CFICE’s Tools for Community-First Community Campus Partnerships Working Group
Community Co-lead
Natasha Pei*, Vibrant Communities
Academic Co-lead
Adje van de Sande, Associate Professor, Carleton University
Through Phase I work, the concept of the ‘broker’ was identified as a key element in successful community-campus relationships. These brokers help navigate the relationship between the academic and community partners, helping to lead research or programs that truly benefit both parties.
Based on this work, the Tools for Community-First Community Campus Partnerships (Partnership Tools) Working Group developed a toolkit to help community-based organizations (CBOs) engage with post-secondary institutions on pressing research issues. The toolkit provides guidance on creating deep and sustained relationships that lead to furthering the partnership’s shared goals. You can find the toolkit in French or English here.
For Community-Based Organizations:
- The Toolkit helps the community assess their needs. It also prompts communities to ask themselves, ‘Are we ready for a community-campus engagement project?’.
For Community Brokers:
- The Toolkit helps community brokers establish equal and mutually beneficial partnerships with academics. Partnerships are mutually beneficial when both parties can establish common goals, common timelines and processes, shared measurement, and agree on a method of continuous communication. Mutually beneficial partnerships also mean agreeing on ways to navigate ethics, assessing Return on Investment, and how to share knowledge.
The toolkit’s contents have been informed by:
- Research findings and reports through CFICE Phase I hubs
- Consultations with community members and co-leads during conferences and committee meetings
- CFICE Community Symposium
Community First Partnership Tools Working Group News, Resources, and Research
Check out the Partnership Tools WG’s news, resources, and research below.