Canadian Alliance for Community Service-Learning

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Community Based/Service-Learning in Canada Symposium: March 27th and 28th

Sponsored by a major Atkinson Faculty donor, The Lundy Family

We are pleased to invite you to a one night, one day, Community Service-Learning Symposium Thursday, March 27th and Friday, March 28th, at the Keele Campus, York University in Toronto, Ontario.

Program
Presenter biographies
Who should attend
Directions and location
Parking
Registration
Lodging
Sponsor and cost

Program

Thursday March 27
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

1. Opening remarks will be made regarding York University’s initiative in the recent establishment of a community satellite in the Jane Finch neighborhood: York University Assoc/Dean
2. Welcome and Introduction of the Keynote Speaker: Cheryl Rose, Executive Director of the Canadian Alliance for Community Service-Learning (CACSL)
3. Keynote address “Charting a Course for the Future of Pan-Canadian Service-Learning Research”: Dr.Colleen Loomis

*Light refreshments will be provided.

Friday March 28
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Building Capacity to Assess Community Service-Learning and Engagement
Drs. Colleen Loomis and Sherril Gelmon
The focus of this day is to stimulate Pan-Canadian academic research to answer the question “How do we know that our work in communities makes a difference?” Through this workshop, we will review a number of strategies and approaches for conducting research on community service-learning and other community engagement approaches. Participants will be invited to share their experiences with the development and use of research designs, procedures, and instruments (e.g., interview guidelines, scales, constructs, and measurement tools). Various types of research questions (descriptive, relational, and comparative) will be addressed. The research focus includes key CSL constituents: students, faculty, academic institutions, and the community. One of the anticipated outcomes of this day will be to seed a CACSL-sponsored compendium on community engagement research in Canada. This symposium provides a unique and rare opportunity to work interactively and collaboratively with an internationally known community engagement scholar, Dr. Sherril Gelmon (who happens to be Canadian).

*Breakfast, lunch, and refreshments will be provided on Friday.

Biographies

Dr. Colleen Loomis
Dr. Colleen Loomis is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Associate Director Research of the Laurier Centre for Community Service Learning, she also serves as chair of the Learning and Research Working Group of the Canadian Alliance for Community Service-Learning. Dr. Loomis received her doctorate in Human Services Psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University Medical Centre. She is recognized as a “Trailblazing Woman” by the Society for Community Research and Action. She conducted community based, participatory action research and published on combining servicelearning with social enterprise. Currently, her research examines the impact of service-learning on community partners and community capacity building, as well as on student and institutional outcomes.

Dr. Sherril Gelmon Biography
Dr. Sherril Gelmon of Portland State University. Sherril Gelmon is Professor of Public Health in the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University. While her major teaching responsibilities are in health services management and policy, much of her research in recent years has addressed strategies for assessing community-based research, learning, and institutional policy. She is a former Engaged Scholar with Campus Compact, and is lead author of their monograph on assessment methods and co-author of their monograph on the Engaged Department. She is the founding chair of the International Association for Research on Service-learning and Community Engagement. Dr. Gelmon is an alumna of the Pew Health Policy Fellows Program, and received her doctorate in health policy from the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. Her master’s degree is in health administration from the University of Toronto, and she holds undergraduate degrees in physiotherapy
from the Universities of Toronto and Saskatchewan.

Who should attend

• The Thursday night keynote event is open to anyone interested in trends and developments regarding community based learning and community service- learning in Canada and the United States.
• The Friday session is open to individuals (university and community members) who have involvement with research undertaken on behalf of and in consultation with the community.

Directions & Location

York University Map

• Thursday night session: Vari Hall, room A, building #30 on the York map (room A is on the first floor, immediately to your left as you enter thru the main doors)
• Friday session: more details forthcoming on parking suggestions and the location of the room.

Parking details

York Lanes lot (building #72) or the Student Services lot (building #84).

Registration

Registration Form

• Thursday night session: pre-registration is requested but not required.
• Friday session: pre-registration is required and the number of spaces is limited.

Please R.S.V.P. at CSLResearch@wlu.ca or 519-884-0710, ext. 2879 no later than 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) March 3, 2008.

Lodging

On campus housing is available for approximately $100/pp/night; airport hotels are equivalent in price.

Sponsorship and Cost

Cost: No Fee (see sponsor below).

In-kind supports: The Atkinson Faculty, York University, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the Canadian Alliance for Community-Service Learning (CACSL)
Sponsor: A major Atkinson Faculty donor, The Lundy Family is supporting this symposium in full. It would normally cost upwards of $300 per person for an event of this sort.