UNIC Testimonial: European Values in Action at UCC

I recently spent five amazing days at University College Cork (UCC). Since I’m involved with both UNIC for Engaged Research and UNIC, Cork was a perfect fit. It’s a place I was somewhat familiar with, and I knew it aligned with my goals of learning more about engagement and education. Staff exchanges add European values in action for me, I’m grateful for this opportunity.

The experience was fantastic! Not only did I strengthen existing relationships with UNIC colleagues, but I also got to see a civic university in action. UCC spreads education across the city, collaborating with a variety of partners, which was really inspiring. Martin Galvin and Ciara O'Halloran, along with the rest of the UCC team, made my time there very special.

I wanted to participate in this exchange to deepen my understanding of engagement and education. UCC is a stellar example with so many engagement projects. I learned a lot, especially about learning from different communities and team members, budgeting, project construction, and seeing design thinking in action. These insights have been super helpful in my day-to-day work. For instance, I’ve started incorporating informal knowledge and active pedagogical learning, recognizing that education often happens outside traditional settings.

I would definitely do this again, either at UCC or with another UNIC partner. Next time, I’d love to visit a UNIC partner where engagement isn’t as developed, to see how they operate and maybe share my experiences. To my colleagues thinking about doing something similar, I highly recommend it. My tip: wear comfortable shoes and stay naturally curious.”