{"id":7515,"date":"2018-06-06T09:35:50","date_gmt":"2018-06-06T13:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/communityfirst\/?p=7515"},"modified":"2018-06-06T09:37:16","modified_gmt":"2018-06-06T13:37:16","slug":"the-benefits-of-working-with-post-secondary-institutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/communityfirst\/2018\/the-benefits-of-working-with-post-secondary-institutions\/","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Working with Post-Secondary Institutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications Research Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>Entering into a partnership with post-secondary institutions (PSIs) can open a lot of doors for community-based organizations (CBOs), including access to certain funding opportunities, increased capacity, and the creation of new and collaborative networks with shared goals.<\/p>\n

CCE partnerships can be mutually beneficial for both academic and community partners, as both entities have the opportunity to learn from each other, share resources<\/a>, and deepen their respective understandings of the issues. This is particularly true when academic partners approach the partnership from a community-first perspective.<\/p>\n

As one academic partner from the Community Food Security hub noted, \u201cAcademics can play an important role\u201d in social and community movements. Speaking specifically about the food sovereignty movement, the academic said that \u201cthe movement is dependent on partnerships and finding ways to make these stronger and work better.\u201d<\/p>\n

CCE partnerships certainly come with their fair share of challenges, but many community partners find them to also be very valuable. For CBOs who haven\u2019t partnered with an academic institution before, here are some of the benefits that come along with partnering with a PSI.<\/p>\n

The benefit of a different perspective <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Professional researchers like academics, who might bring different knowledge, experiences, and perspectives to the table, can be an asset to a community project. One community partner within CFICE\u2019s Community Food Security Hub<\/a> said that \u201chaving consistent, high level support to look at a challenge\/opportunity in the community\u201d in the form of an academic partner was a helpful resource.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>For some community partners within this hub, the partnership provided them with an opportunity to better understand how to approach, engage, and partner with academics in general: \u201cWorking with the academics helped us think about how to frame questions,\u201d one community partner said.\u00a0Participation also forced reflection on how to \u201cwork in ways that are movement-building and legitimate in the eyes of our academic colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community partners noted that the nature of their work is generally very busy, and \u201cthe academics involved bring a methodical and rigorous approach to the work, frequently reminding me through their observations and suggestions of the original goals of\u2026[and] lessons learned from the project.\u201d<\/p>\n

Participants in CFICE\u2019s Poverty Reduction Hub<\/a> said the community-campus partnership provided an opportunity to engage in applied research, to \u201cthink about the bigger picture, and\u2026ask stimulating questions.\u201d One participant noted that the partnership enabled \u201copportunities for applied research within the community, and increased research capacity from community perspective,\u201d describing it as a \u201cwin\/win.\u201d The applied research practice also provided opportunity for \u201cinitial evaluation\u201d of \u201cnovel social enterprise[s],\u201d enabling projects to move forward more effectively.<\/p>\n

Formal evaluation practices <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Partners within the Food Security Hub found that the Hub\u2019s evaluation mandate encouraged the regular documentation of processes and experiences.\u00a0Through the more formal research practices adopted within this Hub, partners were able to \u201ccapture information that was used to refine their evolving practice.\u201d This process helped projects move beyond the anecdotal evidence they had previously relied on, a practice that was noted as a barrier in translating ideas into action.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Heather Reid chats with other CFICE members about the interpretation of CFICE’s year 4 evaluation data.<\/p><\/div>\n

CFICE’s evaluation support was also a valuable resource for community partners who wanted to implement\u00a0formal evaluation processes, but who did not have the capacity to do so. This lack of capacity can also be a barrier when community organizations are seeking funding, because, as one participant in the Poverty Reduction Hub noted, \u201cfunders demand evaluations: they like outcome based assessments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Credibility and legitimacy\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"CFICE<\/a>

We add credibility to each other’s work when we collaborate. \u00a9Jason Garlough<\/p><\/div>\n

Credibility and legitimacy within CCE partnerships is almost always a two-way street in that community and academic partners bring legitimacy to each other\u2019s work. Academics often gain credibility within their own research through working with community partners as the community partners facilitate access for researchers to collect meaningful data, for instance.<\/p>\n

Conversely, academic knowledge comes from a place of privilege, and academics can effectively use that privilege to empower community partners.<\/p>\n

Participants in CFICE\u2019s Poverty Reduction Hub<\/a> noted that a SHHRC-funded grant lent some \u201clegitimacy\u201d to the project and \u201cprovides context and weight to the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within the Community Food Security Hub, participants similarly pointed to the credibility that academic partnerships sometimes lend to community work by \u201chelp[ing] the community concretely in making a political case for their work of funding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, in the Violence Against Women Hub<\/a>, one community partner described how the presence of a supportive academic on the project gave them credibility with a partner whose resistance to the community organization was threatening the overall initiative. The community partner said, \u201cThis relationship has allowed us to be able to consolidate such that\u2026academia cannot be used against the frontline, and that is what usually happens\u2026so that was a perfect example of a moment where academic bolstered the front line. That\u2019s a good partnership as far as I\u2019m concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leveraging Resources<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Academic institutions have access to many resources that can be leveraged in the best interest of the community organization. Funding is perhaps the most obvious resource that academic partners can assist in accessing through, for instance, formal evaluation practices.<\/p>\n

But resources that can be leveraged for community partners extends beyond the money. Another resource, for instance, is access to research assistants, student volunteers, etc., who can provide \u201cthe extra manpower and person power to get things done,\u201d as one academic partner put it.<\/p>\n

The networks that persist as a result of community-campus partnerships provide a resource that can be mined even after the partnership concludes. Such networks expose all parties to new ideas, new strategies, and future opportunities for collaboration.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The attendees of CFICE’s Vancouver CCE Regional Roundtable decided to start a community of practice to extend their networks.<\/p><\/div>\n

Within the Violence Against Women hub, a community partner said the partnership \u201crejuvenated our ability to work together\u201d as academics and activists, as it provided tangible means by which to collaborate and focus on shared goals.<\/p>\n

A participant from the Poverty Reduction Hub similarly acknowledged the CFICE partnership as having \u201chelped build [a] network across Canada regarding community university collaboration,\u201d giving all partners access to valuable connections in their field.<\/p>\n

The networks, shared goals, and potential for future collaboration are the most consistent benefits of CCE partnerships acknowledged across all CFICE hubs. As one community partner from the Violence Against Women Hub put it, \u201cWe have a movement that needs to be rejuvenated and academics need to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This article draws from interviews and focus groups conducted in 2015-2016 as part of CFICE\u2019s year 4 project evaluation, and includes common themes from across CFICE\u2019s five Phase I hubs.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Chelsea Nash, CFICE Communications Research Assistant Entering into a partnership with post-secondary institutions (PSIs) can open a lot of doors for community-based organizations (CBOs), including access to certain funding opportunities, increased capacity, and the creation of new and collaborative networks with shared goals. CCE partnerships can be mutually beneficial for both academic and community […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[85,86,87,90,91,1,95,29,605,100],"tags":[723],"yoast_head":"\nThe Benefits of Working with Post-Secondary Institutions - Community First<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Community-campus engagement partnerships certainly come with their share of challenges, but many community partners also find them very valuable. 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