As a supporter of engagement, the University of Johannesburg is committed to achieving closer contact with the community as embedded in its vision, which embraces the advancement of freedom, democracy, equality and human dignity. This is realized through the application of its human capital in adding value to external constituencies by entering strategic contractual partnerships and relationships that are mutually beneficial to the University community, as well as the broader external communities which extend to Gauteng, the country as a whole and the SADC region.

Community engagement, in the form of service learning and community-based research, is a core academic function of the institution, which has the reciprocal benefit of enabling the community to access the University’s intellectual capital and approved project-based resources. Staff and students gain simultaneous awareness of and can thus assist the community in addressing their needs.

Community engagement has three components, namely Service Learning, Community-based Research and

Organized Outreach, as defined below:

•  Community-based Research entails research projects that make a significant contribution to a community in the form of services, products and/or new knowledge and skills transfer.
•  Organized Outreach relates to the provision of community-determined services and resources by students and employees, outside of academic programs, to address development needs.
• Service Learning necessitates teaching and learning that targets specific community needs through a curriculum-based assessment that is accredited and which enables students to participate in as well as reflect on contextualized structured activities that address identified service needs.