YIDAN International Prize in Educational Development

The School of Public Administration (SPA) is very proud to announce that UVic President, Jamie Cassels, has nominated the Knowledge for Change (K4C) International Consortium for the YIDAN International Prize in Educational Development.

Dr. Budd Hall (SPA), and Dr. Rajesh Tandon (PRIA), joint holders of the UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research, are the co-Directors of the Canadian- and Indian-based Knowledge for Change (K4C) Consortium for training in the field of community-based research (CBR). Its 8 training hubs around the world (Canada, India, Brazil, Uganda, Ghana, Indonesia, South Africa, England and Italy) will focus on the challenges involved in meeting the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Dr. Norah McRae, Director of the Office of Community University Engagement at UVic, is recognized as a world leader in Work Integrated and Community-Engaged Learning. She sits on the Steering Committee of the K4C Consortium.

Together, Drs. Hall, Tandon and McRae bring exceptional vision, breadth, knowledge and capability in leading this global consortium of training in Community-engaged Learning & Research (CEL-R). The overall objective of the K4C is the generation of new co-constructed knowledge to address critical issues facing our communities, in line with the UN SDGs. Community-based training and research capacity development is the strategy for achieving that. Drs. Hall, Tandon and McRae will use a variety of innovative training methods including field based research projects, skill-based workshops, face-to-face and on-line teaching, and individual mentorship to train nearly 1500 community-based researchers in the next 5 years, while creating and supporting 8 hubs delivering CBR training.