By Heather Montgomery
Published in September 2021
Students participating in the Community Engagement Option are once again being welcomed into Downtown Kitchener. This immersive and cross-disciplinary educational journey is delivered jointly by The Working Centre and Laurier, and brings a diverse range of community voices into the classroom. The option, now in its 8th year, continues to offer students insights into key community concepts like social inclusion, local democracy, and community enterprise.
Like all other facets of our lives, COVID-19 has significantly impacted students’ experiences of the Community Engagement option. Last year students engaged in Zoom supported classes, listened to virtual speakers and panelists, and reflected on the readings and their experiences in a completely remote learning environment. Story maps took the place of walking tours that explored the sidewalks of downtown Kitchener, and Zoom breakout rooms and virtual whiteboards substituted for group conversations normally hosted in various nooks and crannies of Working Centre buildings.
We were exploring new ways of immersing students in community work. We weren’t sure how these adaptations would impact how students engaged with and absorbed the ideas and concepts that previous students had explored through immersive experiences in community projects. But, it worked. Students from as far away as Dubai engaged deeply in explorations of what it means to create radically inclusive spaces of hospitality and support, foster local decision making and grassroots action, and create open access to tools and resources through community enterprise projects.
This autumn we are implementing a hybrid learning model, retaining those virtual elements that worked well while reintroducing in-person elements that can be done safely outdoors. Students will continue to connect remotely for lectures and guest speakers, but come together in person for the guided walks around downtown Kitchener that have been a hallmark of the option since its inception. One idea is to involve students in a project to participate in launching a community enterprise using reclaimed wood to create structures like community fridges, chicken coops, and garden beds.
This winter we hope that students will once again participate in community project placements helping people repair bikes, connecting people with financial literacy resources and supports, and preparing and serving meals.
By spring 2022 we anticipate student projects that explore small creative responses to major social issues like climate change, affordable housing, and food security in ways that foster individual action and strengthen relationships.
Adaptability has become an integral skill, one we’ll continue to hone.
