Speakers
Description
This presentation is based on personal experiences gained over the past 3 decades in 'Community Engaged Research and Learning' (CERL) in the Sport for Development (SfD) domain in Flanders and the Brussels region (Belgium) and which has been largely inspired through close contacts with local practitioners and policy makers. It discusses the challenges and needs of sports-based developmental programmes targeting at-risk populations (primarily youth) and how we as SfD researchers have identified our role and positioned ourselves in the context of a university that has labelled itself as an ‘Urban Engaged University’. It will provide insights into the tension that exists between the expectations from the academic world with regard to the recognition and funding of scientific research, the vision on academic teaching and service provision on the one hand, and on the other hand, the desire to support and contribute as social scientists to a broader legitimation base for the work of local SfD initiatives in their relation to local policy makers and other potential funders. Both opportunities and limitations in working with practitioners who operate in challenging inner city areas will be highlighted. The specific case of a university-based 'Martial Arts Expertise Center' will serve as an illustration for CERL and will highlight its transition from a (virtual) living lab to a (physical) ‘interdisciplinary social laboratory’ located on campus in Brussels.
