This webinar explored student, campus and community capacities and readiness for mutually beneficial placements and partnerships within the context of community-campus engagement.

The guiding question for this webinar was: How can the CCE movement increase student experiential learning and community research opportunities from the undergraduate to doctorate levels while also supporting non-profit readiness and capacity to include students and to be involved in co-designing or leading research and engagement work?

Webinar participants learned how community-campus practitioners—Faculty, Students, and Community leaders—are supporting efforts that help address this question. Presenters also identified concrete suggestions for how we can increase student- community placements for mutual and societal benefit in Canada.

Video Link

If you missed out on the day-of presentation, not to worry. We’ve made it accessible below.

You can access some student and non-profit readiness tools below. Note: The training modules mentioned in the video are not yet available to the public but will be hosted on the Trent Community Research Centre’s website.

•  — Journal Article
• Research Toolkit for Community-Based Organizations

Presenters

Moderator, Isabelle Kim, Director, University of Toronto Centre for Community Partnerships (CCP): Isabelle and her team at the CCP work in partnership with students, staff, faculty, communities, and non-profit and public organizations to catalyze and sustain socially-responsive CEL and CER. Isabelle will moderate the discussion, and focus the questions for presenters on student and non-profit organizations’ perspectives on: critical issues of access and preparedness to participate in CEL/R opportunities; and the kinds of structures and systems needed to sustainably and equitably increase these opportunities in a way that will result in positive impacts for both student learning and community.

Stephen Hill, Associate Professor, Trent University – Stephen has been the academic lead for CFICE’s Student Pathways working group. With financial support from Trent University and eCampus Ontario his team created new open-access community-based research and experiential training modules for students as a means of teaching students the necessary skills for working in a community-campus engagement project.

Lisa Mort-Putland, Executive Director of Volunteer Victoria and National Board member, Volunteer Canada – Lisa will share Volunteer Victoria and Volunteer Canada’s experiences with the increasing national demand for student-community placements and ideas on how to increase and support non-profit readiness to include students while increasing the sector’s role in influencing higher education research and engagement.

This webinar, organized by The Rural Policy Learning Commons in partnership with CFICE, U-Links, and Trent University, explored the 30-year history of a relationship between Trent University and the rural community of Haliburton, Ontario in community development and policy change. An overview of the role of U-Links Community-Based Research Centre, a community-based organization that brokers the relationship between the community and the university was provided by Jim Blake along with the perspective of faculty member Stephen Hill, whose students have been engaged for many years in the community. Masters student Emily Amon also presented on her experiences participating in numerous community-based research projects, as well as on her work researching the impact of CCE on the community.

If you missed the webinar, not to worry. We have included the link below for your convenience!

Enjoy this webinar? Check out more from the Rural Development Institute !

The CFICE Student Pathways Working Group is mapping and reviewing the curricular pathways for students. Why? Because findings in Phase I of CFICE suggested that, while senior undergraduates at Trent University are offered the opportunity to pursue community-based research (CBR), they often lack experience, skills and necessary competencies to effectively work with community groups.

Community-based learning can be very different from the traditional academic research with which students are familiar. Conventional prerequisites such as having completed a certain number of courses or surpassing an academic average threshold are not always good predictors of a student’s ability to do a quality community-based research project. This has, at times, resulted in research that was not useful to community partners or, in some cases, compromised the relationship between the campus and community partner.

Existing courses and co-curricular experiences are available to improve skills in community-based research, yet there is little guidance for students to follow a scaffolded pathway of learning. This led our working group to consider the ways that universities can better prepare students so that they can be successful community-based researchers. This includes everyone from incoming high school students, through undergraduates, up to graduate students.

How is it being developed?

The research team includes Mystaya Touw, Stephen Hill, Jim Blake, and Taylor Mackey. We’ve reviewed the literature on curriculum mapping, along with literature on curriculum specific to community-based research, service learning, and civic education. We then identified a list of core competencies for CBR through one-on-one interviews with staff, faculty, students, and community members. This list was continually revised based on new research or feedback, including comments from CFICE meetings.

We next looked for examples of comprehensive community-based research programs at other institutions, including some high school opportunities, scholarship programs, and Canadian post-secondary examples. Then, we compiled our existing Trent University curricular and extra-curricular opportunities relating to community engagement and research. Using all of this information, we are attempting to create a plan for a community-based research curriculum pathway for students to follow at Trent University by looking for gaps, and ideas to help fill these. We have outlined a set of course work and experiences that help students become effective community-based researchers.

What will be the end result?

The result of our work will be a report reviewing the literature on curriculum mapping and community-based research, examples of other programs, as well as exploring the skills and competencies required for CBR and strategies for assessing these. We also compiled a list of curricular and extra-curricular opportunities for students at Trent that relate to or support CBR. Finally, we will make recommendations about how to improve and expand on existing opportunities to further develop the undergraduate curriculum and student experience in CBR at Trent, and other institutions.

How will this work help students, professors, and community organizations at Trent?

There is a renewed commitment to community-based research that is driven both internally and externally. Ontario universities, for example, are being encouraged and incented by the province to incorporate more experiential learning opportunities, including community-based research, into their degree programs. Trent has stated in their Strategic Mandate Agreement with the province that graduating students will leave having at least one meaningful experiential learning opportunity. This creates pressure on the in Haliburton, and the in Peterborough to expand the number of students working with community partners.

The increasing number of students involved in community-based research, combined with the identified need to improve students’ preparation, creates challenges. By surveying the literature and landscape, looking to identify best practices and learning outcomes for community-based research, our work provides faculty and instructional designers with a starting point for curriculum mapping, course development and redesign. Ultimately, by successfully supporting and developing students community-based research skills, we are also supporting communities.

Students Tessa Nasca and Katie Caddigan, Professor Nadine Changfoot, and community member Jason Hartwick discuss a community-campus project in Peteroborough.

How will this work help campus-community engagement practitioners at other universities?

We hope our report helps to prepare and engage students in community-based research, particularly at the undergraduate level. There is not a robust literature surrounding undergraduate curriculum for community-based research, so we also hope to publish some of this in the academic literature.

Hopefully, this report will be a useful tool for other institutions to examine their curricular and extra-curricular community engagement opportunities. The goal is to improve institutions’ service to students by better providing them with tools and opportunities. This in turn helps communities by creating knowledgeable, engaged students who are prepared and excited to work with their communities.

When will the curriculum mapping report be ready?

Our draft report is just about ready for review by colleagues and others at Trent and the CFICE network. The goal is for a final version to be complete this fall and shared through the CFICE website. We’re also presenting our work at the Council of Ontario Universities in October.

The research took place as part of the Active Neighbourhoods project running out of CFICE’s Environmental Sustainability hub in Phase I.

Abstract

This research evaluated a community-led participatory planning process that sought to involve citizens who are often marginalized within planning processes. Participatory planning – which is theoretically informed by communicative planning theory – may shift the legacy of power and marginalization within planning processes and improve planning outcomes, foster social cohesion, and enhance the quality of urban life. The two-year Stewart Street Active Neighbourhoods Canada (ANC) project aimed to build capacity among residents of a low-income neighbourhood in Peterborough, Ontario and to influence City planning processes impacting the neighbourhood. The project, led by a community-based organization, GreenUP, fostered collaborative interactions between residents and planning experts and supported residents to build and leverage collective power within planning processes. The participatory planning approach applied in the Stewart Street ANC transformed – and at times unintentionally reproduced – inequitable power relations within the planning process. Importantly, we found that GreenUP was a vital power broker between marginalized residents and more formal power holders, and successfully supported residents to voice their collective visions within professionalized planning contexts.

Taking a community first approach to community-campus engagement (CCE) is a cornerstone to the work CFICE does, but it’s impossible to be community first without the input and participation of community organizations.

Community-based organizations (CBOs) such as non-profit, non-governmental, or charitable organizations, representing either the community-at-large, or a particular concern or segment of the community, are vital to community first research, learning, and fostering positive change.

CCE occurs when members of academic institutions and members of the community come together with a shared goal and the intention of accomplishing more together. Shared resources, such as funding, time, space, and labour, are an added benefit of CCE.

If you are a CBO considering a CCE partnership with an academic institution, here are a couple different types of CCE partnerships you might pursue.

Symbiotic partnerships: Community-service learning

(CSL), also known as service-learning or community-based learning, is a practical educational tool involving students in community service work as a part of rounding out their education. By making connections between what they’re learning in the classroom and their practical experience in the community, the goal is for students to develop a stronger sense of social responsibility, improve their critical thinking skills, and actively reflect on their connection with the community.

�Ӱ�ԭ��’s definition of community service-learning points out that this model differs from volunteerism in that volunteerism suggests a “charity model,” whereas “service is about mutual learning…[and] a reciprocal relationship between participants and the community members they work with.”

Members of the GottaGo! team, including students ©GottaGo!

The premise is that while students get the added benefit of learning practical skills, networking with potential future employers, and further self-reflection, community organizations receive extra helping hands where they are needed. That said, community service-learning requires a lot of collaboration on the part of academic faculty, community partners, and students themselves.

Stephen Hill, an academic co-lead with CFICE’s Student Pathways for Community Impact Working Group, sees the value of community service-learning, even when it means a lot of extra work for himself: Every year he organizes service-learning placements for more than 300 students in his first year environmental science course.

In a blog post for CFICE Stephen wrote that the partnerships “emerged organically over the years with different partners gradually joining the mix.” The benefit for the students, he said, is having “the opportunity to learn about and work with the community in their first month of university…[which] is so important for building student engagement in the course and with the material.” As the partnerships progressed, he also stressed that “the community partners absolutely depend on the students in their projects.” In addition to providing needed human resources to different community partners, students can also contribute new and innovative ideas. This sort of symbiotic partnership is exactly what CCE is meant to be about.

Community service-learning vs Work-integrated learning

To clarify some terminology (since it can get confusing in the CCE world), community service-learning also falls under what the Ontario government is calling work-integrated learning (WIL). Work-integrated learning, also known as experiential learning, involves the integration of academic curriculums with workplace experience.

Recently, the Ontario government has recommended that all postsecondary students engage in at least one work-integrated learning opportunity before graduation, as part of . Work-integrated learning encompasses all experiential learning, whether that be through systemic training such as apprenticeships, a structured work experience like a co-op placement or internship, or institutional partnership, like community service-learning.

Community-based research: With the community and for the community

In addition to working with students through programs that facilitate community service-learning, community-based organizations can also enter into a CCE partnership by participating in community consultations, or community-based research.

, also known as participatory research, is conducted in the community with active participation from community partners. The end-goal is to benefit community partners and have a positive impact on the community. While community service-learning can be primarily about improving and enhancing student education, community-based research provides a space for community-based organizations to speak directly to academics on issues that are practically relevant to the community.

In the context of community-based research, community members actively participate in all parts of the research process, from defining the research question to interpreting and writing up the research results. While their level of involvement can be negotiated to meet the community’s needs, this type of deep engagement ensures the most beneficial outcome for the community can be achieved. Additionally, embedded research assistants, working closely with the community partner, can often act as liaisons between the community and academic partners in community-based research. Ultimately, this approach is collaborative rather than unilateral.

Collaboration is a constant at the Trent Community Research Centre! ©Elizabeth Thipphawong

Some community partners might be wary of being the subject of academic research due to previous experiences where power dynamics damaged relations between the academic and the community members. However, if both academic and community partners prioritize community first engagement, then power differentials in the research process can be discussed and negotiated in a respectful manner.

One example of community-based research within CFICE’s Poverty Hub occurred with the CCE partnership between the and McMaster University. This research project assessed barriers to implementing a living wage experienced by small- to medium-sized business. By conducting the research in a community first way, this partnership successfully developed strategies for encouraging businesses to pay a living wage, and even had some research subjects already committing to being living wage employers by the end of the study.

Students engaged in community service-learning might contribute ideas to ongoing projects with CBOs, but within community-based research, the intention from start to finish is to develop practical and action-oriented results for positive social change in the community.

A positive result of CCE: Mobilized knowledge and enhanced networks

An important aspect of any CCE partnership’s success is sharing the knowledge that was learned through the process. Knowledge Mobilization is the process of creating knowledge that is useful and used by the public, communities, and policy makers. Within the context of CCE projects, knowledge mobilization is the process of sharing the results in ways that benefit the community—even if it’s a matter of learning what not to do in the future. This can include making sure the research findings are curated into final products that can be shared with new and existing partners.

Knowledge mobilization is key to the ongoing success of partnerships because it provides a foundation of knowledge that future community partnerships can then build and improve upon. As well, it helps ensure that community-generated knowledge is shared with other stakeholders, including governments, local businesses, and other institutions. Having access to this knowledge helps stakeholders and networks respond to community needs more effectively.

Ultimately, CFICE has found that engaging in community first CCE can bring out the strengths of all participants, particularly when considering how the skills and capabilities of academic partners and community partners can be different, but complimentary. These partnerships also build lasting networks that extend beyond the partnership itself, which ultimately has the added benefit of connecting knowledge with practice and vice versa.

On January 13, Trent University’s Masters of Sustainability Studies (MASS) Colloquium featured the work of local community leaders, students and faculty. This event was brought together by the (Ptbo/Halib) of the Community First: Impacts of Community Engagement (CFICE) project.

, Chair of the Political Studies Department and MASS faculty, hosted the event as the Trent Academic Co-lead of CFICE . “Putting Community-First involves learning new ways of communicating and partnering among community and academy,” said Nadine.

, Executive Director, from the internationally recognized (TCRC) and Community Co-lead of CFICE, discussed research opportunities available through the Centre. TCRC is a bridge organization connecting Trent and community, bringing together students and community organizations for community-based research.

Sheila Ziman from the presented her experiences working with faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students to maintain and restore ecosystems in Haliburton. “The outcomes are important,” said Sheila.

Next, Heather Reid, the Operations Director of , and Melissa Johnston, in second year of MASS, shared their experiences from Melissa’s summer working at Abbey Gardens. “My immersion in the community created an ease and depth of interaction. My ‘insider status’ helped to build trust and open doors,” said Melissa.

Tessa Nasca, also in the second year of MASS, outlined her experience with the project that brings together the Stewart Street neighbourhood, community organizations, the City of Peterborough, and faculty to build capacity within the Stewart Street neighbourhood and the ability to strengthen community participation in planning processes. “High value comes from embedding oneself in the community,” said Tessa.

Finally, Prof. from Environmental Resources Studies and MASS spoke of his experience as a faculty member who seeks partnerships outside of academic institutions. The day’s speakers represent only the start of the many rewarding partnerships possible when academia and the community partner together.

Community-campus engagement opportunities like those featured at the Colloquium offer a platform for students to see local initiatives that build capacity for both community and Trent in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Building upon the work of CFICE, the new  stream provides experiential learning and community-based action research opportunities for students in a full-time field placement in a community organization during Year 2 of the Program. “It aims to meet the growing need for professionals as a distinct group of skilled, entrepreneurial individuals with the knowledge, tools and practical expertise to address social and environmental challenges and opportunities in community based organizations,” said Asaf Zohar, Director of MASS.