USW Exchange

Civic Mission and Community Engagement

We work alongside community leaders, cultural organisations, the Government, and the third sector to identify ways in which we can promote social cohesion in the area, develop the health and well-being of its people, and represent South Wales in both national and international discourses.

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At USW we are committed to creating better tomorrows through our research, partnerships, and contributions to civic mission.

Reaching Wider is a partnership of universities, schools and colleges in Wales working together to improve social mobility by widening access to all forms of higher education.

Reaching Wider

Widening access to Higher Education

The USW and Reaching Wider Summer School returns this year with a programme of exciting activities to give students a taste of life as an undergraduate student.

Summer School

USW & Reaching Wider Summer School

Students from schools and colleges across Wales attended a cyber security pathways event delivered by the CyberFirst Wales, University of South Wales (USW) and industry partners.

CyberFirst Wales

Inspiring cyber skills

Technocamps is a wide-reaching digital programme. The main goal is to support digital upskilling across Wales through our strong partnerships with all Welsh universities.

Technocamps

Embedding STEM into the community

Wales Women in STEM tries to expose and address the barriers that women face while working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

Wales Women in STEM

Raising aspirations & confidence

Immersed! Festival is curated by creative industries students from the University of South Wales and supported by Creative Wales to raise awareness for Music Declares Emergency, the industry’s climate

Immersed Festival

Curated by creative students

Exploring the value of creative engagement with the University for domestic violence and abuse survivors residing in local refuges.

Co-Creating Spaces of Change

Relief from Refuge

Get in touch with our Community Engagement Manager

Get in touch

The South Wales Civic Engagement Partnership (SWCEP)

The South Wales Civic Engagement Partnership (SWCEP), established in January 2023, is the UK’s only partnership to include FEIs as equal partners, recognising their grassroots community links and role in Civic Mission work. SWCEP has delivered two funding streams: the Pump Priming Fund, awarding £70k to 9 collaborative projects, and the Civic Engagement Events Programme, which hosted 45 events funded by the Strategic Investment Fund. In October 2024, SWCEP was honored at the University of South Wales’ Engagement and Impact Awards for its Civil Impact. In 2026, University of Wales Press will publish two books on Civic Engagement, featuring 54 contributors from SWCEP institutions.

Comprising 5 HEIs and 5 FEIs in the Cardiff Capital Region, SWCEP addresses local challenges and inequalities, guided by the Future Generations Act and other frameworks. In October 2023, all 10 partners signed a Civic Agreement for the region.

Contact SWCEP at [email protected] for more details.

Read the Civic Agreement

CIVIC VOLUNTEER CASE STUDIES

Two volunteers spraying artwork onto a wall.

ART Walk Port Talbot

ARTwalk Port Talbot is a Heritage Lottery-funded project to create an urban walking trail around the murals and street art highlights of Port Talbot town center, Taibach, and Sandfields areas. . After downloading a smartphone app, participants will be guided from artwork to artwork from Ty’r Orsaf along Commercial Road and back into the town centre.

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A selfie of Tim Morris in a sunny green field.

Sustrans

Sustrans is a UK charity that helps look after their local communities by engaging with schools, supporting wildlife conservation, caring for the National Cycle Network, and much more.

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Meadow Street Community Garden

Meadow Street Community Garden is a safe and welcoming place where people from all walks of life can come and enjoy the benefits of nature, and homegrown produce and have opportunities to share and learn new skills.

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A woman in a high vis looking towards the camera standing next to a river

The River Restoration Centre (RRC)

The aim of The River Restoration Centre (RRC) project is to have citizen scientists survey rivers and, with the help of more experienced surveyors, produce assessments of habitat quality and develop river restoration projects to improve river habitats.

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Download the full roadmap

Reprogramming the Future

Reprogramming the Future isn’t just a roadmap, it’s a call to action.

Wales is being transformed by digital technologies, yet a portion of the population is still being excluded from shaping that transformation. By reprogramming the future, we will unlock the untapped brilliance of women and girls, creating an economy that works for everyone.

This roadmap is about dismantling the structural barriers that have held women back and building a system where every girl in Wales sees technology not just as something she can use, but as something she can shape.

Find out more Download the full roadmap

Could your organisation Benefit from USW Volunteers?

Get in touch

We are offering Community Events & Engagement Vouchers to local third sector and social enterprise organisations. These vouchers help subsidise the cost of hiring USW facilities for community events and engagement activities from September 2024 to July 2025. Organisations can receive up to £250 towards venue hire, with limited funding awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible applicants must be based in the Cardiff Capital Region and collaborate with USW staff or students. Events must be free and align with USW’s Civic Mission priorities, such as improving education, promoting active citizenship, or addressing global issues. T&Cs apply. Get in touch to find out more and apply.

As a Community Partnership, we know that the team behind the Meadow Street Garden really appreciates the support, and we look forward to exploring volunteer opportunities in the future.

Matthew Evans

Careers Team Manager

For the last 12 months I’ve been volunteering to look after the App that supports the ARTwalk and curate a list of all the pieces/murals that appear.

USW Staff

Multimedia Volunteer

My experience of working with grassroots community groups on a pan-Wales community engagement project, really sparked my interest in community and civic activism.

Donna Szarun

Knowledge Exchange and Impact Officer

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USW Exchange

Civic Mission and Community Engagement

Civic & Community Projects

Get in touch with our Community Engagement Manager

The South Wales Civic Engagement Partnership (SWCEP)

CIVIC VOLUNTEER CASE STUDIES

ART Walk Port Talbot

Sustrans

Meadow Street Community Garden

The River Restoration Centre (RRC)

Reprogramming the Future

Could your organisation Benefit from USW Volunteers?

As a Community Partnership, we know that the team behind the Meadow Street Garden really appreciates the support, and we look forward to exploring volunteer opportunities in the future.

For the last 12 months I’ve been volunteering to look after the App that supports the ARTwalk and curate a list of all the pieces/murals that appear.

My experience of working with grassroots community groups on a pan-Wales community engagement project, really sparked my interest in community and civic activism.

Find out More