we often imagine civic responsibility as something carried out on the edges of university life, through outreach projects, community research, or volunteering. These activities matter, but they should not distract from a more fundamental truth. Civic life grows from the ground up. Community organising teaches us that meaningful change is led by people who belong to a place and share responsibility for its future. If universities want students to become active citizens, they must apply this principle to their own campuses. Civic engagement should not only be offered to the outside world, it should be lived within the institution itself.
At Sheffield Students' Union we represent more than 28,000 students and work to create belonging and influence so they can contribute to civic life in the region and beyond. Civic responsibility becomes clearer when we stop viewing students as recipients of civic programmes and instead treat them as partners. Many are already deeply involved in local community life long before a university recognises their contribution. They volunteer with charities, organise mutual aid, lead faith-based outreach, campaign on climate justice and housing, and build social change through societies and student networks. Too often this labour sits outside university policy, celebrated but separated from academic life. When universities choose to work alongside student action rather than simply observing it, civic work becomes more authentic and is rooted in lived experience of local priorities.
Embedding civic responsibility across university practice also requires investment. Civic partnerships cannot rely solely on goodwill or unpaid enthusiasm. Students' Unions are often expected to act as civic leaders, yet they are not always resourced to build the infrastructure that makes this leadership effective. A well supported Students' Union can convene local organisations, train students in community leadership, support campaigning and advocacy, and help shape projects grounded in lived knowledge of local needs. Funding these structures signals that civic responsibility is a core institutional practice, not an extracurricular activity.
Photo taken at the Sheffield Students Assembly
Civic responsibility should also shape how students experience everyday university life. One of the greatest barriers to civic participation is loneliness. A young person cannot contribute meaningfully to a community if they do not feel seen or connected. Our work on academic communities shows that feelings of belonging are not just linked to wellbeing, they influence how students practice citizenship. When students feel ownership over their course or department, they are more likely to take responsibility for improving it. This mirrors how people care for their neighbourhoods when they feel rooted and respected.
Universities often attempt to teach civic values through campaigns or toolkits, when in reality such values are learned through lived power. At Sheffield we embed democratic responsibility into the student journey by building participation into everyday practice. Voter registration is included within key student touchpoints, not as a one-off message but as part of being an engaged student. MP drop-in sessions allow students to challenge policymakers directly. The Sheffield Student Assembly takes this further by giving students a direct role in shaping local priorities. It brings students together with councillors, MPs, community leaders, and university representatives to debate city-wide issues such as transport, housing, and safety. The Assembly does not simply ask students for feedback, it invites them to influence public institutions, negotiate solutions, and hold decision makers to account. Students learn democracy by practising it, not by hearing about it.
Imagine a university where every department models this approach. Civic engagement modules developed with community partners as co educators, not just guest contributors. Course representatives trained as civic leaders who understand power, negotiation, and the responsibilities of representation. Research and community projects co designed with students whose lived experience relates to the issues being addressed. This would not only develop civic skills, it would also allow students to shape the civic identity of the university itself.
Universities cannot claim to serve their city while ignoring the civic culture within their own walls. To embed civic responsibility, they must align their operations with the needs of their local communities, collaborate with the students who are already acting on those needs, and fund the structures that make genuine partnership possible. Civic responsibility is not a programme or outreach offer, it is a culture. Students are already building it. Universities must be willing to join them and model the values they wish to promote in wider society.
we often imagine civic responsibility as something carried out on the edges of university life, through outreach projects, community research, or volunteering. These activities matter, but they should not distract from a more fundamental truth. Civic life grows from the ground up. Community organising teaches us that meaningful change is led by people who belong to a place and share responsibility for its future. If universities want students to become active citizens, they must apply this principle to their own campuses. Civic engagement should not only be offered to the outside world, it should be lived within the institution itself.
At Sheffield Students' Union we represent more than 28,000 students and work to create belonging and influence so they can contribute to civic life in the region and beyond. Civic responsibility becomes clearer when we stop viewing students as recipients of civic programmes and instead treat them as partners. Many are already deeply involved in local community life long before a university recognises their contribution. They volunteer with charities, organise mutual aid, lead faith-based outreach, campaign on climate justice and housing, and build social change through societies and student networks. Too often this labour sits outside university policy, celebrated but separated from academic life. When universities choose to work alongside student action rather than simply observing it, civic work becomes more authentic and is rooted in lived experience of local priorities.
Embedding civic responsibility across university practice also requires investment. Civic partnerships cannot rely solely on goodwill or unpaid enthusiasm. Students' Unions are often expected to act as civic leaders, yet they are not always resourced to build the infrastructure that makes this leadership effective. A well supported Students' Union can convene local organisations, train students in community leadership, support campaigning and advocacy, and help shape projects grounded in lived knowledge of local needs. Funding these structures signals that civic responsibility is a core institutional practice, not an extracurricular activity.
Photo taken at the Sheffield Students Assembly
Civic responsibility should also shape how students experience everyday university life. One of the greatest barriers to civic participation is loneliness. A young person cannot contribute meaningfully to a community if they do not feel seen or connected. Our work on academic communities shows that feelings of belonging are not just linked to wellbeing, they influence how students practice citizenship. When students feel ownership over their course or department, they are more likely to take responsibility for improving it. This mirrors how people care for their neighbourhoods when they feel rooted and respected.
Universities often attempt to teach civic values through campaigns or toolkits, when in reality such values are learned through lived power. At Sheffield we embed democratic responsibility into the student journey by building participation into everyday practice. Voter registration is included within key student touchpoints, not as a one-off message but as part of being an engaged student. MP drop-in sessions allow students to challenge policymakers directly. The Sheffield Student Assembly takes this further by giving students a direct role in shaping local priorities. It brings students together with councillors, MPs, community leaders, and university representatives to debate city-wide issues such as transport, housing, and safety. The Assembly does not simply ask students for feedback, it invites them to influence public institutions, negotiate solutions, and hold decision makers to account. Students learn democracy by practising it, not by hearing about it.
Imagine a university where every department models this approach. Civic engagement modules developed with community partners as co educators, not just guest contributors. Course representatives trained as civic leaders who understand power, negotiation, and the responsibilities of representation. Research and community projects co designed with students whose lived experience relates to the issues being addressed. This would not only develop civic skills, it would also allow students to shape the civic identity of the university itself.
Universities cannot claim to serve their city while ignoring the civic culture within their own walls. To embed civic responsibility, they must align their operations with the needs of their local communities, collaborate with the students who are already acting on those needs, and fund the structures that make genuine partnership possible. Civic responsibility is not a programme or outreach offer, it is a culture. Students are already building it. Universities must be willing to join them and model the values they wish to promote in wider society.
