Community-university engagement in Canada

I asked about the structures and resources that enable success, the kinds of projects and relationships required to sustain community engagement over the long term, and the ways in which community engagement can best be supported and practiced in order to be most effective for all participants and stakeholders. [...] The purpose of community engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the publ [...] Benefits and Challenges of a Non-Academic Location
 The community-based practitioners I spoke with were quick to praise the benefits of their locations, and one even spoke frankly and at length about her/his relief to have “escaped” the university and found a place to work in and with community. [...] Benefits of a Non-Academic Location Key benefits identified to being community-based and non-academic were: agility and an ability to respond quickly and flexibly to challenges and needs; access to a range of resources their academic partners cannot tap into; high perceived relevance and strong buy-in, given that their work begins with and happens in community; and strong reputations and a sense o [...] It’s a greater challenge that we’re not embedded in the university.” One participant identified strengths and drawbacks to either configuration, and suggested that the key to ethical and successful engagement is the commitments and attitudes of practitioners, regardless of where they work or who pays them.