Community Partners
"As a Professor, it is truly joy a to watch my students grow-personally, professionally
and academically, through their community-based learning experiences. In the Community
Development Program, faculty, students and community partners work collaboratively
to develop experiences and placements that positively impact the community organizations
in which we are working. Thanks to mentoring in the field by our amazing community
partners, students leave Brescia with a much richer educational experience, grounded
in both the classroom and wider community. After graduating from the Community Development
Program, students go forth boldly into the world, confident in their abilities to
work in community with others to create lasting and positive change."
-Dr. Lisa Jakubowski, Community Development Program at Brescia
Brescia University College’s
Experiential Learning
Partnership Statement
Brescia’s Experiential Learning approach to partnership with non-profit, for profit
and governmental organizations is one that is built on collaboration and is mutually
beneficial.
The goal of our partnerships is not only for our students to learn, gain experience
and develop skills by serving as volunteers, interns, or researchers, but also for
the work of students to contribute in valuable, meaningful ways to the work of our
community partner organizations. Our community partners are helping to teach our students
and provide opportunities for students to develop skills; and our students are helping
to build capacity in our community partner organizations.
In Experiential Learning at Brescia, we are committed to promoting the relevant opportunities
of our community partners to our students, faculty and staff; to connecting our partners
to University resources where appropriate; and to fostering the potential of experiential
learning opportunities to achieve both student- and organization-based objectives
and outcomes.
We consider our partner organizations to be co-educators of our students, and in this
role, we rely upon them to provide the necessary orientation, training, and supervision
required for our students to complete their assigned responsibilities. We expect that
our partners will regard the safety of our students as a priority equal to that of
their own employees and clients. We know that our partnerships are best served by
open lines of communication, and encourage our partner organizations to communicate
any concerns and to address any issues with our students or our partnership in a timely
manner.
Through our partnerships, Brescia University College hopes to fulfill our mission
“Focused on academic excellence, Brescia University College creates an actively engaged
student experience, educating women to think critically and to participate actively
in society. A Catholic university college in the Ursuline tradition, we prepare our
graduates to lead with wisdom, justice and compassion in a changing world.” and to
support the efforts of our community partners.
Partnership Responsibilities:
Brescia students in experiential learning classes have a responsibility to:
OpenClose
• Attend any required orientation or trainings, and complete any required background
checks or paperwork associated with interning/serving at their site in a timely manner;
• Serve their scheduled hours as agreed upon with the site, even if those hours should
be more than the minimum required by their class(es), in a timely manner;
• Contact their site/supervisor in advance if they are unable to complete scheduled
duties for any reason (e.g., sick);
• Act in a professional and responsible manner, and abide by the Brescia Student Code
of Conduct at all times;
• Maintain personal health insurance or Brescia student health insurance, along with
auto liability insurance if their personal vehicle will be used;
• Notify their site supervisor immediately if they encounter any problems in the fulfillment
of their duties, and inform their instructor and/or Experiential Learning if those
problems cannot be resolved;
• Keep track of their hours and complete all duties/projects agreed upon with the
site supervisor by the end of their term as a volunteer or intern.
• Engage in reflective practice in conjunction with the institution and the community
partner.
• Completing the Student Accountability and Learning Contract.
• Complete duties/projects as required and detailed in the Student Accountability
and Learning Contract.
Employers/organizations/volunteer supervisors of Brescia students have a responsibility
to:
OpenClose
• Ensure the focus of opportunities they provide is for educational purposes and intends
to benefit the student(s);
• Establish clear boundaries for students’ roles, duties, and schedule, and provide
them with all necessary training, background screening, and supervision required to
complete their assigned responsibilities;
• Aid students in recognizing and managing risks associated with performance of their
duties, and regard the safety of Brescia students as a priority equal to that of their
employees/clients;
• Place students in roles that are complementary to their course’s (as applicable)
stated learning outcomes, insofar as possible without compromising their organization’s
priorities;
• Be available to discuss problems or concerns that may arise during the students’
performance of their assigned duties;
• Communicate any concerns with students’ performance to the student(s) in question,
the course instructors (as applicable), and/or Experiential Learning staff in a timely,
clear, and appropriate manner;
• Terminate the internship/volunteer position of any Brescia student whose inadequate
performance of his/her role would constitute a threat to the student, the staff, or
the clients of the experience provider;
• Maintain insurance appropriate to its operations.
• Hold Brescia University College harmless from any liability for loss or damage arising
from the acts or omissions of the employer/volunteer supervisor.
Course instructors have a responsibility to:
OpenClose
• Clearly communicate the expected learning outcomes of students’ community-based
work;
• Provide reflection opportunities and assignments to help their students relate their
community-based learning to other academic content;
• Assist students in completing the Student Accountability and Learning Contract.
• Communicate as needed with site supervisor(s) regarding students’ fulfillment of
their community- based commitments, and enact academic/disciplinary consequences for
non-fulfillment of said commitments.
Brescia University College has a responsibility to:
OpenClose
• Support University faculty in their supervision of students’ community-based work;
• Actively cooperate with employer/community partners to define and promote appropriate
experiential learning opportunities for Brescia students;
• Communicate any concerns regarding the training, duties, supervision, or safety
of students to the employer/community partner in a timely and appropriate manner;
• Remove Brescia students from any employer/community partner site that does not fulfill
its responsibilities towards said students, if necessary for the safety of the students
and/or the organization’s clients;
• Maintain insurance appropriate to its operations.
*Adapted with permission from the Center for Experiential Learning at Loyola University
Chicago’s Partnership Statement.
Looking to partner with Brescia?
At Brescia, we support opportunities for Experiential Education in a variety of ways,
including but not limited to, organization-based placements, community partner projects,
product development, practicums, internships, field placements and clinical placements.
In Experiential Learning at Brescia, we are committed to:
- Promoting opportunities of our community partners to our students, faculty and staff
- Connecting our partners to University resources
- Fostering the potential of Experiential Learning opportunities in achieving both student
and organizational-based outcomes
If your organization has a project or program that could use the support of one or
more of our students, or an entire class, please connect with us! At Brescia, we will
outline the placement options, timelines and the process for finding a student, group
of students or class to match with your organization.
Additionally, we can work with you to explore the benefits of Experiential Learning
and determine what roles our students could play within based on your needs and resources.
Experiential learning can empower Brescia students to connect their knowledge with
concrete experiences in diverse environments to develop practical skills.
If you are interested in increasing community engagement with Brescia, please email
bucdean@uwo.ca to setup a time to meet in person or virtually in a location that is convenient for
you.
Benefits of partnering with Brescia
At Brescia, we understand the importance of community engagement, and we take this
approach with every Experiential Learning opportunity. Our community partners work
collaboratively with us to strategically determine which student meets the needs and
goals of your organization.
Hosting a student from Brescia can:
- Increase an organization’s capacity to complete projects they might not have otherwise
been possible
- Respond to a specific organizational need and bring a fresh pair of eyes and critical
thinking to the table for projects and programs
- Broaden partnerships, strengthen relationships or build new connections with not only
Brescia’s faculty, staff and students, but with other local organizations
By working with community organizations, Brescia’s students are learning about your
organization, the work your do and the impact you have on the broader community. Remember,
these students could become advocates for your organization and share your message
with their peers.
"Having the chance to work with community partners was special aspect of this experience.
Through community consultations, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of and
appreciation for the local Brescia community. The experience offered invaluable information
that has helped me evaluate my future career goals and the possibilities of community-oriented
work."
-Hannah Kern-Cheng, Brescia History and Political Science Student
