CCECanada excited to work with community engagement teams across Canada on climate change adaptation project
Community-campus research and learning partnerships have the potential to support community-level action on climate change, though the range of activities across Canada remains largely underexplored. The boundary spanners* involved in community engagement efforts at post-secondary institutions (PSIs) are central to partnership development and research facilitation, yet little is known about how best to optimize their efforts–particularly considering the diverse array of institutional infrastructures for community engagement that exist at Canadian universities. *Within this study we understand boundary spanners as helping to bridge and maintain reciprocal community-campus relationships.
The Community-Campus Responses to Crisis project explores: how post-secondary community engagement teams may effectively support community initiatives to address social impacts of climate change; how to strengthen boundary spanners within these initiatives as they navigate their own institutional pressures; and how to leverage a network of boundary spanners to support greater climate change resilience in communities. This project is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Development Grant.
This project is co-led by Dr. Amber Fletcher, Academic Director of the Community Engagement and Research Centre at the University of Regina, and Dr. Magda Goemans, Manager at Community Campus Engage Canada. Additional project partners include:
- case study partners from the University of the Fraser Valley, University of Regina, Carleton University, and Acadia University — who are co-designing projects with community partners to address varied social impacts of climate change in their communities
- a broader (and growing) group of community engagement teams from institutions and organizations across Canada that are participating in a wider knowledge-exchange network
We look forward to updating you on project progress over 2024!