10C is a community hub and shared working space aimed at facilitating collaboration and innovation to create social change. Founded in 2009, 10C was originally located at 10 Carden Street in downtown Guelph before moving to its renovated space at 42 Carden Street in summer 2017.
Since 2017, the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) has partnered with 10C to support community-engaged research, teaching, and learning through shared space and opportunities for collaboration.
Building on this long-standing relationship, CESI, the Arrell Food Institute (AFI), and 10C have renewed their collaboration agreement for July 2026 to June 2029. The renewed agreement continues to provide access to shared space at 10C while expanding the partnership's focus on community-engaged learning, applied research, and knowledge exchange.
The collaboration is organized around animating the space at 10C and deepening a shared learning and knowledge agenda. Through this work, the partners aim to advance applied research and learning, produce accessible knowledge, create opportunities for students and academic leaders to engage with community practitioners, and support the application of research and learning in community practice.
A Shared Research and Learning Agenda
The renewed agreement establishes a three-year agenda for collaborative research, learning, and knowledge exchange. This work is organized around three interconnected areas:
- Economic Impact and Community Wealth Building: Planned work includes examining the economic impact of 10C as social infrastructure, conducting impact interviews with Harvest Impact Lending clients, and reviewing Canadian and international literature on community wealth building.
- Local Food Systems and Infrastructure: Planned work includes exploring local food purchasing with entrepreneurs and farmers' market vendors, examining the rationale for investment in local food infrastructure through a case study of Nourish Kitchen, and investigating social procurement pathways in local food systems.
- Social Infrastructure and Belonging: Planned work includes examining social cohesion and belonging through community hubs, alongside youth food entrepreneurship and skills development.
Across these areas, the partnership aims to produce accessible knowledge that can inform community practice and support meaningful action.
The collaboration also creates opportunities for student placements, community-engaged coursework, applied research, and knowledge mobilization. These activities will connect University of Guelph students and faculty with 10C's community programs, projects, and partners.
Space Available Through the Partnership
The agreement continues to provide University of Guelph faculty and staff with access to a variety of spaces at 10C for community-engaged activities.
Available spaces include:
- Community Classroom: A large event room accommodating up to 64 people seated or 90 standing, suitable for courses, events, conferences, workshops, and presentations.
- Small and large meeting rooms: Spaces for research meetings, partnered meetings, training, workshops, and other research activities.
- Gallery and lounge spaces: Areas that can accommodate exhibitions, poster displays, meetings, and other collaborative activities.
- Co-working spaces: Desk space for students, faculty, and staff seeking a downtown workspace for eligible activities.
The criteria for using space through the CESI partnership remain unchanged. Eligible uses include community-engaged scholarship, knowledge mobilization, and other events, meetings, and projects that involve the community. Priority is given to activities associated with the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences (CSAHS).
For more information about available facilities, visit 10C's Meetings & Events page.
Booking and Further Information
University of Guelph faculty and staff interested in booking space, discussing potential activities, or learning more about the partnership can contact Kendra Schnarr, CESI Research Project Assistant.