Community Partners
Information for Community Partners
Who are SL Community Partners?
Service Learning (SL) is a collaborative model that strives to develop mutually beneficial partnerships between Community Partners and the university. The Community Partner determines the community or organizational priorities and the Service Learning Office works to connect these identified priorities to courses that relate to the needed service. Students collaborate to support the community-identified priority and reflect on the experience and how it connects to their course content throughout the term. As Community Partners, organizations have a significant opportunity to act as co-educators in students' education and growth.
SL Community Partners can be located both on and off-campus, but generally, they are:
- Non-profits
- Publically Funded Institutions
- Social Enterprises
What is my role as a Community Partner?
How does SL benefit Community Partners?
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Provides additional human resources, which in turn allows Community Partners to increase services and accomplish goals that may otherwise not have been possible
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Recognizes and values the community and organizations as co-educators that have the knowledge to share
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Extends academic knowledge and skills that students have gained through their university studies to the community
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Fosters collaboration between the university and the community
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Creates space for a youth perspective in the delivery of social programs
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Potential for SL students to become volunteers within the organization after the course has ended
Interested in learning more?
The Service Learning Office is happy to connect with you and help you plan a Service Learning partnership that contributes to the work that you and your organization/program already do, or one that uses the specific skills of our students to contribute something unique to your organization/program.
Contact the Service Learning Office:
Service.Learning@smu.ca
