We’re creating a Community Knowledge Working Group and would love for you to be a part of it.
Aims
- Help to inform, guide, and shape community engagement at the University of Cambridge.
- Build and deepen relationships between community groups and the University.
- Advise on new ways of collaborative working.
- Be active in shaping the Working Group, developing a set of values and inclusive practices to guide it.
- Contribute to evaluating and improving the Board process.
Members
We are recruiting 6 to 9 members through an open application process. We would love a mix of people with different areas of expertise, knowledge and lived experiences from:
- Community members
- Community professionals
- University researchers
As a member you will serve one year on the board, with the option to extend this twice. A member can therefore serve a maximum of 3 years.
What you'll be doing
As a member of the Community Knowledge Working Group, you will have 2 main roles:
- To help shape the University’s strategic approach to community engagement. To do this you will use your experience to:
- Provide advice and suggestions on both the short and long term direction of community engagement and collaborative research.
- This includes how funding and University support could change for the better.
- Assess applications and award funding to community research projects. You will decide which projects you think deserve attention. To do this you will:
- Set the criteria for applications to the fund, working with the Community Engagement Manager.
- Assess applications and decide on which projects to fund. These could be community research projects or direct community-University collaborations.
In both cases we commit to listen to your guidance and will put in place your suggestions and changes in practice when these fall within our remit and align with funder requirements.
Meetings
As a member of the Community Knowledge Working Group you will need to do some preparation for, attend, and contribute to meetings. We will design the schedule with you to enable all members to take part as fully as possible. We are happy to discuss flexible participation options.
We aim to hold 4 meetings each year:
Advisory meetings
You will provide guidance on strategic approaches to community engagement and advise the Community Engagement Manager.
- 2 meetings, each lasting up to 2 hours with a break included.
- We estimate these meetings will need about 2 hours of preparation.
Funding meeting
You will discuss and decide which community research projects to fund.
- One meeting to assess applications, lasting 2 hours with a break included.
- We estimate this meeting will need about 5 hours of preparation.
Annual away day
You will meet up with the Festival Working Group as part of the full Community Engagement Advisory Board. This meeting is an opportunity for creative thinking, to reflect, and share working group activity over the year.
- One day-long meeting held in-person with breaks and lunch provided.
- No advanced preparation will be needed.
Why we are setting this Group up
The University of Cambridge is a world-leading centre of learning and research. But knowledge is never created in a vacuum. It is shaped by the experiences and perspectives of those who produce it. That is why it is essential to involve a wide range of people in research.
Cambridge is also a city marked by deep inequality. For many locals the University can feel distant and disconnected from everyday life. At Public Engagement, we want to work with you to help change that.
We believe that expertise does not just come from academic study. It also comes from lived experience and exists within communities. That belief is at the heart of the new Community Knowledge Working Group, part of the Community Engagement Advisory Board. This group is part of our commitment to strengthen relationships with both local and global communities, and to support collaborative research that values community knowledge.
By doing so, we aim to make research more relevant, more impactful, and more inclusive, benefitting both communities and the University.
Get involved
Apply to join the Community Knowledge Working Group. We would love to hear from you. If you have questions or need help with the application, please email us at communityengagement@admin.cam.ac.uk.