University World News Examines Global Impacts of Engaged Scholarship Projects
Austin D. Ablo, University of Ghana, is leading a project exploring how the informal waste sector can improve the livelihood of urban citizens in Accra, Ghana. Photo courtesy of Austin D. Ablo.
Engaged research involves university scholars working with community members to pursue research related to complex social issues. The project strengthens community-university partnerships while contributing to the development of active citizens with the capacity to examine and address pressing issues. In 2023-24, the Engaged Scholar Award program is providing USD $205,000 to 28 projects in 16 countries.
“It is a collaborative approach to public problem-solving that seeks to balance unequal power dynamics and make research more impactful,” says Dayna Cunningham, dean of the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, US, host of the Talloires Network.
The story highlights the work of several engaged scholars, including Jazmin Puicón’s course on “Innovative Newark: Creating Engaged Citizens in the Global City,” which teaches history from the perspective of the Black and Brown people of Newark, New Jersey, the third poorest city in the US. The course has led to an 8.7% increase in the graduation rate among enrolees at the Bard High School Early College Newark.
The article also discusses the work of Austin D. Ablo, a professor of geography at the University of Ghana, who leads a project seeking to improve the working conditions of informal waste collectors in Accra, who collect almost as much waste as the formal sector. His project helps provide these low income workers, who sort waste in extremely hazardous conditions, with protective gloves and shoes. It also focuses on public education, creating a pilot project where community members come together to brainstorm issues related to solid waste management and recycling.
Post Date: 03-25-2024