Strategic Compass
Canadian Alliance for Community Service-Learning (CACSL)
(as of January 15, 2010)
CACSL purpose
Create networking and awareness-raising opportunities for community service-learning in Canada.
Vision (our preferred future)
Supporting partnerships and programs for meaningful learning that contribute to positive social, environmental, economic and cultural transformation in Canadian communities and post-secondary institutions.
Mission
CACSL is a national alliance established to support the active participation of students, educators and communities in community service-learning (CSL) by:
- Providing resources and support to CSL practitioners in the post-secondary and non-profit sectors across Canada
- Supporting local, regional, national and international networks of individuals and organizations involved in CSL practice and research
- Investigating, celebrating, promoting and strengthening promising, community-centred CSL practices which contribute to positive social change
- Raising awareness for CSL in Canadian post-secondary institutions as a complement to existing teaching, learning, and research and as a means of deepening and broadening inquiry through collaborative community engagement
- Raising awareness for the integration of CSL into planning and practices within organizations in Canada’s non-profit sector, as a complement to their existing strategies to educate on social issues, implement programs and manage resources
Values
CACSL Believes:
- Community service-learning is a powerful form of experiential learning and community-academic engagement.
- That informed engagement, through participation in activities focused upon community-identified issues, contributes to community and regional development and is an avenue to achieve social, environmental, and economic justice.
CACSL Encourages:
- Effective communication between, and active participation of, all CSL partners in decisions about the planning, development, and evaluation of individual CSL programs and of CACSL itself.
- The understanding that reflective research and inquiry into the processes and effectiveness of CSL are crucial to its becoming an integral part of academic and community learning.
- The effective and creative application of CSL research to further enhance CSL practice.
CACSL:
- Recognizes and respects multiple ways of knowing (e.g. academic knowledge, community-based knowledge, indigenous knowledge) and believes they are complementary and mutually reinforcing.
CACSL values:
- The sharing of resources, knowledge, and information; clear, inclusive communication; creative collaboration; and meaningful partnerships with stakeholders from all sectors: post-secondary educational institutions, community organizations, students, the private sector, and individuals.
- Open and inclusive communication and policies that are respectful of diversity and responsive to differences in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, language, and ability.
Areas of focus for achieving the vision
- Building the knowledge base
- Building awareness
- Encouraging and facilitating relationships and sustainability
- Organizational governance
- Steering Committee
- Purpose: Monitor CACSL Strategic Compass, finance and human resources, oversee project committees
- Roles: Chair, Vice-Chair, Past-Chair, Treasurer
- Activity & Project Committees (see below): Quarterly reporting to Steering Committee
Staffing and other resources
- Director/Animator (0.6 FTE paid position)
- Program Administrator (pending successful fundraising)
- Administrative hosting at Carleton University (phone, fax, internet, financial stewardship, receiving charitable gifts)
- Membership dues
- Email Network
- Membership support and engagement
- Public relations
- National Symposium
- Tele-learning seminars
- Website and social networking
- Information on current CACSL projects, national symposium, regional CSL networks, staffing, governance and participation
- Archive of CSL tools, research, conferences, regional network activity, past newsletters, past projects
- Should we have an online membership database/directory?
- Website needs Web 2.0 look and feel; we should conduct a survey of the membership to get more opinions
- Policy change and sustainability for CSL
- CSL Mentors Program
- Implement Comprehensive CSL Framework
The CACSL Strategic Compass was created by the CACSL Steering Committee and other CSL stakeholders during a teleconference on October 16, 2009 and subsequent follow-up with CACSL members in late 2009. Feedback from the Pan-Canadian CSL Symposium (October 9, 2009) is also incorporated into the Compass.
The Strategic Compass is a living document. It can be reviewed and revised anytime by any CACSL member in conjunction with the Steering Committee. Please get in touch: info@communityservicelearning.ca
Priority projects and activities to be determined by member consultation.