Strengthening Community Engagement

Academic and administrative staff from Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University participated in a three-day training focused on community engagement, conducted under the Erasmus+ KA2 Institutional Development project titled "Enhancing Capacities for Sustainable Community Engagement: Cases of Georgia and Sierra Leone."

The training was led by Professor Bojana Culum from the University of Rijeka (Croatia) and Professor Alberta Gregorova, a Social Work specialist from Matej Bel University (Slovakia), both of whom are directly involved in implementing community engagement initiatives at their respective institutions.

On the first day, the focus was on introducing the concept of community engagement initiatives to the participants and highlighting the role of universities in this field. The second day was devoted entirely to integrating community engagement activities into the academic curriculum. The trainers shared their own experiences with the audience, outlining main challenges and showcasing successful projects they have implemented. Additionally, they discussed the establishment of a structural unit responsible for implementing and monitoring project-based activities going forward.

The final day featured working sessions where participants consolidated the knowledge they had gained. They also examined potential challenges and solutions for raising awareness of community engagement and implementing such initiatives within university operations.

The training took place from September 3 to 5, 2025, at the University of Georgia.
 

The project "Enhancing Capacities for Sustainable Community Engagement: Cases of Georgia and Sierra Leone" is an Erasmus+ KA2 institutional support initiative funded by the European Commission. Its aim is to raise awareness of community engagement and to strengthen the role of universities in this domain. The project spans two years, involving the following partner universities:

• University of Georgia (coordinator)
• Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University (Georgia)
• Matej Bel University (Slovakia)
• University of Rijeka (Croatia)
• University of Makeni (Sierra Leone)
• University of Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone)
   

Within the framework of the project, a guidebook has been developed to help interested individuals gain deeper insights into community engagement. Additionally, a "training of trainers" workshop will be held in Slovakia in April 2026, preparing university staff for future initiatives in this area. Finally, a closing conference showcasing the project’s results will take place in Georgia at the end of 2026.