiatives. Instead, she invested months in understanding the real landscape, the real relationships, the real power dynamics.

Why: Partnerships grounded in real understanding are stronger than those based on assumptions. Understanding takes time. How:Have genuine conversations. Ask questions. Listen without immediately jumping to solutions. Learn community history, current challenges, existing assets, and relationships. Practical step:Before formally launching partnership, invest in listening and learning. Attend community gatherings. Spend time in community spaces. Ask what community partners need the university to understand.

Consultation

Your institution designs a project or service and asks community members or students for comments or feedback.

Stage 4: Evaluation and Learning

Partners evaluate progress and learn from experience. Questions:

• Did we achieve what we set out to?
• What worked well?
• What could improve?
• What do we want to continue? Change? Stop?

Skill development

Civic activity develops leadership, collaboration, research, advocacy, communication and project management skills that matter both for civic life and for graduate outcomes.

Community-led

The community defines priorities and leads the work, inviting the university and students in to support if and when useful.

Student Demand

Students increasingly expect universities to support local involvement, widen participation, and provide lifelong learning opportunities. Demographic shifts and changing career pathways drive demand for flexible, responsive education aligned to regional labour markets. Universities must balance student expectations for community engagement with provision of programmes that develop local talent and address skills gaps. Page Reference: 24 (Part B, iii)

I Am…

A Local and Regional Leader (Local Authority, NHS, Business)

“I’m a chief executive, senior leader or civically minded colleague in a local organisation. I want universities to contribute directly to place-making and be exemplar employers for our area.”

What they need: Access to research in understandable formats, evidence that can be applied locally, direct connection to the right people in universities, university involvement in strategic planning.

Capacity and Resource

• Civic engagement takes time, coordination and specialist roles
• Financial pressures and short-term funding make it harder to protect this work

Accountability

Civic universities must demonstrate measurable impact through rigorous accountability mechanisms. Four key tests—public, place, strategic, and impact—assess civic performance. Universities develop locally-designed metrics aligned with place-based agreements, while national measures track civic contribution. Peer review systems involving sector colleagues, local government, and NHS partners ensure transparent, credible accountability for civic outcomes and community benefit. Page Reference: 9, 36–37 (Executive Summary and Part D, iv)

Why: Hidden expectations create problems. Transparent conversations prevent misunderstan dings and build trust. How: Openly discuss: Why are you entering partnership? What do you hope to achieve? What concerns do you have? What are you willing to invest? What are non-negotiables? Practical step: Have explicit conversation with partners about motivations. Ask what they need from partnership. Create safe space for honest dialogue.

Seminars and Roundtables

Content:

• Direct dialogue between researchers and policy makers
• Discussion of evidence and implications
• Exploration of practical application
• Relationship building

When Useful:

• Deep exploration of complex issues
• Building trust and relationships
• Co-developing policy responses

Stage 2: Design and Agreement

Partners together design partnership structure and agree commitments. Questions:

• What are we trying to achieve?
• Who should be at the table?
• How will we govern?
• What does each partner commit to?
• How will we measure progress?

The Redbrick Revolution (1800s)

Industrial cities saw the birth of “redbrick” universities, created by local leaders for practical education and research tailored to regional needs. These institutions built close ties with their communities, making adult learning and civic engagement central to their early mission and forming a model for civic-minded higher education.

Why: Things rarely go exactly to plan. How partnerships respond to challenges reveals the strength of relationships. How: Have regular check-ins where things that aren't working can be raised. Be willing to adjust. Learn from mistakes. Adapt as contexts change. Practical step: Build reflection into partnership rhythm. Quarterly check-ins asking: What's working? What's not? What would we do differently? What do we need to adapt?

Policy Terrain

The Policy terrain of the Civic Field Guide explores how multi-level policy and funding frameworks create incentives and barriers for universities’ civic engagement, and how institutions can strategically navigate and shape these landscapes to enable sustained civic impact.

Click here to go straight to our Policy Terrain

Step 2: Regional Policy Context

Identify 3-5 key regional strategies or policies. Examples to consider: Regional economic strategy, Combined authority priorities / Mayoral missions, Skills and employment plans, Innovation strategy - ~~Health and wellbeing strategy~~

Data Visualisations and Infographics

Content:

• Visual presentation of key data
• Clear messages and patterns
• Accessible without technical expertise
• Shareable on social media

When Useful:

• Communicating complex data simply
• Social media and quick consumption
• Public engagement

I Am…

A University Civic Engagement Manager

“I may be a Head of, Senior Manager, or Leader of a team focused on civic activities. I’m likely responsible but not accountable for the university’s civic approach.”

What they need: Support to deliver strategic and operational aspects of the role, insight into how other institutions approach civic intelligence about possible partners and their needs.

Key Actors:

• Local authorities (single-tier, two-tier councils)
• NHS Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups
• Police and Crime Commissioners
• Community and voluntary sector infrastructure
• Business networks and chambers

Key Policies:

• Local plans and strategies
• Economic development priorities
• Health and social care integration
• Community safety strategies
• Environmental and climate action plans

Why It Matters: Local policies directly affect communities and neighbourhoods where universities are anchored. Engagement Opportunities:

• Civic University Agreements
• Local partnership boards
• Commissioned research and evaluation
• Community-university partnerships
• Direct service delivery partnerships

Moral Imperative

Universities hold a moral obligation to support the public good and reduce spatial inequalities. As anchor institutions in economically challenged areas, they must secure their social contract by demonstrating tangible benefits to local communities. This moral imperative is strengthened by recognition that taxpayer funding underwrites university operations, creating legitimate expectations for civic return. Page Reference: 4–7 (Foreword and Introduction)

Purpose

Civic as pathway to public benefit

This terrain examines how universities articulate, activate, and evaluate the value they create through civic activity. It explores how place-based work complements global activities, and how civic engagement becomes embedded as a permanent institutional mission rather than optional supplementary work.

• Why does your university engage civically?
• How do you articulate and measure public benefit?
• How does local work connect to national and global impact?

Click here to explore our Purpose terrain of our Civic Field Guide

Robbins and Realignment (1963)

The Robbins Report drove a massive expansion of UK higher education focused on national priorities and individual advancement over local civic goals. This period marked universities’ growing distance from community concerns, with academic research excellence taking precedence over explicit regional engagement and service.

5. Adapt

• Adjust approaches based on learning
• Scale what works
• Stop what doesn't
• Innovate where needed

Nina's Approach

Nina began with listening. Literally. She started “rocking up” in community spaces – not in formal meetings with agendas, but in community centres, town halls, and informal gatherings. She asked questions. She listened. She didn’t try to immediately sell the university’s value or position university solutions.

I Am…

A Community Engaged Researcher

“I work in a teaching or research role and want to exchange knowledge with communities. I want to enrich my research through real-world experiences and insights.”

What they need: To influence senior managers, support to build on local relationships, ways to ensure teaching and research are informed by real-world experiences.

Commissioned Research and Evaluation

Content:

• Research directly responding to policy maker needs
• Rigorous methodology
• Practical recommendations
• Evaluation of existing policies or programmes

When Useful:

• Informing specific policy decisions
• Evaluating interventions
• Building long-term partnerships

Policy

Civic as shaped by incentives and disincentives

This terrain examines the policy and funding mechanisms that enable or constrain civic activity. It explores how universities navigate multi-level policy landscapes, contribute evidence to policy development, and position themselves strategically within shifting policy frameworks.

• What policies enable or hinder your civic work?
• How do you navigate complex policy environments?
• How can research inform better policy for communities?

Click here to explore Policy terrain on the Civic Field Guide

Ho-Kit recognised that students themselves were the real experts. Rather than the university speaking to students about safety, Ho-Kit created space for students to lead the conversation. Students formed a committee, defined the problem as they experienced it, and designed solutions that resonated with their peers.

Why: Clarity prevents misalignment. When partners agree on success from the start, everyone can work toward shared goals. How: Co-define what you're trying to achieve and how you'll know you've achieved it. Include quantitative and qualitative measures. Include different partners' definitions of success. Practical step: Before partnership formally launches, facilitate a session where partners together define: What are we trying to achieve? What does success look like? How will we measure it?

Research Excellence

Tension exists between pursuing international research excellence and addressing local societal challenges. Civic universities can achieve both by developing robust locally-focused research strategies and applying national/international research locally. Policy frameworks like REF and KEF must be reformed to reward locally-focused research, ensuring rigorous scholarship directly benefits communities and strengthens place-based innovation. Page Reference: 14, 28–29 (Executive Summary and Part E, Recommendation 9)

Authenticity

Activities should respond to real community-defined needs, not be invented solely to meet student assessment or employability targets.

Reciprocity

All parties, students, community partners, universities and students’ unions, should benefit and learn, with roles and expectations negotiated rather than imposed.

A Six‑Block Design Framework

Emily Bastable’s work distils curriculum‑embedded SKE into six practical design “blocks” that tutors can adapt to their own context. Block 1: The Problem: Identify a societal, economic, environmental or industry problem that is relevant to programme learning outcomes, accessible enough for students to grasp within weeks, yet complex enough to demand critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication.​ Block 2: The PartnerMap who is already working on this problem or would value insight into potential solutions, including local authorities, community groups, SMEs, charities or cultural organisations. Block 3: The Assessment Choose formats that mirror how solutions are usually shared in that field (for example, exhibitions, pitches, policy papers, live events, reports), and position them clearly within the programme’s existing assessment architecture

Block 4: The Activity Design learning activities that logically build towards the assessment, specifying prior knowledge needed and the skills students will practise through engagement with partners.​ Block 5: The Support Plan structured support for students (workshops, toolkits, formative feedback, contact with external practitioners) and consider what additional scaffolding is needed for more independent work.​ Block 6: The Drivers Align the project with institutional and external drivers, such as civic and place strategies, sustainability, graduate outcomes, access and participation, careers, and knowledge exchange priorities To connect with Emily use her email: e.bastable@soton.ac.uk;

UAL: Curatorial Projects as Civic Practice

Exhibition group (Swiss Cottage Gallery & Camden Art Collection) Students co‑curated “Huh? Come again?” with Swiss Cottage Gallery and Camden Art Collection, drawing on workshops with ESOL learners from Swiss Cottage and Kilburn Libraries to explore how language, abstraction and visual interpretation can bridge across a diverse borough.​ Live event group (vFd Dalston & G(end)er Swap) Students created “Unbound”, a fundraising club night at queer art space vFd for G(end)er Swap, a UK‑based LGBTIQA+ organisation that supports trans people to access clothing and style resources; the event raised over £1,000 and celebrated gender liberation and identity experimentation.​ Publication group (It’s Freezing in LA) In collaboration with climate‑focused magazine It’s Freezing in LA, students produced “To Stand on Shifting Ground”, a publication connecting land, colonialism and climate through poetry, writing and imagery from different parts of the world

On UAL’s BA Culture, Criticism and Curation (Central Saint Martins), the “Curatorial Projects and Realisation” final‑year unit engages three external partners and generates three public‑facing outcomes: an exhibition, a live event and a publication. Andrew Marsh leads this work as Curator in Practice, with internal colleagues and community partners co‑supervising student groups. The year‑long project runs through three phases, idea generation, project realisation and legacy/reflection, with intensive workshops on project management, budgeting, press and collaboration. Assessment is via a 2,000‑word reflective report (with images) on each student’s role and a critical analysis of project strengths and weaknesses, explicitly linking to UAL’s strategies on climate, social justice and employability.

Southampton: Sustainable Marketing and Social Enterprise

Student autonomy in choosing resources led to deep engagement, unexpected peer‑to‑peer learning and follow‑up communications about how changes were being embedded in daily life and shared with friends. A second assessment phase involves live internal client projects, for example, making recommendations on the Business School’s Talent Development Programme and wider campus sustainability practices, which have subsequently informed changes in guest invitations, the use of B Corp speakers and additional “Green Futures” workshops. Contact Karen by email for more information: k.j.clinkard@soton.ac.uk

In Southampton’s undergraduate marketing curriculum, Karen Clinkard designed a Sustainable Marketing module that invites students to “change one thing” in their professional and personal lives as marketers. Students earn 100 points through the “Can Marketing Save the Planet?” Learning Zone, reflect on what they have learned, commit to three lifestyle and professional changes, and apply for a Sustainable Marketer certificate, often showcasing achievements on LinkedIn

Southampton: Social Enterprise and Access to Green/Blue Space

Professor Pathik Pathak was a dedicated social justice scholar, he tragically passed before he could teach this module. Emily Bastable had this to say about Professor Pathak: 'We have included the ideas behind this module here in the hopes that other practitioners may be inspired, and his passion and creativity may live on in the works of others.'

The planned Social Enterprise module, led by the late Professor Pathik Pathak, focused on inequitable access to green and blue spaces in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Working with local charities, regional researchers and the university’s social enterprise team, students would have designed social enterprise pitches to support people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access local natural environments around Southampton. The assessment combined a group pitch, an individual research‑based report and a reflective journal, supported by flipped‑classroom content and weekly group activities with formative feedback. Social enterprise staff would join sessions, enabling interested students to connect directly to expertise and support, and encouraging critical reflection on the intersection between sustainability initiatives and social prescribing.

Opening Doors After Hours: Sharing University Space as a Civic Asset

The University of Edinburgh’s Community Access to Rooms scheme turns “spare” estate into a powerful civic resource for local groups across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Scottish Borders. Led by Social Impact Manager Aidan Tracey, the initiative offers free evening and weekend access to university rooms for community organisations with incomes under £1 million. A carefully governed pilot, followed by expansion and streamlined staff‑managed booking, has enabled over 180 groups to use more than 6,500 hours of high‑quality space, saving at least £50,000 while tackling isolation, supporting arts and learning, and blurring ‘university’–‘community’ boundaries. Find out more here.

“Sharing marginal resources can make a major difference; what feels ordinary to us can be transformative when a community group finally has a safe, welcoming space to meet.”

Planning With, Not For: Co‑Creating a Community Plan for a Civic University

Senior Community Engagement Manager Sarah Anderson led the co‑creation of the University of Edinburgh’s Community Plan 2025–30, updating how the institution works with its local communities. A small core team reviewed the previous strategy as a tool, then designed an engagement process that combined deep dialogue with high‑influence stakeholders and creative methods such as “dream jars”, workshops and voting boxes to reach over 600 participants, including children. The resulting plan blends continued commitments that communities still value with new priorities where community demand matches university strengths, providing a renewed mandate for civic engagement across the region.

Illustration by: Jenny Capon

“Communities told us they still cared about long‑standing commitments; the real ambition was not ripping up the past, but listening carefully enough to carry forward what already works.” Find out more here: