Research Shop

In 2023, the Huron County Immigration Partnership (HCIP) partnered with the Research Shop, part of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) at the University of Guelph, to conduct their 2023 Immigrant Survey. The Immigrant Survey is a collaborative project involving 12 Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) across Canada. Each LIP conducted a similar survey in their own region to better understand their community, the needs of newcomers, and the impact of their collective work.

Women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs are vital to Canada’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. In Canada, these businesses contribute about $150 billion to the economy and hire more than 1.5 million people (Cukier, Hassannezhad Chavoushi, et al., 2022). Supporting women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs’ empowerment boosts the economy and improves social and environmental outcomes (Cukier, Hassannezhad Chavoushi, et al., 2022; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 2022).

In 2023, the Grey Bruce Local Immigration Partnership (GBLIP) partnered with the Research Shop, part of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) at the University of Guelph, to conduct their Immigrant Survey 2023. The Immigrant Survey is a collaborative project involving 12 Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) across Canada. Each LIP conducted a similar survey in their own region to better understand their community, the needs of newcomers, and the impact of their collective work. The primary objectives of the Grey Bruce Immigrant Survey 2023 were to: 

The Research Shop at the University of Guelph and members of the Perinatal Mental Health Coalition of the Waterloo Region collaborated to better understand the use of perinatal mental health screening tools for pregnant, expecting, and new parents/guardians in the Waterloo region. The Perinatal Mental Health Coalition helps new and expecting parents within the Waterloo region receive the mental health supports that they need, throughout all stages of pregnancy and post-partum life.

Since 2018, Community Living Organizations across Southwestern Ontario, as well as colleagues from Sunbeam Community and Developmental Services, have partnered with the Research Shop, part of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) at the University of Guelph for a multi-year research project.

In December 2022, Wyndham House partnered with the Research Shop at the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute to conduct a program evaluation of their concurrent specialized youth hub (the Hub). The Hub offers low-barrier, complex-capable care for homeless youth under the age of 25 navigating mental health challenges and substance use issues. This evaluation study examined the impact of the Hub in accordance with guidelines set by current and future funders and collected feedback from clients, staff, and key stakeholders to inform services and programs moving forward.

Compass Community Services (CCS) provides a range of mental health and social support services to the Guelph–Wellington community and the surrounding area. One unique, free service offered by CCS is the TeleConnect program, an outbound call service providing emotional support, socialization, wellness checks, medication reminders, motivation, and assistance with accessing resources to isolated community members on a daily basis. Most referrals for TeleConnect come from health care providers who are unable to provide the level of support required by clients.

This report was prepared for, and in partnership with Community FEWD. The aim of this research was to 1.) collect demographics of community members utilizing this program to help inform potential funding partners; and 2.) follow up from the 2022 survey on program feedback from community members to help inform program development.

Read the report: Community FEWD Program: One Year Evaulation

This report was prepared for, and in partnership with, Barbara Salsberg Mathews, a former professional mime artist, and a person with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Barbara has developed a program, Mime Over Mind: Retrain the Brain, which teaches the principles and concepts of mime to help improve the quality of life of participants. This project aimed to explore the personal impacts that participants and support personnel experienced during the Mime Over Mind Workshop series.

This report presents the findings of research conducted by CESI’s Research Shop in partnership with the Grey Bruce Local Immigration Partnership (GBLIP). The aim of this research was to provide a snapshot of the experiences of discrimination faced by racial minorities, immigrants, and Indigenous residents in Grey and Bruce Counties. The results of this project may be used to generate local knowledge and build community capacity around diversity and inclusion.