The report University-Community Collaboration: Strengthening Local Engagement and Global Connections provides a comprehensive overview of the strategies and initiatives undertaken by the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) Alliance to enhance collaboration between universities and local communities. It traces the transformation of ten individual institutions into a cohesive, community-oriented Alliance dedicated to fostering civic engagement at both local and international levels.
The report opens with an overview of existing local cooperation frameworks and introduces the YUFE Community Engagement Declaration 2025–2030, which sets out the Alliance’s core values and strategic direction. It highlights a series of concrete YUFE initiatives – such as Service-Learning Help Desks, Community Volunteering Programmes, the Friend Programme, the Community Engagement Network, and the CommUNIty Conference – that exemplify YUFE’s approach to building inclusive and mutually beneficial university-community partnerships.
Subsequent sections address communication strategies, the measurable impact of community engagement efforts, and the key challenges encountered during implementation. The final chapters look ahead, outlining YUFE’s long-term ambitions and presenting key recommendations for effective and sustainable universitycommunity collaboration.
