4. Community engagement

Message to students, staff and local community

Through community engagement, we’ll find out how we can play a key role in promoting and sustaining mutually beneficial relationships with local and broader communities. This might be to open up physical spaces for the public to share knowledge and expertise or to support staff and student volunteers in local projects.

• See the Sustainability at Charles Sturt Community and Business engagement sheet [PDF 294KB]

Progress toward best practice

This framework was benchmarked with Business and Industry Interface in 2016. The below graph illustrates our progress towards best practice across the eight (8) activity areas, with the most recent rating update being displayed in orange.

Community engagement on Orange campus as part of the establishment of the Girinyalanha Aboriginal Nature and Bioscience Park.

Action Plan

Charles Sturt University is working with our local community and the wider public to develop sustainable initiatives.

• See the Community Engagement Action Plan [PDF 367KB]

This action plan has been paired with the Business and Industry Interface Framework.

Initiatives

• Share good practice examples to stimulate community engagement.
• Record stories to describe the impact of investments into community groups and not-for-profit organisations.
• Join your Campus Environment Working Group.
• Take advantage of Charles Sturt University's institutional membership of Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability and become an active contributor to this association.
• Foster networks with community groups in your neighbourhood (e.g. Landcare, whole foods co-operatives, social enterprises) and act as an information broker between these groups and Charles Sturt University.
• Source and recommend inspirational presenters to be involved as part of the University Explorations Series.

Campus Environment Working Groups (CEWGs)

Joining the Campus Environment Working Group (CEWG) at your local Charles Sturt campus will give you the chance to form relationships with like-minded staff, students, businesses and organisations. CEWG meetings are a platform for discussion, partnership and skill-sharing. Through meetings, you will help strengthen sustainability outcomes for the University and the community.

• Albury-Wodonga
  Chair: Jonathon Howard, jhoward@csu.edu.au
• Bathurst
  Chair: Andrew McGrath, amcgrath@csu.edu.au
• Dubbo
  Chair: Liz Laidlaw, elaidlaw@csu.edu.au
• Orange
  Chair: Scott Andrew, sandrew@csu.edu.au
• Port Macquarie
  Chair: Kate Wood-Foye, kwoodfoye@csu.edu.au
• Wagga Wagga
  Wagga Wagga's campus group is the Environmental Action Group Ensuring Restoration and Reconciliation (EAGERR). Chair: Collin James, cljames@csu.edu.au

CEWG Resources

• CEWG Terms of Reference [P1DF 23KB]
• CEWG Factsheet [PDF 1.1MB]

Partnerships

We are committed to strengthening our community partnerships and providing skill-sharing and networking opportunities for students, staff and community partners. Ways that we do this include:

• co-hosting sustainability events
• promoting initiatives run by local organisations
• inviting partners to join us for national and University initiatives
• providing in-kind support for workshop space
• sponsoring students and staff to attend sustainability conferences.

Find community groups in your area in this community resource document [DOC 20KB]. Although the groups and activities are not endorsed by Charles Sturt University, these are complementary to Charles Sturt's sustainability values.

Professional development in sustainability

Whether you're a business, Charles Sturt University alumni or environmental organisation, providing professional development in sustainability means you're investing in the sustainability leaders of the future. Supporting students through internship opportunities, professional development, lectures and workshops are valuable ways to contribute and we can help facilitate these.

Short film resources

How can you be involved? Check out this list of short films [DOC 17KB].

Case study

Girinyalanha – More Than Just a 'Yarning Circle'

The Girinyalanha Yarning Circle has introduced Charles Sturt staff and students to Aboriginal culture, knowledge and ceremony.