McMaster, Hamilton community gather to share ideas, take action on joint projects
The Idea Exchange, hosted by McMaster’s Office of Community Engagement, brought together 120 members of the McMaster and Hamilton communities for presentations, workshops, and a community “marketplace” that showcased 40 community projects or initiatives currently being undertaken by McMaster, the City of Hamilton, and community-based organizations.
Members of the McMaster and greater Hamilton communities recently gathered to share ideas and find ways to take action on a number of community priorities.
Creating Community-Campus Partnerships: An Idea Exchange, brought together 120 faculty, staff, students and community members, providing opportunities to network, build relationships and discuss ongoing and upcoming community-engaged research or education initiatives.
During the event, which and was hosted by McMaster’s Office of Community Engagement, participants took part in presentations and workshops, as well as in a community “marketplace” that showcased 40 community projects or initiatives currently being undertaken by McMaster, the City of Hamilton, and community-based organizations.
The workshops focused on priorities that have been co-identified with community partners over the past year. Topics included; developing a post-secondary access strategy for McMaster, the launch of the Hamilton Social Innovation Lab*, areas of strategic focus for the United Way Halton and Hamilton, and the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce priorities.
The outcomes of these workshops will inform how these priorities move forward over the next year.
The Idea Exchange also featured a special performance, Transforming Stories, Driving Change – a partnership between the School of the Arts, the School of Social Work, the Good Shepherd Centres and the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton – which was intended to provide deeper insight into the lives of those who are socially marginalized and promote discussion around this issue.
“The Idea exchange provided us with an opportunity to connect with our campus and community partners, share experiences and ideas, and explore ways to move forward on key priorities,” says Sheila Sammon, McMaster’s director of Community Engagement. “It’s by building and strengthening these important relationships that we can continue to work together, in partnership, to address issues of critical importance to Hamilton and the surrounding region.”
Creating Community-Campus Partnerships: An Idea Exchange was held at the David Braley Health Sciences Centre in downtown Hamilton.
*The Hamilton Social Innovation Lab is a new initiative meant to create space for community and university partners to co-develop and test responses to complex social issues.
The Idea Exchange featured a number of workshops that brought together campus and community partners to discuss priority issues of interest to the Hamilton region.
