Hosted by: Dr. Anita Maurtin, Director, Strategic Academic Projects Office of the DVC: Academic, UWC. On 17 July 2026, the Community Engagement Unit team, Ms. Damaris Kiewiets (CEU community liaison officer), Ms. Pearl September-Brown (CEU researcher), and Dr. Samantha van Schalkwyk (CEU Acting Director) facilitated a training for UWC’s Accelerated Excellence Programme (AEP) students. (Venues): On the 17th at Krystal Beach Hotel, Gordon’s Bay and on the 18th July, Mandela Day

29 July 2026 * The Community Engagement Unit (CEU) hosted an in-person Scholarship of Engagement for Societal Impact (SoE-SI) Training with the Faculty of Education. The training focused on UWC’s Scholarship Model and advanced navigation of the SoE-SI web portal. The session was facilitated by Dr Samantha van Schalkwyk, Acting Director of the CEU, and Mr Ridwaan Mallum, CEU Web Architect. Participants were guided through the SoE-SI framework and the use of the web portal to d

On 2 July, representatives from the University of Zululand and the University of the Western Cape met as part of the Unizulu-led UCDP site visit. The meeting focused on laying the groundwork for the collaborative project, Community Engagement Ethics and Research Methodology, and provided an opportunity to discuss collaboration between the participating institutions. Among those in attendance was Dr. Samantha van Schalkwyk, Acting Director of the UWC Community Engagement Unit,

Winter has a special way of reminding us that small acts of kindness can create lasting warmth. Our Project Winter Hope initiative in Garies, Northern Cape, was an incredible success, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed, partnered with us, and helped make a meaningful impact in the lives of community members. On behalf of the Community Engagement Unit (CEU), we would like to extend our sincere appreciation to our partners from the UWC Library, particularly

Dr Samantha van Schalkwyk (Acting Director): The first half of 2026 has been a period of transition and growth for the Community Engagement Unit (CEU). Since assuming the role of Acting Director in January 2026, a key focus has been to enhance the visibility of community engagement initiatives within the CEU and across UWC. This commitment is aligned with UWC's IOP 2026–2030 and its vision of developing graduates who embody Ubuntu through ethical leadership and social respons