Current Partnership Opportunities
We have upcoming partnership opportunities with university faculty and students that might suit your community’s needs
Spring/Summer 2025
| Researcher | Katie Entigar is a professor of Critical Adult Education at OISE/UofT. Her work focuses on non-profit and community-based education with newcomers, and her research team is building community partnerships for a new study on verbal & non-verbal communication in adult education with migrant students. |
| Request | Seeking participants who are newcomers to Canada, 18+ years old, currently attending adult education courses at a community-based organization in Toronto, and intermediate or higher level speakers of English. |
| Details | Interested participants will be invited to complete an online qualitative survey about their experiences as an adult immigrant student in community-based adult education. Based on these responses, some participants will be invited to participate in a follow-up interview. Information shared in the survey and interview will remain confidential. |
| Time Committment | Total time commitment will be between 60-135 minutes total over the course of 2-4 weeks. |
| Compensation | Participants will receive a $25 CAD gift card after completing the survey. Participants who are selected to participate in an interview will receive an additional $25 gift card. |
| Partnership Opportunity | Katie is able offering volunteer teaching, teacher training, curriculum development, or other supports to your organization. She is an ESL teacher, migrant rights worker, and community support group facilitator with 20 years of experience working with newcomers and multilingual people. |
| Contact | Dr. Katie Entigar k.entigar@utoronto.ca |
Fall 2025/Winter 2026
| Program Title | Community Action Program |
| Timing | The program runs from September 2025 – April 2026. Students are expected to attend their placement from mid October 2025 to late March 2026. Partners are not required to formally evaluate the work of students although staff will do monthly check ins with partners and students to ensure that things are running smoothly. |
| Program Description | The Community Action Program connects students with community organizations so that students can experience and learn about the work that is done by the community sector. Students volunteer 2-5 hours per week in support of community programming. Specifically this year we are looking for placements that focus on either literacy or food access/justice. Our students receive training in the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, as well as an introduction to asset-based community development. We are very open to crafting a placement that is mutually beneficial to you and the students. We like to place at least two students to an organization when possible. Students are expected to volunteer 2-5 hours per week and we would want them to have a consistent role, ie. they help with logistics for a weekly English conversation circle for newcomers on Fridays from 3-5 pm. We also have some students who would prefer a hybrid or online role for their placement if that is an option. |
| Student Contributions to the Community/Organization | Students are eager to contribute to the mandate of your organization in whatever way is helpful. In the past students have provided research to develop or expand a particular program area, worked in kitchens to prepare meals for community members, co-facilitated conversation circles with seniors and provided 1:1 tutoring for high schools students. Their skills vary, and staff will work hard to create the right match for each situation. |
| Student Skills and Experience | Because students come from a variety of programs and life experiences, their knowledge about community work differs. To prepare them to contribute effectively, we provide them with a thorough orientation which covers equity, diversity, inclusion and accessiblity (EDIA) principles and practices, asset-based community development and the principles of community engaged learning. |
| Student Goals for Learning | We hope that students will learn the importance of contributing to their community, as well as to recognize the value that the community sector brings to the city, and the complex nature of their work. Some of our students have continued to volunteer with their placement organization after the program ends because they see this and want to continue to contribute. |
| Contact Information | Janet Fitzsimmons: janet.fitzsimmons@utoronto.ca |
| Course Title | Health in Community (HC) – Community Engaged Experience (CEE) |
| Timing | Placements will occur throughout the academic year, beginning in September 2025 (following completion of pre-departure modules) and continuing through May 2027. Some students (Year 2) will complete their placements by May 2026. Students will engage either in a group or independently depending on the organization’s preference. As for hours, they can spend either half day or full day depending on your organizations’ requirements. It can be either be one visit or multiple visits at your site(s). |
| Program Description | The Community Engaged Experience Program provides first- and second-year medical students with the opportunity to learn directly from community-based organizations by engaging with diverse populations outside of traditional clinical settings. The program emphasizes: • Understanding social determinants of health • Interprofessional collaboration • The intersection of healthcare and community structures Key Features: • Integrated and Flexible Design allows students to explore community health at their own pace. • Diverse Engagement Opportunities in placements with a variety of agencies. • Focus on Critical Skills like advocacy, collaboration, and reflective practice. Students complete placements in areas such as long-term care (LTC), intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and other flexible community settings. |
| Student Contributions to the Community/Organization | Students will engage actively with the experience and gain hands-on experience with populations, services, or initiatives. As community partners are expert in their roles, students will gain a holistic approach to health care: treating the person, not just their illness, and recognizes the interconnectedness of various aspects of health. |
| Student Skills and Experience | Students are in first year medical school. They bring their education, participation, contribution and engagement. |
| Student Goals for Learning | The CEE program offers students the opportunity to learn directly from community-based organizations by engaging with diverse populations outside of traditional clinical settings. It focuses on understanding the social determinants of health, interprofessional collaboration, and how healthcare intersects with community structures. |
| Contact Information | md.hc@utoronto.ca |
| Course Title | Various |
| Timing | The project is supervised by a faculty member. All students in a course participate for academic credit over the duration of a 4 month term (Fall – September to December; Winter – January to March). This often translates into small groups who all either work towards the same project or each group may take on a slightly different angle of the larger topic as co-designed with the community partner. Deadline to contact Arjuna for Fall opportunities – end of June 2025; Deadline for Winter opportunities – October 13, 2025. |
| Program Description | Various courses in the undergraduate Management Bachelor of Business Administration program in streams focusing on human resources management, marketing, operations/strategy, entrepreneurship, accounting, and finance. |
| Student Contributions to the Community/Organization | Students, under faculty supervison, will act as consultants as they meet appropriate community partner staff and conduct primary/secondary research as dictated by the project. All students in a course participate for academic credit over the duration of a 4 month term (Fall – September to December; Winter – January to March). This often translates into small groups who all either work towards the same project or each group may take on a slightly different angle of the larger topic as co-designed with the community partner. |
| Student Skills and Experience | Depending on the course – human resources management, marketing, operations/strategy, entrepreneurship, accounting, and finance. Past projects – while not exhaustive by any means, https://utsc.utoronto.ca/mgmt/work-integrated-learning-wil gives you some examples of our past projects in the curriculum |
| Student Goals for Learning | In addition to meeting required course learning outcomes, students come out of these external course-based projects with work-ready competencies such as consultation, communication, teamwork, and analytical skills. |
| Contact Information | Arjuna Thaskaran a.thaskaran@utoronto.ca |
Winter 2026
| Program Description | During Alternative Reading Week (ARW), hundreds of U of T students immerse themselves in four days of volunteering with local community organizations. Students make meaningful contributions, build relationships and learn more about the City of Toronto. |
| Timing | Alternative Reading Week (ARW) will be held from February 17-20, 2026. |
| Student Contributions to the Community/Organization | ARW students work in groups of five or more and are led by a peer facilitator on a project of your choosing. Projects must be able to be completed by the group over a 3-day period. You do not have to supervise the students. We prepare them to work in your context and a peer leader coordinates project logistics, in liaison with you. In previous years, students have worked on virtual projects that: · Developed resources & conducted research for organizations · Planned a social media marketing campaign · Developed workshops and learning guides for high-school students Students have worked on in-person projects that supported: · Community kitchens and food bank activities · Youth anti-bullying curriculum delivery at an after-school program · English conversation circles and resource development |
| Contact Information | Please complete this form and a staff member will be in touch: uoft.me/ARWinterest |
| Course Title | Engineering Strategies and Practice II: APS112 |
| Timing | To provide our students with real-life scenarios, we are seeking volunteers to act as clients with a specific project or problem in mind. Community Partners have until December 2025 to submit their project/problem. The course runs in Winter 2026. The students start working on the projects in early February 2026 and complete them by the end of March 2026. |
| Program Description | Engineering Strategies and Practice II is a course that builds upon the foundational design process, problem-solving, and project management skills introduced in Engineering Strategies and Practice I. It emphasizes real-world design projects, team-based work, and communication skills, preparing students for a career in engineering. |
| Student Contributions to the Community/Organization | The students work in teams of six members to propose a solution for their client. They work from early February 2026 until the end of March 2026. Community partners are invited to attend the final presentation in early April (attendance is optional). As a volunteer client, you can expect our students to take this project very seriously and bring a lot of enthusiasm, energy, and creativity to solving it. You can also expect the students to come prepared for client meetings and calls and to be respectful of your schedule when contacting you. Previous projects have included: Space optimization Inventory control systems Sound proofing spaces Building accessibility Food waste reduction Food sorting systems for food banks Heating and cooling solutions Green space design |
| Student Skills and Experience | Our first-year engineering students bring creativity and enthusiasm as they work to find a solution for their client’s project or problem. |
| Student Goals for Learning | Students learn to problem-solve with creativity, methodology and credibility. They practice independent learning skills and consider a wide variety of problems, including technical, environmental, societal, and human factors. |
| Contact Information | Martha Muraira martha.muraira@utoronto.ca |