Forging connections across the city
A new initiative is creating an enthusiastic dialogue and reinforcing the bond between the University and its neighbours.
If founding principles are ideals to be built upon, not merely markers of the past, then efforts to enliven the University’s relationship with its city are to be warmly welcomed.
Strengthening community ties
The Edinburgh Local initiative is the latest chapter in a narrative that dates back to the institution’s earliest days. It honours Edinburgh’s unique history as Britain’s first civic university – founded by the Town Council in 1583 – and seeks to strengthen ties with the community of which it has been a part for so long.
Its aims are set out in the University’s renewal of the Social Impact Pledge, a government initiative that encourages organisations to deliver projects that benefit community groups.
For Professor Lesley McAra, Assistant Principal Community Relations, it is a clear statement of intent: “Edinburgh has always been a great civic university but now the approach is more systematic, better resourced and more strategically integrated with research and learning.”
Such aspirations, fitting for a world-leading university proud to be rooted in Scotland’s capital, would have pleased the renowned sociologist and town planner, Patrick Geddes, who – more than a century ago – urged his fellow Edinburgh scholars to ‘think globally and act locally’.
Geddes’ exhortation chimes with Professor McAra’s conviction that great education and insightful research are worthless if people see no benefit: “We aim to put our research and education in the service of the community, building a symbiotic relationship with the city – not one that’s top down but one that works with local people.”
The philosopher David Hume would have approved. The Scottish Enlightenment’s great minds were keen to advance knowledge for society’s benefit, mixing lofty ideals with earthy realism. Such collaborative approaches, said Hume, only begin ‘when we start spilling our sweat’.
Setting up initiatives
The hard work has already begun. Moves to establish a Centre for Homeless and Inclusion Health at a city medical practice are bearing fruit. Working with the NHS, the City Council and other partners, University researchers aim to enable practice staff to support pathways out of homelessness. They are also developing study initiatives and student-led services that will help improve the health and wellbeing of homeless people.
Elsewhere, students are working with community groups to enhance digital literacy and support employability as part of the University’s Digital Ambassadors programme. As part of the previous pledge, students offered advice to older people at a day centre and held drop-in sessions at a city library. The renewed pledge sees them supporting a Muslim women’s resource centre and a city-based charity tackling social issues.
The University has also pledged to support sustainable start-up social enterprises on campus that offer goods and services to the local community. This builds on the work of a pilot that helped to establish businesses focused on improving society or the environment. In addition, 20 local groups have received £70,000 through the University’s Community Grants Scheme, which backs efforts to tackle pressing social issues and seeks to create a range of informal learning opportunities. Among those benefitting are projects that provide support for children with disabilities, tackle the causes of poverty and aid vulnerable women.
“We want to support local groups that share our values of inclusion, cultural enrichment and creation of opportunity,” says Professor McAra. “Our focus is projects that might not otherwise receive funding.”
Encouraging student involvement
Students are also helping to transform a city centre square blighted by anti-social behaviour into a safer, more dynamic space enjoyed by all. Having been invited by community police and the City Council to Professor Lesley McAra contribute ideas to make Hunter Square more welcoming, students consulted local residents and businesses and re-imagined a space that is full of life, open and inviting.
Students are now addressing similar concerns at nearby Nicolson Square where their conversations with local people who have experienced homelessness are helping to shape the response. Hearing those stories has not only influenced the students’ design ideas, but will also inform how the University engages with Southside residents in future.
Getting involved in the community enriches the experience of those who are new to the city as students on the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program demonstrate. The scheme, which supports African students with outstanding leadership potential, includes a summer school based around community projects in the city. This experience helps them build the skills they will need when they return to Africa and benefits local projects in the process.
It is a development that delights Professor McAra: “Community engagement goes to the heart of what a modern university should be all about. We not only want local people to come into the University, but also want to take the University out into the community.”
Community engagement goes to the heart of what a modern university should be all about. We not only want local people to come into the University, but also want to take the University out into the community.
Research suggests a work in progress: while three out of four people agreed the University is a world-class institution and took pride in its achievements, nearly two thirds knew nothing of what the University does and never use its facilities. Only one in five had visited the University website. Edinburgh Local seeks to address this. By clicking on Local on the University’s home page, anyone can access information about a raft of community activity. “Communication is vital,” concludes Professor McAra. “An institution such as ours should be intricately involved with its city. We want people to know that we are a university that’s in, and with, and for its community.”
Video
Watch Lesley McAra talking about community engagement.