Report

This project was conducted in collaboration with the Community Resource Centre of North and Centre Wellington (CRC). Researchers designed and conducted a literature review to explore strategies or methods that can help identify, reach out to, and connect with youth who are experiencing (or are at risk of) homelessness in rural areas. The findings will inform the CRC's efforts to expand its outreach activities in rural Wellington County to provide support and services for youth who are experiencing or who are at risk of homelessness.

On October 29th, CESI hosted an event showcasing innovative and unconventional approaches to community engagement. Through this event, attendees began to learn more about the multiple ways that people in various roles and locations pursue community-university collaborations. Presenters and participants explored how radical, emergent, and unconventional work can generate significant impact.

The day featured panels, presentations, workshops, and roundtable discussions covering a range of topics, including:

This report presents the results of analyses of the 2016 and 2017 Active Transportation data collection efforts by the City of Guelph’s Sustainable Transportation Program. This program tracked active transportation (i.e., the number of people wheeling and walking) at various times and sites throughout the city. Results in this report will help inform the City of Guelph’s future policy and planning design decisions.​

In 2009, faculty members from the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS) at the University of Guelph were surveyed about their community-engaged activities. The survey resulted in a report which documents faculty involvement in community-engaged work and identifies important facilitators of engagement in research, teaching, and service. The report also offers ideas of successful practices which could be used to inform new initiatives intended to recognize and support community-engaged efforts.

This project emerged from ongoing conversations among a number of organizations in the Guelph-Wellington region about the nature of social planning and decision-making in our current complex web of networks. These conversations led to the development of a more structured partnership, the launch of several interconnected projects, and the joint submission of a proposal for funding called “Engaging for Change: Practicing Collaboration and Planning in Guelph-Wellington”.

This project was conducted to gain a better understanding of how individuals who struggle with hoarding can be better supported by local services and organizations within the Wellington-Guelph area. The Research Shop at the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute led focus groups, online surveys and consultations, and identified several barriers to accessing supports and resources. The report and the accompanying infographic summarize these findings and the recommendations made to the Wellington Guelph Hoarding Response.

On November 4th and 5th, 2010, the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) co-sponsored and hosted Critical junctures in research, practice, and policy. This conference brought together national and international scholars to discuss emerging research on community-engaged scholarship and its implications for research, policy and practice. Community-engaged scholarship (CES) and community-academic partnerships have been gaining importance in higher education institutions.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the impacts of a one-day nature photography workshop for students conducted by Focus on Nature. Surveys collected feedback from 154 students to assess what they learned from the program and how their participation affected their sense of connection to nature. Surveys also looked at the experience of volunteers involved in the program. The report is accompanied by a 1-page infographic summarizing the main findings of the survey.

This community needs assessment was conducted in collaboration with the Yorklands Green Hub in the summer of 2018. A total of 131 participants were surveyed to better understand preferences and barriers in using the outdoor space purchased by Yorklands. The report is accompanied by a visual fact sheet which summarizes the main findings.

This report was created in response to a request by Victim Services Wellington to examine victims' service use and referrals for Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario (VCAO). The project aimed to highlight the current state of affairs with respect to victims' service use, and better understand the policies and practices that may help increase the number of people using and being offered support by VCAO. Researchers conducted a literature review and a survey of VCAO sites across Ontario.