University of Victoria
EN-10: Community Partnerships

City Studio Victoria In November 2015, representatives from Camosun College, Royal Roads University, the University of Victoria and the City of Victoria met to get moving on CityStudio Victoria. In January 2016, representatives from the three post-secondary institutions and the City of Victoria hosted a workshop presented by Duane Elverum and Janet Moore of CityStudio Vancouver to move forward and solidify our vision. It resulted in the establishment of Canada’s second CityStudio - Victoria in an empty storefront on Johnson Street. Two courses have been offered to date at City Studio Victoria 1. BikeMaps.org, UVic geography professor Trisalyn Nelson, joined with the City of Victoria to offer a new course (Geog 491: Advanced Topics in Geography) to address challenges and realize opportunities for improving pedestrian and bicycle routes in our city. Nelson, with faculty colleagues Cam Owens and Johan Feddema along with city staff, co-developed a list of potential student projects, such as the creation of infographics to better understand the impacts of bike lanes and a review of best practice for use of these lanes.“This is a historic moment,” says City of Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. “It's the first time a UVic course has been organized around a City of Victoria project. We're looking forward to this course and to growing this relationship.” http://fieldschools.geog.uvic.ca/section/uvic-geog-491-biketoria 2. “Growing Community From the Ground Up” (POLI 351), involved a partnership between the City of Victoria, the university and the wider community. Building on new City of Victoria policies designed to grow more food in the city, the currently unused property (1012/1014 Yates St.) presented an unique opportunity for city staff, university students and community members to co-create and launch this new community project.Over the course of an intensive three weeks, students learned about local government and participatory policy development, as well as community engagement, dialogue and sustainability. https://www.uvic.ca/communicationsmarketing/about/news/2016+community-garden-wiebe+ring

UVic partnered with BC Hydro from 2014 - 2016 in a Workplace Conservation Agreement to advance energy savings and education on campus. BC Hydro in the fall of 2016 changed the program to be the Green Champions Network. It supports commercial customers in engaging people at their organization in conservation action to save energy. The program provides customers with training, networking opportunities, campaign toolkits and some incentive funding. The key features of the Energy Wise Network program include: Two training summits - day-and-a-half-long training and idea-sharing sessions and networking opportunities with over 50 B.C. organizations working on similar programs and campaigns. Four webinars - four one-hour facilitated sessions on an engagement topic that will include opportunity for discussions. Campaign planning materials and toolkits - materials and templates that you can be used to design custom energysaving campaigns at your business. Two options for customized support - either 20 coaching hours, or 10 coaching hours and $1,000 incentive funding for campaign costs such as prizes, food, and printing.

Victoria Foundation agreement with the Centre for Indigenous Research and Community Led Engagement provided for a partnership and funding for a research project. The Centre is a University of Victoria research centre dedicated to promoting and engaging in research in partnership with Indigenous peoples to improve their well-being. Since May 2008 the Centre has provided a supportive environment for students, researchers and communities to engage respectfully in research activities that aim to address the urgent disparities experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. Through engaging with stakeholders in British Columbia, across Canada and internationally, it seeks to assume an active advocacy role in promoting relevant and ethical research that seeks to improve Indigenous peoples’ well-being. http://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/circle/index.php

Established in May 2015, the Office of Community-University Engagement (OCUE) provides strategic oversight and overarching vision to the University around four spheres: ◾Community engaged learning ◾Community engaged research ◾Being a good neighbour ◾Knowledge mobilization OCUE is working towards three main goals: ◾Develop UVic as a hub for excellence for community-engaged scholarship ◾Increase opportunities for all UVic students to have an engaged experience as part of their education ◾Leverage the university’s strengths and strategic commitment to sustainable social, cultural and economic development in our local region To achieve these goals, OCUE connects with other UVic departments, institutes, divisions, and schools to help coordinate, communicate and showcase initiatives that are already occurring.

UVic's Institute for Studies & Innovation in Community-University Engagement leads the university's partnerships with local communities in terms of sustainable and social innovation, including taking the lead of the Protocol of Cooperation with the City of Victoria, and the Community Mapping Initiative that provides mapping support for local communities and community organizations. It also coodinates the Vancouver Island Research Alliance with a focus on food security issues. See: http://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/cue/index.php. The Memorandum of Understanding UVic has with the City of Victoria referred to as a "Protocol of Cooperation" covering matters of mutual interest. The agreement states, "Together, the Parties aim to build a sustainable City and community, through enhanced partnerships and multi-stakeholder dialogue. The Parties recognize that the common goal of achieving sustainability and, in part through community-based research and learning, will be reached most effectively through collaboration and mutual support." UVic has also signed a Memo of Engagement with the local regional government, the Capital Regional District (CRD), to collaborate on the creation of a Regional Mapping Collaboratory to co-create a series of community green maps. The "Finnerty Garden Friends" is a group of alumni and community members who work on an ongoing basis with UVic to advise and plan the development of Finnerty Gardens,, one of Canada's best collections of rhododendrons, located on campus (http://www.uvic.ca/home/about/campus-info/maps/maps/gardens.php). UVic is also a partner in the Bowker Creek Initiative, a community group dedicated to preserving and restoring the creek that runs under campus and into the surrounding community (http://www.bowkercreekinitiative.ca/index.htm).