COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING AS A TRANSFORMATIVE PEDAGOGY FOR YOUTH CITIZENSHIP

Abstract

In a highly centralized educational system, the need for innovative, transformative pedagogies that trigger institutional reforms increased dramatically, especially in the context of social unrest and conflict that continue to shake the Middle East and North Africa region. Focusing on Egypt, this study questions the extent to which public and private universities in Egypt embark on initiatives for introducing and/or promoting community servicesandcivic engagement among students. Special attention is given to community-based learning, also known as service learning, as a bottom-up approach employed by faculty members to navigate a centralized governance, to empower students and to serve local communities. Research has been conducted ata private, foreign university with a total of 46 participants (14 faculty members, 26 students and 6 community partners) (Megahed et al., 2017), and a study of "civic engagement initiatives in universities" in three Arab countries, including Egypt (El Ebrashi, 2017) are reviewed along with other related scholarly literature and national reports. The review of research shows similarities and differences between public and private universities in the approach and practice of community services and reveals related advantages, challenges and opportunities. Based on the research findings, the study concludes with a framework for integrating community-based learning across academic disciplines at universities for youth citizenship.