Community Action Clinic | University of Essex

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The Community Action Clinic helps students develop the knowledge and skills needed to initiate societal change and also works with them to put it into action.

We empower students to address vital social justice issues through community organising. By collaboratively campaigning with external organisations such as Citizens UK and Citizen Essex, students tackle challenges such as street lighting, housing, violence, living wage, and refugee issues. Our dynamic student community fosters real-life campaign skills, including public speaking and leadership, while working closely with local civil society enhances the university's civic role.

Contact the clinic

What do we do?

Students actively participate in expressive learning, exploring their own stories and identities.
Collaborate with external partner organisations, community-based groups, and engage with external speakers enriching the learning experience.
Through a relational teaching approach, interactive discussions, and real-life issue campaigns, students learn to make change, discover their passions, and cultivate empowerment..

Our members

Dr Samantha Woodward

Fixed Term Teacher, EBS - Accounting

Senior Research Officer, Essex Law School

Claudia Mohor Valentino

Fixed Term Teacher, EBS - Accounting

Postgraduate Research Student, Department of Government

Dr Anne Steinhoff

Lecturer, EBS - Accounting

Research interests: Accounting and health(care); Accounting Education; Accounting in the third sector; Accountability and counter-accounts in organisations

Professor Jason Glynos

Professor, Department of Government

Research interests: political philosophy; Lacanian and post-Marxist discourse theory; philosophy and methodology of social science; post-structural approaches to political and policy studies; theories of democracy and ideology; grammars of freedom and equality in contemporary political discourse; cultures and discourses of the economy

Dr Konstantinos Roussos

Lecturer, School of Health and Social Care

Research interests: Social Work and Social Welfare policy and practice discourses; Grassroots welfare movements; Commons, prefigurative politics and alternative economies; Democratic engagement and involvement in health and welfare services; Postructuralist Discourse Theory

Dr Jimena Vazquez Garcia

Lecturer, Department of Government

Get involved with us

Whether you are a student or organisation, find out how you can work with us on a community-based action project

How we are making a difference

Find out more about the work we have been doing on our blogs

Democracy in Action module

Democracy in Action is an award-winning module on community organising, offered in collaboration with Citizens UK to students in their final year at University. Rooted in principles of coproduction and participatory action research, it fosters democratic exchange and collective engagement. This initiative not only enhances student learning but also brings tangible benefits to the wider community by addressing social issues and forming partnerships with local organizations like Colchester Foodbank and The Salvation Army.

Find out more about the module

Read our blogs

Democracy in Action: Bringing back the night bus

Democracy in Action: Potential for change

20 October 2023

Democracy in Action: Informing the future

20 October 2023

Find out more about our impact