University Centre for Development Cooperation (UCOS)
The University Centre for Development Cooperation (UCOS) is a recognised Belgian NGO whose mission is to strengthen global citizenship skills among students, lecturers and staff in higher education.
In a few sentences
University training and action centre for students and staff in the context of international cooperation with the global South.
UCOS's target group is the young people, teachers and staff of those institutions of Flemish higher education and its added value is to strengthen competences to work together better and more fruitfully in that international context that is North-South oriented.
Clarification
UCOS works on vision development and competence development in dealing with diversity, the so-called soft skills. The value-driven and professional framework helps target groups to function professionally in challenging contexts in the field. The diversity domains in which UCOS has specialized are: ethnic origin, culture, gender, philosophy of life and social class.
UCOS addresses gender-related issues and seeks solutions in consultation with its target groups here and in the Global South. Equality and diversity are our starting points.
Using critical questions and lessons learned from the past, UCOS encourages its target groups to reflect on how we can contribute to sustainable change in today's world in general and our relationship with the global South in particular.
Keywords are diversity-sensitive action, global citizenship, respect, dignity, recognition, development, non-material human rights, global engagement. The action has applications in communication with, communication about (image formation) and cooperation in the context of global engagement (what role can/should I play?).
UCOS also focuses strongly on institutional development, ensuring that the policy and framework provided by the institutions' internationalisation staff are congruent with the vision and practice of contemporary committed cooperation with the global South.
Our houses
- An action and education model in which Gender and SRGR were developed as a 5-year project. This project translates into an annual campaign in which students are given the opportunity to highlight a gender and SRGR related hot topic (in collaboration with deMens.nu) and to contribute to improving the conditions in question.
- A first and second line training offer for higher education with regard to strengthening the so-called global citizenship competencies, with the main focus on the internationalisation of higher education institutions towards the global South.
- In addition to the partners in higher education, UCOS also has a Southern partner: UYAHF in Uganda. UCOS supports this youth organization in expanding their work to the refugee camps of Kyegegwa regarding the problems of teenage pregnancy and child marriage. The intention is to train the women to become Youth Advocacy Champions.
Features
* Expertise in global citizenship in higher education
* Expertise in the themes of gender and SRHR
* Expertise in North-South mobility and diversity
* Expertise in working with and through students
* Demand-driven work. Working on vision development and practice improvement
* The strong partnerships with and brand awareness of higher education institutions
Institutional
Belgian recognized CMO for development cooperation (2017-2026)
Connected structures: VUB and deMens.nu
Membership of 11.11.11 and NGO federation
