Our first seminar for the Social Impact Lab focused on Public & Community Engagement and was led by Rachel Piper, Community Engagement Coordinator at the University of Oxford. The seminar was a brilliant introduction to the importance of research connected to the community, a critical topic for our Social Impact Lab project teams as they embark on their projects. 

We were joined for the seminar by Nigel Carter and Hassan Sabrie, directors of Oxford Community Action, who discussed community development principles, how to enhance community assets and knowledge base (asset vs deficit approach), cross-community dialogue, and the importance of participatory action research. The Lab Fellows were also shown some best case examples including the University's own Science Together programme. 

We have five project teams working with community organisations, including Low Carbon Hub, Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership (OIEP), Active Oxfordshire, Oxford Hub and Oxford City Football Club. Lab Programme Manager Oliver Cook is helping guide the teams and it's wonderful to see the research taking shape for our Social Impact Fellows: Maya Jamroz, (Stelios) Alex Koukouravas, Laurence Peinturier, Emily Hsu, Shawntel Nicole Martinez Nieto, Luisa Costa, Isabelle Haynes, Mathilde Ritman, Karaca Bingöl, Sara da Silva Freitas,Muhammad Abrahim Shah, Anita Makori & Nawal Rai