I just got back from Civicon 2024, the civic engagement sector conference that explores all sorts of aspects of community engagement, community organising and work between civic partnerships.
The event was designed for leaders, professionals and academics navigating the civic landscape within higher education, as well as senior leaders who are driving change within their institutions. It was really useful after the past few years of lockdowns and a lack of conferences to get out and meet others working in the same space across the HE sector, and this first in-person civic conference was perfect for whetting the appetite and generating ideas for new approaches to try.
During the event I attended sessions on exemplars of civic engagement here and abroad, the use of different techniques in community organising and working with community groups, exploration of the challenges of carrying out civic work with different types of communities, the role of higher education in regional development, saw how other institutions structure their civic teams and work, and explored a new movement towards increasing civic experience within the student body.
Beyond the sessions, conversations with peers from across the country were enormously valuable, and it was a fantastic opportunity to get input and ideas for ways to approach some of the stickier challenges I've faced in my work. I am very much looking forward to next years' event and hope then to be able to present and share some of the work we're doing here at Bath in the civic space.
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