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Community Engaged Learning Programme (CELP) The Community Engaged Learning Programme (CELP), offered by the Community Engagement Unit (CEU) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), introduces students to the principles and practice of community engagement within the South African context. Grounded in the Scholarship of Engagement for Societal Impact (SoE-SI), the programme connects academic learning with societal needs by encouraging students to apply their disciplinary knowledge to real-world challenges. Through this approach, CELP aims to cultivate socially responsible graduates who are equipped to contribute meaningfully to social transformation, equity, and sustainable development in a post-apartheid society. CELP is designed as a reflective and experiential training programme that integrates theory with practice. The training is structured through facilitated sessions that introduce key concepts, including community engagement, the scholarship of engagement, diversity consciousness, leadership for societal impact, and community entry. A central component of the programme is the development and implementation of a community engagement workshop or volunteering project, in which students apply their learning in real-life contexts and critically reflect on their experiences, leadership, and impact. The objectives of CELP are to develop students’ understanding of community engagement as both a professional and personal commitment to social change, to foster diversity awareness and inclusive practice, and to build community-engaged leadership skills. The programme further aims to strengthen students’ capacity to act as active citizens by equipping them with the knowledge and tools to design and contribute to initiatives that promote social justice and community well-being. Ultimately, CELP supports the development of reflexive, ethical, and engaged graduates who can bridge theory and practice and work collaboratively with communities to co-create sustainable solutions to societal challenges. For more information on the CEU’s Community Engaged Learning Programme, please contact: ceutraining@uwc.ac.za #IAmUWC

The HECE Conference 2026 hosted by Rhodes University in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. Dr Samantha van Schalkwyk, Acting Director of the Community Engagement Unit (CEU), and Damaris Kiewiets, Community Liaison Officer, participated in the Higher Education Community Engagement: Reparative Futures for the Cultivation of Humanity Conference, hosted by Rhodes University from 5–7 May 2026 in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. The conference brought together academics, researchers, students, government representatives, and community partners from South Africa and abroad to engage in discussions on higher education, social justice, and community engagement. Dr Samantha van Schalkwyk presented a paper titled “Community-Engaged Learning as Epistemic and Relational Repair at the University of the Western Cape.” Her presentation explored how the Community Engaged Learning Programme (CELP) offered by CEU at the University of the Western Cape, supports community-engaged learning as a humanising and socially responsive educational practice. The paper highlighted the importance of recognising communities as partners in knowledge creation while promoting ethical responsibility, dialogue, and social accountability among students. Damaris Kiewiets, together with Keith Cloete from the Department of Health and Wellness, Western Cape Government, presented “A Living Model of Dialogic Partnership: Co-Governance, Co-Inquiry, and Legacy-Making in Community Engagement.” Their presentation focused on the value of sustainable partnerships between universities, government institutions, and communities in addressing social challenges through collaboration and shared responsibility. The conference provided valuable opportunities for networking, collaboration, and knowledge exchange among institutions committed to strengthening engaged scholarship and socially responsive practices within higher education. Participation in the conference reflects the CEU’s continued commitment to meaningful community engagement, collaborative partnerships, and the advancement of socially responsive and inclusive higher education practices.

Co-producing and utilizing livestock herders’ indigenous knowledge on fodder plant species in semi-arid communal rangelands in South Africa The aim of this project is to co-produce indigenous knowledge with experienced farmers and herders on fodder species use, value and distribution for sustainable use. It also aims to facilitate knowledge transfer opportunities between farmer generations and Nama communities and to demonstrate the use of the knowledge to improve livestock production for the continuation of the Nama tradition. In order to create a space where indigenous ecological and agricultural knowledge can be transmitted orally or where practical experiences can be shared with future generations. Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology Agriculture Research Council (ARC) This project can be accessed on the CE Database https://ceudatabase.uwc.ac.za/portal