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Students, educators and communities building partnerships to learn from each other while working together in innovative ways to strengthen individuals, communities, and society

Community Service-Learning (CSL) is an educational approach that integrates service in the community with intentional learning activities. Within effective CSL efforts, members of both educational institutions and community organizations work together toward outcomes that are mutually beneficial.

Click here to JOIN the Canadian Alliance for Community Service-Learning.

 

In the Spotlight

  • Future Directions for CSL in Canada and the Canadian Alliance
    • Click here view our Next Steps report from the Pan-Canadian CSL Symposium
    • Cl ick here to view our draft Strategic Compass for the Alliance in Acrobat pdf format
  • Courses with a CSL component - View our online database of sample syllabi from a recent research project by Dr. Mark Baetz
  • Pan-Canadian CSL Symposium - October 2009

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Too much of a Good Thing?  Refocussing the benefits of Community-Engaged Learning

Can you ever have too much of a good thing? Some non-profits think so.  Without more intentional thought to the impact of student involvement in community organizations, goodwill, positive intent and benefits may be lost to ineffective relationships and untapped potential.  Wendy MacDonald explores the impact of CSL on the capacity of community-based organizations in this article from the Trends & Issues series of the HR Council for the Voluntary & Non-Profit Sector.  Click here to view the article in Adobe Acrobat pdf format.  Click here to read Enhancing Value for Nonprofit Community Partners, the paper Wendy presented to the Association for Nonprofit and Social Economy Research in May, 2009. 

Impact of Service-Learning on Student's Sense of Civic Responsibility

Does service-learning, as a pedagogical approach, influence students’ sense of civic
responsibility? Rebecca Denby, International Exchange Coordinator at the The University of Western Ontario, explored this question in her 2008 Master of Education Thesis, also considering whether a social justice perspective of service-learning is
superior to a charity perspective in influencing students’ sense of civic responsibility.

Enhancing the Capacity of Community-Based Organizations in East St. Louis in the Journal of Planning Education and Research, Summer 1998; 17: 323-333. Recommended article by John Cawley, Senior Program Officer with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation.  Click here to read the abstract.

“Building the Service-Learning Pyramid: Engaging Campuses, Creating Citizens”: A highly recommended resource from an experienced CSL practitioner which outlines concepts and key strategies to support service-learning in post-secondary institutions.  Click here to check it out!

CSL IN CANADA: A SCAN OF THE FIELD - The first report of its kind published in Canada, this 2006 scan describes emerging and established CSL programs from coast to coast.
Available to download

ANNOTATED CSL BIBLIOGRAPHY - an overview of current literature and  research. Download

CSL Programs Across Canada

Click below for CSL Contacts by region:

BRITISH COLUMBIA

PRAIRIES

ONTARIO

QUEBEC

ATLANTIC

 

 

McConnell Foundation

In January 2005, the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation launched it's National University-Based Community Service-Learning Program. They have provided funding to ten Canadian institutions to integrate CSL within their curriculum and to build strong partnerships with their local communities. The Foundation also funds the Canadian Alliance for Community Service-Learning.

National University-Based
Community Service-Learning Program