Seattle U has long been recognized for academic excellence. The Youth Initiative has put us on the map in another way, garnering high honors and interest nationwide as a model of university-led community engagement. Through the high awareness of the Youth Initiative, we’re able to share what we’ve learned on a bigger stage, serving as a model for universities seeking new ways to engage with their communities.
Community engagement as defined by The Carnegie Foundation, “describes collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.”
Read more about lessons learned from the Seattle University Youth Initiative.
“Seattle University is onto something big. The Youth Initiative underscores the original role of higher education in America as the university informs and is informed by the concerns and opportunities of society.” —Joel Zylstra, Director of Community Engagement and Service, Pacific Lutheran University
“This effort is absent even a hint of artifice. The relationship between Seattle U and its neighbors works both ways. A community gets to tap into the considerable resources of the private university on the hill and Seattle U gets to sharpen the Jesuit philosophy of public service that helps distinguish it from other schools.” - The Seattle Times