Empowering Civic Engagement

Enriching Communities

Held on 14 & 15 October 2025

Where ideas met impact

CiviCon2025 was held on 14 & 15 October 2025 in Sheffield for a transformative event that fostered collaboration, innovation and impact in civic practice within and beyond the higher education sector.

The event brought together professionals, academics, and senior leaders from universities and civic partners to showcase outstanding civic initiatives and share practical tools for engagement. Participants from higher education institutions – including researchers, professional services teams, and civic leaders – joined external partners from Combined Authorities, NHS Trusts, the Civil Service, and community organisations.

Together, they explored innovative ways to strengthen civic partnerships and expand institutional impact. The event created a vibrant space for learning, connection, and collaboration – inspiring new opportunities to advance civic engagement across higher education.

CiviCon25 Themes

Civic in Action: Learning from the Past, Building the Present

This theme focused on showcasing tools, resources, and practices that had been used effectively, as well as what was happening in the civic space at that time. It emphasised action learning, lived experiences, and practical applications.

Civic Futures: Leveraging Change

This theme explored how to leverage change, navigate policy challenges, and reimagine civic engagement with limited resources. It looked toward the future, focusing on sustainability, strategy and broadening impact.

Photo Gallery

Photography by Ben Collins, © Sheffield Hallam University, 2025.

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Impact

Reflections from CiviCon25…

It was really interesting to hear civic projects being brought to life through the workshop and encounter sessions and to speak to so many passionate people dedicated to making a positive impact in their communities.

I especially enjoyed Amy Carter Gordon‘s place-based interactive river walk along the River Don exploring how art and creative practices have been central to community engagement through the River Dôn Project. Taking the group around the dynamic Kelham Island area made me proud to be from Sheffield.

Delegate, CiviCon25

I’m coming away full of ideas and energised by the incredible work happening across the UK, while also conscious of the need to better organise the work happening in pockets and embed civic engagement into institutions’ strategic decision-making.

Delegate, CiviCon25

It’s wonderful to be here among so many inspiring colleagues and partners who are genuinely committed to civic engagement. The energy and passion in the room is remarkable – from academics and researchers to our civic partners in local authorities, NHS Trusts, and community organisations. These are the connections that drive real impact, and I’m excited to learn from the exemplary practice being shared today

Delegate, CiviCon25

Hearing from colleagues from across the UK talk about their approaches to partnership development, community engagement, and civic action has further highlighted the importance of embedding these practices into the work we are doing in the Social Sciences and across the University of York as a whole. Thank you to the CiviCon team for putting on such a great event, and to the National Civic Impact Accelerator team for their ongoing support, and I look forward to using the Civic Field Guide in our own programme of work.

Delegate, CiviCon25

What attendees had to say

CiviCon25 generated learning, networking, and innovation in the civic university movement, but don’t just take our word for it. Here’s how delegates rated CiviCon25 speakers:

How did delegates rate CiviCon24 overall?

93%

of delegates were satisfied or very satisfied with CiviCon25

90%

of delegates would consider recommending CiviCon to a friend or colleague

86%

of delegates said they made useful connections or learnt something that would impact their work

How delegates described CiviCon25:

Source: CiviCon25 Delegate Evaluation. Word Cloud includes words used to describe CiviCon by at least 3 delegates. Size of word is indicative of the number of times used (i.e. “connected” mentioned by <13 delegates).