The Future of CSL in Canada Synthesis of participant responses to key questions

Participants were asked to respond to the following questions at the beginning of the day. What are the 2/3 most significant successes you have experienced in service-learning or community engagement in the past year? What are the 2/3 most significant challenges you face in service-learning or community engagement? What is the most important, specific, concrete step that we can take TOGETHER to enhance awareness and support of service-learning and community engagement in Canada (or from your country's perspective)?

Successes General program refinement and growth; trying new models, expanding current models (n=15) Strengthening community partnerships; increasing commitment to each other (n=8) Progress towards institutionalizing CSL; shifts in university attention and support and integration (n=8) New course development; including CBR & international experiences (n=7) New funding sources - internal and external (n=5) Inter-institution collaborations (n=4) Achieving ongoing, deep student impact (n=4) Increased faculty engagement (n=2) Making connections between CSL and CBR (n=1)

Challenges Shared and clear expectations of each other, especially given cultural (academic-community) differences, resource differences, priority differences (n=9) Lack of faculty interest; momentum, buy-in (n=7) Understanding of CSL - including reflection & civic engagement (especially implementation & significance of multi-disciplinary approaches) (n=6) Measuring outcomes/impact; producing evidence (n=6) Lack of time – in classes and for everyone (n=6) Lack of funding (n=6) Lack of administrative support; hop jumping; tenure changes; legitimacy (n=6) Community exhaustion; multiple pressures on community infrastructure (human and otherwise) (n=5)

Challenges Lack of an appropriate vision (n=4) Lack of faculty recognition/rewards (n=2) Not enough trained staff (n=2) Sustainability of the work (n=2)

Enhancing CSL and Community-Engagement in Canada (concrete next steps) Integrate students into national network and activities; mobilize students for the benefit of CSL & CBR Strengthen network for increased sharing on programs and practice Increase support for “over-stretched” program staff (mentorship) Implement a public relations campaign to tell the story to a broad public audience (funding implications) Collaborate to do research on CSL outcomes; pan-Canadian research agenda (funding implications) Networked advocacy at institutional level (funding implications) National network – collaborate for political advocacy; create policy change to accelerate and support CSL practice and benefits (funding implications)

Challenges (summarized) Need to increase understanding of CSL (outcomes & multi- disciplinary approaches) Need shared vision btw CSL stakeholders; shared and clear expectations (sorting out cultural, resource and priority differences) Need more human resources - or more efficient use of existing HR (in the community, CSL staff, faculty, etc) Lack of faculty recognition & rewards; lack of faculty awareness or buy-in (need to make it more relevant) Lack of ‘institutionalization’ of CSL; better coordination needed at post-secondary institutions and between institutions Lack of public policies (and funding) to support CSL Need more involvement of students in CSL movement as force for positive change