A Tale of Two Cities: How Simon Fraser University forged deep community partnerships in Vancouver and Surrey BC, two very different cities.
Simon Fraser University (SFU) has three campuses. The original location is atop a mountain in suburban Burnaby, and two newer campuses are downtown in nearby cities, Surrey, the largest, fastest-growing city in British Columbia, and Vancouver, a globally recognized, richly diverse metropolis. Surrey is a young city maturing quickly, and Vancouver is well established but facing common urban problems around loneliness, housing affordability and limited civic engagement.
The task in both cities was how best to animate the university's mission to be Canada's most engaged university, and more specifically, in the area of community partnership development. How does a large university create sustainable, authentic, and mutually enhancing relationships with a multitude of potential partner groups in place-based urban environments, in two cites at very different stages of development?
This facilitated workshop will outline key specific steps taken, and lessons learned, in building viable partnerships across a diverse group of community organizations. Participants will also be encouraged to share their own stories and reflections about what works and what does not work in forging authentic university-community partnerships.
