¶¡ÏãÔ°AV

DLOG790

Dialogue and Civic Engagement Practicum

This course is woven throughout the program. During the practicum project you'll have the opportunity to apply and integrate what you've learned in the program by designing and implementing an engagement project in the community, organization or workplace of your choice. You’ll be mentored by one of our instructors—all of whom are leading engagement practitioners—and receive feedback to help you make your engagement plan successful.

At the end of your practicum you'll write a reflection paper on your project and deliver a final presentation during a day of reflection and celebration with your cohort, instructors, mentors and guests.

Overview

Location: Online
Duration: 2 meetings + 3 mentorship hours
Tuition: $950
Available only to students enrolled in:
Dialogue and Civic Engagement Certificate

Upcoming Offerings

This course is reserved for students enrolled in the certificate program.

2024-2025 class schedule

First class: Thu, Nov 14, 2024 9 a.m.–12 p.m (PST)
Mentoring: 3 hours of mentorship (to be scheduled with your mentor)
Project work: throughout duration of program (on your own schedule)
Final presentation day: Fri, Apr 25, 2025 9 a.m.–2 p.m. (PDT)

Practicum project examples

Practicum projects are as varied as the people who convene them. There is no expectation that you host an event or complete a project (although many do), but rather that you demonstrate that you’ve engaged with the learning and challenged your own learning edges. This is your opportunity to take a strategic risk and take on a project, or a piece of a project, that you’re passionate about. You can situate the project in your workplace or in a community context. Often the richest learning—and most surprising but wonderful outcomes—happen when things don’t go as planned!

Previous projects have focused on many issues, including this small sample:

  • Alumni engagement at UBC – evaluating a pilot initiative
  • Parent/Admin/Student engagement initiative with the BC Ministry of Education
  • Hosting a series of public consultations regarding a contentious land use issue for the City of Saanich
  • Planning and implementing a series of BC Hydro consultations in a rural community that had never had hydroelectricity
  • Death Café – an open event to talk about death and dying
  • Youth homelessness in Vancouver, working with the Vancouver Foundation
  • Sustainable waterfront initiative in Vancouver, working with the Georgia Strait Alliance
  • Blue Dot Initiative – working with the David Suzuki Foundation to enshrine environmental rights in the Canadian constitution
  • The food industry and the Agricultural Land Reserve – a multi scale initiative to engage food industry stakeholders with regard to the risk to the ALR
  • Composting in apartment buildings – an project that turned into a multi-year initiative to innovate and introduce a composting program in Vancouver
  • Recycling shelves for binners – an initiative to strengthen community and dignity for urban recyclers
  • Mapping safe, queer spaces in East Vancouver – a series of kitchen table conversations
  • Hoarding in North Vancouver – a multi-stakeholder forum including first responders, municipal/regional employees, social service organizations, and clients of services
  • Discovery Café – an initiative to explore whether ‘women can buy a better world’
  • Community of practice for engagement practitioners – an event that sparked a series hosted by ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Continuing Studies and ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Centre for Dialogue
  • Online engagement – an inquiry into how IT practices are impacting face-to-face interactions
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of Reconciliation Canada’s existing engagement strategy

How you will be evaluated

  • Demonstrated application of what you’ve learned
  • Engagement with other students and your mentor
  • Final presentation
  • Reflection paper 

Learning Materials

No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.

Technical Requirements

For online courses, you will need a computer with audio and microphone that is connected to the internet. Canvas is the online system that will be used for the course. For more information and online support, visit Online Learning.