A Year of Learning and Growth: CESI's 2022 Impact

a beautiful day on Johnston Green
 

2021-2022 has been a year of excitement, learning, and growth at CESI. As we pursue our commitment to advancing community-identified research goals by bringing together community and campus skills and resources, we have worked together with community partners on a range of projects with unique benefits for students, organizations, and community members.

We've hand-selected four projects that exemplify our guiding principles of collaboration, trust, curiosity, and rigour, all achieved through strong relationships. These project profiles demonstrate the wide-reaching impacts of CESI's projects, partnerships, and collaborations by showcasing how we have engaged with issues like access to food for newcomers, student food security, and end of life care and continued to develop our approach to community engaged scholarship.

a box of clementines

Building an Affordable Food Map for Newcomers

Working with Chalmers Community Services Centre, students in the community engaged teaching and learning program created an affordable food map of Guelph that Chalmers and other community members can use to support health and wellbeing for newcomers and other marginalized groups.

 

Centering Researcher and Participant Wellbeing

When evaluating Hospice Wellington's Art and Narrative Therapy Program, the Research Shop found co-creating a process that supported researchers and participants in discussing sensitive topics led to better research with higher potential community impact.

painting a colourful ceramic plate
 
lemons for sale at a flexible price

Partnering to Address Student Food Insecurity

What began as a survey about student food insecurity at U of G conducted by the Guelph Lab and Meal Exchange has expanded to include numerous partners and universities, seeking to raise awareness and spur significant social and institutional change.

 

Supporting Social Change through Community-Engaged Scholarship

As a part of our ongoing journey, we are working to apply the concept of critical community engaged scholarship as an engaged practice that draws on the insights of critical theory and works toward anti-oppressive impacts to many aspects of our work in order to better support partners and deepen our impact.

people talking and laughing at a CESI event

CESI By The Numbers | 2021-2022 Key Metrics

 

Capacity Building

 
  • 1428 students supported
  • 25 courses supported
  • 42 students employed
  • 45 workshops offered

Partnerships

 
  • 100 new and ongoing partnerships
  • 51 community partners
  • 49 on-campus partners
  • 34 committees and networks supported

Research

 
  • 31 partnered projects completed
  • 32 new and ongoing partnered projects
  • 13 new and ongoing Tri-Council funded projects supported
  • 3 new non Tri-Council funded projects supported