University of Toronto Staff Events & Workshops

The Centre for Community Partnerships (CCP) hosts programs and events that bring together experiential learning (EL) staff who support community-engaged learning (CEL) courses.

To stay up to date on events as they are announced, please subscribe to our Staff newsletter.

Click the arrows below for dates and registration info for all 2025-26 events!

 “The work before the work is the period of learning, reflection and relationship-building that happens before we approach Indigenous communities with partnership opportunities.”

— Working in Good Ways: A Framework and Resources for Indigenous Community Engagement, p. 31 

Make intentional time in your schedule this year to advance your “work before the work.” We’ll learn together in virtual sessions guided by exercises from the University of Manitoba’s Working in Good Ways practitioner workbook.  Take steps to assess your Indigenous content literacy, think critically about colonialism and institutional norms, and build relationships with integrity. Stay tuned for details of a Spring 2026 field trip also. This series is convened by the Centre for Community Partnerships for staff who support community-engaged learning and community-partnered experiential learning, and is particularly relevant for settler/displaced (non-Indigenous) staff.

2

Relational Introductions: Unsettling Professionalism

Friday, February 20, 2026
10 – 11 a.m.
Virtual (Teams)

3

Building Structures that Last: Institutional Barriers and Your Circle of Control

Friday, March 6, 2026
10 – 11 a.m.
Virtual (Teams)


Past Sessions

1

Doing Your Homework: Assess Your Literacy in Indigenous Content

Friday, November 21, 2025
10 – 11 a.m.
Virtual (Teams)

The Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) Staff Network is for staff who support CEL or community-partnered Experiential Learning (EL) in their roles. The network gathers bi-monthly to connect and learn together with peers across the tri-campus. Check out this year’s meetings below and join us to explore timely topics and find shared solutions to common challenges: 

Evaluating Community-Engaged Learning: Fine-tune your purpose and process 

Friday, March 27, 2026
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. 
Virtual (Teams)

Join Teresa Simm and Ainsley Goldman from the Office of Experiential Learning and Outreach Support (ELOS) as they share insights from their Division-wide ‘Evaluation Initiative,’ designed to support Faculty of Arts and Science instructors to evaluate their experiential learning courses (including CEL and community-partnered EL courses). Applying distinct approaches and modalities to suit the needs of different audiences, this innovative initiative engages faculty, students, and community partners. This interactive session will focus on purpose and process and help you fine-tune the “why” and the “how” for your own evaluation efforts. 
 
Facilitated by Teresa Simm, Lead, Curricular Experiential Learning Initiatives, and Ainsley Goldman, Experiential Learning Educational Developer, Office of Experiential Learning & Outreach Support (ELOS), Faculty of Arts & Science, UTSG   

Past Meetings

What Students Want You to Know: Student experiences of Community-Engaged Learning

Thursday, January 29, 2026
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. 
Virtual (Teams)

Join us in welcoming a panel of U of T students from all three campuses to share their experiences in Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) courses and initiatives. Hear their honest reflections on the rewards and challenges of working alongside community partners and gain valuable insights into how staff and instructors can better support students throughout their learning journeys. Don’t miss this chance to listen and connect with our students about what it’s really like on the ground. 
 
Moderated by Alysha Ferguson, Assistant Director, Campus and Community Engagement, Centre for Student Engagement, UTM. 

UTSC’s Partnership and Engagement Framework: Activating the dynamic life cycle of your community partnerships

Thursday, December 4, 2025
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. 
Virtual (Teams)

Join Kimberley Tull and Marisa Silver from UTSC’s Community Partnerships and Engagement department to get oriented to the innovative, community-informed, and relationship-driven Partnership and Engagement Framework. This visual map and resource guide empowers community in building sustainable and reciprocal relationships, and ultimately, a future of infinite possibilities together. We will explore the framework and discuss how you can apply the key principles and tools to your work with community partners at any stage.  

Facilitated by Kimberley Tull, Director, Community & Learning Partnerships and Access Pathways, and Marisa Silver, Team Lead, Department of Community Partnerships and Engagement, UTSC  

CEL Café: Talk, think, connect (in-person)

Thursday, October 9, 2025
9:30 – 11:30 a.m. 
Koffler House, St. George campus

Join the CCP and the Community-Engaged Learning Staff Network to kick off the academic year in person. Catch up with your tri-campus EL/CEL colleagues over coffee and tea, and learn more about each other’s work. We’ll dig into candid conversations and collective problem solving on the sticky issues that come up in community-engaged work, through a “Design Clinic” activity (adapted from Western Washington University’s Centre for Community Learning). Bring your challenges, and leave with insights!