As I previously wrote on this blog, I attended Civicon in June and one of the pervasive messages that kept surfacing was the need across the HE sector to work on greater involvement of students in civic activities.
I've been thinking on this a great deal. I am very conscious that at present a lot of our civic work here in Bath has been focused on building relationships at an institutional level between the anchor organisations within Banes, and that we haven't done enough to involve students in this, or in the wider civic picture.
I feel that the benefits of involving students in civic work are potentially extensive - from giving students experience of the activities, rights and duties associated with being a citizen within a community or society, through to developing a greater understanding of students and their unique experiences and skills among the local population.
With a general election looming, I have also been pondering how a University can encourage its students to be active citizens within the democratic process, and I increasingly feel that through broader civic action throughout their studies students would develop a greater sense of belonging and connectedness, which would drive an interest in public affairs, social and political action, and ultimately in elections.
And we also need to recognise that many students already carry out a huge amount of civic action through volunteering, through placements, and through projects like VIPs. Consistently, the students who participate in these activities report the benefits they receive from them - from a greater sense of belonging to increased skills and more experience to include on their CV.
However, speaking as someone who was once a Widening Participation student (some twenty years ago!) and relied on multiple paid employments during my 'free' time at University to cover my living costs, I am conscious that many of the opportunities currently available to our students to engage with the local community and to be active citizens are extra-curricular, and those students who have least spare time or who need paid employment the most are less likely to be able to benefit from them. Should, therefore, civic experience be built into the curriculum or in some way contribute to degree credit?
So anyway, these are the ramblings of a 'thought in process' and something I am hoping to explore in greater detail over the coming months, through conversations with colleagues and students here in Bath and with peers in the HE sector across the country. If others have a particular interest in this subject, I'd love to hear from you.
Katrina
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