“I think some community partners go in thinking it’s all going to be roses, but you never know—it's part of the learning process. As a community partner, it’s about giving back to the community and creating learning opportunities for the students. There will be times when they misunderstand the project... or as community partners maybe we haven’t given them all the information they need to succeed. However, open communication and having consistent touchpoints created a learning environment that allowed students to create higher-quality work which we could implement.”
Amanda was looking for two key contributions: the creation of marketing and advertising campaigns for several of the Centre’s services, and proposals for sustainable practices, specifically around electricity and water usage.
The students did not disappoint.
“We are currently using their material: print material, newspaper ads, social media graphics, videos—they were branded really well, they were really on point with the messaging we want to bring to our clients.”
As for the business sustainability project, the fourth-year students brought to light some key innovations that were groundbreaking yet realistic.
“They taught us about mechanical systems and things we can use for our arena that leaders in rink and ice management at other community centres in North America are using. I don’t think we would have known about these things for another couple of years if we hadn’t had students all in on the research, especially as a small, non-profit, registered charity. We’re small but mighty, but there’s only so much we can do at the end of the day.”
While immensely appreciative of the students’ work, Amanda recognizes the benefits for them, too.
“I’m a uOttawa grad and CSL would’ve been such a cool thing to take part in. I think they learn so much — valuable, transferable, workplace people-skills that they don’t get in the day-to-day classroom environment. It really sets students up for success as they step into the workforce and into their career.”
The students gain hands-on experience in something they’re passionate about, learning about transferability of their programs, gaining people skills and confidence through their placements.
Amanda also enjoys bringing students in as volunteers because of the positive exposure it gives to small non-profits.
“I think it teaches the students how non-profit, registered charity small businesses work internally and how they greatly differ from large corporations. It also shines light on how there can be a lot of magic in small organizations and non-profits. Students shouldn’t necessarily shy away from working for them based on biases they’ve heard. There are some great organizations out there that may be a fantastic fit for some of these students.”
She says the CSL program is a fantastic opportunity for local, community-based non-profit organizations. It allows them to expand their reach, both among the students involved and the people they serve, thanks to the work that the students do.
If this is an avenue that interests you, please contact [email protected] for more details.
“We’re small but mighty... The students opened our eyes to new things that we hadn’t had time to research,... it’s kind of like a business case study that we can turn around... and start to implement.”
Amanda DeGrace