Report

This three-part guide is designed for anyone interested in how virtual partnerships work, how they can be integrated with community engagement and/or experiential learning, and how they can enrich university-level courses. It provides an introduction to virtual community-engaged experiential learning, tips for virtual exchange and engaging partners online, and key values to consider when bridging global and local community engagement practices. 

This report presents the findings of an environmental scan conducted by CESI’s Research Shop in collaboration with the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy. The goal of the project was to conduct interviews and background research to determine the regulations, guidelines, requirements and programming associated with withdrawal management centres across Ontario.

Read the report: Environmental Scan of Withdrawal Management Centres in Ontario.

This project was prepared for, and in partnership with, Family Counselling and Support Services for Guelph Wellington's Breaking Free Program. The Breaking Free program is a psycho-educational group program for youth ages 13-18 that have been considered high-risk of using abusive behaviours in relationships.

East Wellington Community Services (EWCS) collaborated with the Research Shop to better understand the recreational, leisure, and personal development needs and interest of youth in and around the Town of Erin, as well as the barriers to participation. Data was collected through surveys distributed to local youth and parents of youth. The results will help inform EWCS’s decisions regarding the structure, programming, and launch of the new drop-in centre.

This project is the second part of a collaboration between the Research Shop and the Canadian Federation of University Women and Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis. Its primary goal was to build on the findings from the Library for All project, which aimed to engage community members, and women in particular, in the planning process for the new Central Library in Guelph.

This report represents the results of a mixed-methods study that aimed to learn about the experiences of International Students at the University of Guelph. It is the second part of a series that seeks to highlight strengths and gaps in the supports available to International Students who choose to study in Canada. Both projects were in collaboration with the Guelph Wellington Local Immigration Partnership. The first report focuses on insights from service providers.

This report presents the findings of a program evaluation conducted by CESI’s Research Shop in collaboration with the Better Ballot Campaign (BBC). The goal of the BBC is to positively influence the political climate by promoting civil discussion and debates. The program evaluation engaged with candidates, voters and volunteers to assess the successes, challenges and lessons learned to explore potential future directions for the campaign. In addition, a case study examined how the Better Ballot Campaign took shape in Dufferin-Caledon in 2018.

This evaluation was prepared for, and in partnership with, Out On The Shelf (OOTS), a queer library and resource centre in Guelph, Ontario. This project aimed to evaluate OOTS programming and processes. Evaluation activities were carried out from October 2019 to February 2020 and consisted of a program participant survey, board member and volunteer focus groups, a graffiti wall, and attendance tracking.

The Community Resource Centre of North and Centre Wellington (CRC) collaborated with CESI’s Research Shop to complete a community mapping exercise with students from Central Wellington District High School in Fergus, Ontario. The goal of this exercise was to explore youth’s vision and understand their perspectives regarding their local communities. Students were asked to identify existing local spaces and resources they use and to discuss what would make their communities an ideal place to live.