The Young Universities for the Future of Europe Alliance is proud to kick off the new academic year with the publication of its Report on University-Community Collaboration: Strengthening Local Engagement and Global Connections, providing a comprehensive overview of strategies and initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation between universities and local communities. The report follows the growth of 10 partner universities into a unified alliance focused on community and civic engagement in recent years, showing their dedication to fostering civic engagement at both local and international levels.
The report opens with an overview of existing local cooperation frameworks and introduces the YUFE Community Engagement Declaration 2025-2030, which sets out the Alliance’s core values and strategic direction. It highlights a series of concrete YUFE initiatives – such as Service-Learning Help Desks, Community Volunteering Programs, the Friend Program, the Community Engagement Network, and the CommUNIty Conference – that exemplify YUFE’s approach to building inclusive and mutually beneficial university-community partnerships.
Other sections address communication strategies, the measurable impact of community engagement efforts, and the key challenges encountered during implementation. The final chapters look ahead, outlining YUFE’s long-term ambitions and presenting key recommendations for effective and sustainable university-community collaboration.
The full text of the Report is available here. Read the Report and find out how YUFE is shaping the future of university-community collaboration!