Do Collaborations between Universities and NGOs work? The case of the Uni.coo project.

This thesis concentrates on the experience of 17 students who participated in the Uni.coo projects in various editions. The aim is to evaluate the collaboration between a university (the University of Turin) and NGOs. I begin with an introduction explaining the rationale behind the selection of this topic. The first part of the first chapter provides a detailed analysis of the structure and characteristics of Uni.coo. The second part presents the methodology employed in the study. From contacting the Uni.coo office, to the collection of the testimonies, their transcription and analysis. In this section I also extensively talk about the reason why I opted to conduct semi-structured interviews and why I picked Skype and not in person interviews. The second chapter is about the concept of cooperation and the actors involved, with a focus on their rules and purposes in the Italian context. Then, I focus on the results of the research. The third chapter is a composition of subsections. In this way I can investigate different categories that have emerged during the interviews, while also showing that all these parts are interconnected. I focus on three major categories: (1) the relation between students and University, (2) the relation between students and NGOs and (3) the relation between University and NGOs. All three influenced the methodologies developed by students. Before diving in in this chapter, I also introduce the profile of participants and the NGOs. Students are presented as anonymously as possible. (1) This subsection was divided in two: the relation with the office organizing the program and the one with tutors. It has emerged that communication with the office runs quite smoothly. The office was available for bureaucratic-related issues, even though for the students that were abroad during the summer period it was harder to reach them in August. Some problems emerged concerning the selection process, during which often skills and language proficiency were not strictly assessed. The relation with tutors encountered more obstacles. The students supported by professors with a 'personal' interest in the project were better off. Prior the 2018 edition, tutors were assigned to the project by the office. On the contrary, from the 2018 edition they have been chosen by students. The students who participated in editions prior to this shift seemed more satisfied of tutors' engagement. In general, however, students lamented a lack of support in the construction of the methodology, especially before leaving. (2) The quality of the relationship with NGOs appears to be heterogeneous. Students admitted there is usually a great gap between workers in Italy and on the field. Some of them felt not guided in the construction of the research project. Several difficulties have arisen in Africa with interpreters and local people (e.g. gender-related issues). Whereas, in Latin America these problems seemed to be of less impact. (4) It is important to analyze a little bit the relation between University and NGOs. The major opinion on the students' part was a strong lack of communication between the actors. In the final parts, I provide some recommendations and I conclude by opening to other possible research paths that may be investigated in the future.