BSU Outreach Strategies

Plenary BSU Networking & Planning Workshop

Tuesday August 29 2012By Anna Temu, (SUA) & Søren Lund, (RU)

ParticipantsAmbrose Okot – ChairJulius MassagaWineaster AndresonFlemming KonradsenArne AndersonSoren LundAnna Temu - Rapporteur

Traders, Farmers

Junior colleges & Schools,

Policy makers, Governments,

International Organizations,

Donors, Development

agencies, NGOs, The Industry

University Ivory Tower

Peers within disci

plinePeers - multidiscipline

Peers: north

-south

Peers: south - south

AgreementsUniversities are institutions for research and

research-based educationWe become meaning full to the

society/communities, donors, tax payers development agents if we reach out to stakeholders with intention of improving livelihoods

There is a need to cooperate to develop an improve the quality of our institutions in this domain is the object of this thematic workshop

How do we define “OUTREACH”?The concept of outreach can be defined as:

“systematic efforts to provide unsolicited and predefined help to groups or individuals deemed to need it”, or

“to provide services beyond conventional limits as for example to particular segments of a community”

For universities: “investing university staff and resources for free in support of the surrounding communities and industries in meeting their challenges and improving their livelihoods and performance”

Definition in practiceAs outreach activities we suggest for this workshop to

include some or all of the following activities:Participating in the public debate on current issuesServicing public institutions (local authorities, local

schools, local administrative bodies) or private sector by providing information, ad-hoc research and analyses of issues of concern (free of charge – vs. consultancy)

Offering Open university / people’s university (popular themes)

Organising ad-hoc trainings and capacity-building for staff of local authorities, businesses, trade unions, associations, NGOs etc.

Engaging in “action-research” with selected stakeholder groups

7

Outreach Strategies for BSU

Presented by Anna Temu

August 2012

BSU Workshop

What BSU can offer Capacity to formalize internships, action research, action

learning/case based training Agree that the south need this and collaborative activities action

learning, we need to link with e-learning. Action research require more time to interact – case development ICT facilities (cameras, Tele/video conferencing)

How to communicate research to various stakeholders; “collaborate to learn” south to south/north to south; Develop communication/dissemination skills (university wide) –

interdisciplinary, intercultural: action-reach methods (individuals, value chain, communities, societies)

University outreach/scientific forums Jointly organize conference/forums at

platform/institutional/regional levels) e.g. post-graduates to produce outreach materials from their theses for beneficiaries

 

What BSU can offer Lessons from cases to come up with grounded theory of what

works and what doesn’t workSmall research grants to “look into” what works and doesn’t work, and whyWebsite collect written cases with pictures/sounds

 Support writing text books for secondary schools and first years and hand books for SMEs targeted to specific value chain

Teams build to produce such materials – initiated by south – build teams to assess (researchers, collaborators (south and north), editors)

 Venture with radio/TV stations – present particular issues/ link with school of journalism

How to produce mass media material and presentation, linkingSupporting existing medias to produce and air outreach materials

What BSU can offer Venture with radio/TV stations – present particular issues/ link

with school of journalism How to produce mass media materials and presentation,

(most schools have journalists) Supporting existing medias to produce and air outreach

materials Development incentive structure

Provide awards for best outreach programs in platform/institutions/regional

Quality assurance built in for every outreach activity itemized above Train on QA issues in outreach programs Develop joint framework from lessons learnt

Areas of Concerns 

 1. Matching the time – north and south

2. Coverage – how we can involve others in this process?

3. Interest of the north to implement outreach activities in the south it there interest? If no, how can we make it attractive?

4. What is beyond the overheads in the south and north -need to be considered

5. The need for improving small infrastructure for e-learning and ICT facilities (minimal budget) –can it be accommodated

What they think of us