MacJannet Prize: 2016 Winners

​The MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship, launched in 2009, recognizes exemplary university student civic engagement programs around the world. Today the Prize is a key element in the MacJannet Foundation’s work to build a community of global citizens. The prize is sponsored jointly by the MacJannet Foundation and the Talloires Network, a global association of 367 universities in 77 countries on six continents, all committed to developing student leaders who are actively engaged with society. In addition to providing international recognition to outstanding student initiatives for civic engagement and community service, the Prize provides a financial contribution and encourages communication among the groups to share their experiences and strengthen their effectiveness. For the 2016 Prize, 48 student-run programs were nominated from 38 universities in 18 countries. Out of these, three were awarded prizes last October by a selection committee consisting of respected educators from member universities of the Talloires Network along with representatives of the MacJannet Foundation. Three others were recognized for Honorable Mention.

First Prize ($7,500): Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service, American University of Beirut (Lebanon).

Since its inception in 2008, the Center has developed a culture of service and civic leadership within the American University community. The Center’s operations consist of four overlapping components: outreach and volunteerism, community development projects, service-learning initiatives, and university scholarship programs. By functioning as a haven for active political and social dialogue, the Center enables students to immerse themselves in a unique learning experience. Currently, the Center is actively addressing Lebanon’s refugee crisis through such student-based projects as waste management campaigns, workshops, and toolkits to improve the communication and interpersonal skills of refugee students in the Bekaa region. The Center works with six refugee schools run by the American University of Beirut, providing psychosocial treatment to thousands of refugee children.

First Prize ($7,500): Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service, American University of Beirut (Lebanon).

Since its inception in 2008, the Center has developed a culture of service and civic leadership within the American University community. The Center’s operations consist of four overlapping components: outreach and volunteerism, community development projects, service-learning initiatives, and university scholarship programs. By functioning as a haven for active political and social dialogue, the Center enables students to immerse themselves in a unique learning experience. Currently, the Center is actively addressing Lebanon’s refugee crisis through such student-based projects as waste management campaigns, workshops, and toolkits to improve the communication and interpersonal skills of refugee students in the Bekaa region. The Center works with six refugee schools run by the American University of Beirut, providing psychosocial treatment to thousands of refugee children.

Third prize ($2,500):

Tecnologías para la Comunidad, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Guadalajara Campus (Mexico).

This innovative program utilizes science and technology for a social cause— the support and empowerment of people with disabilities—by linking the university’s programs in research and technology, student social engagement, creative funding initiatives, and professional volunteerism. By creating a non-profit enterprise that leverages public and private funding to multiply patient co-payments while reducing the costs of products and services, Tecnologías para la Comunidad delivers prosthetics at four times less than the market price for lower limb amputees. The program’s students and staff work with a local hospital, other non-profit organizations and the amputee community to deliver these high-quality prosthetic devices. Uniquely, the program functions as both a social development and entrepreneurial project through its efforts to de-monopolize Mexico’s prosthetics market.

Honorable mention: Ubunye, University of Cape Town (South Africa).

Ubunye (“unity”) is an entirely student-run program that provides educational advancement, leadership opportunities, and life-skills development and mentorship to high school students in township schools. The program provides space for high school and university students to engage in deliberative dialogue about topics such as race and community development. Multilingual Manchester Student Volunteer Scheme, University of Manchester (United Kingdom). This program promotes awareness of language diversity across the University’s metropolitan region. It supports local institutions and communities in responding to language needs, fostering cultural and language heritage, and harness- ing language skills. Student volunteers respond to real-world problems by enabling health care providers, police, educators and other social sectors to communicate with minority and immigrant communities.