Shaping The City Region

Cardiff University is bringing together politicians, businesses and community groups to consider how its students and staff can help shape the future direction of Cardiff Capital Region. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The event will showcase how the University is already working with partners across the city region to improve health and wellbeing, boost the economy, strengthen educational attainment and raise the quality of our environment. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Partnering for Change: Cardiff University and its Activities in the Capital Region takes place on Tuesday 1 November 2016 at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay and will include a free public exhibition. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

It follows a call from the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Kirsty Williams, in September for universities to “recapture a civic mission” and help re-unite Welsh society following the EU referendum. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Organiser Dr Stevie Upton, who works on the University’s City Region Exchange engagement project, said it was an opportunity to bring different groups of people together from across the city region to discuss its future. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

She said: “Staff and students are highly engaged with the public and with private and charity sector partners in the Cardiff Capital Region, through an enormous variety of teaching and research-based projects and programmes…” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Equally, there is much that we can learn from working with others: projects carried out in the region provide the foundation on which some of our most transformative world-class research is based.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The event will offer an opportunity to meet the staff and students responsible for the University’s city region work and share views on how the University should proceed. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Projects from across the University are taking part, from the National Software Academy centre of excellence in Newport to the Dawnsio’r Lingo project, which explores how dance and movement can contribute to the development of Welsh as a second language for young people in north Merthyr. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

City Region Exchange is part of the University’s Transforming Communities programme that was launched two years ago in collaboration with Welsh Government and communities in Cardiff, Wales and beyond. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​