Professor Lynn Dobbs, Vice-Chancellor of London Met, explains why working locally is so important to the University's organisational mission.
Date: 23 September 2020
Many facets of the way we live are becoming more globalised. We can communicate across the globe in an instant and the world’s economies become more interconnected each day. At London Met, however, we believe in the power of the local too.
The London Met Labs: Empowering London is our way to give back to our local communities by working in partnership with them to tackle major social challenges. Through the academic expertise we’ve been using to solve problems creatively for decades, the creativity of our students and staff, and the close relationships we’ve developed with local partners, we’re already making a valuable contribution to London.
But we’re determined to do more to address the concerns of our communities and the social issues they face, and to support the city’s economy. As a crucial part of our wider organisational strategy, the London Met Lab will provide opportunities for our staff and students to contribute to the success of the capital in close collaboration with grass-roots organisations. We want to develop lasting and meaningful engagement with our communities to help deliver what they need by undertaking research and impact work to support their key priorities. We are also embedding the principles of social justice and inclusion into our curriculum to provide the capital with value-driven graduates who will support London’s transformation in line with our mission.
The London Met Lab has identified six major challenges facing the city: Crime, Poverty and Deprivation, Social Wealth, Discrimination, Health Improvement, and the Environment. If you are a London organisation, staff member or student working in one of these six challenge areas, we would love to hear from you to discuss how we can work together. Please do get in touch.
