It continues to be a privilege to connect faculty and partners in designing and delivering meaningful experiences for students—experiences that also bring value to our community and employer partners. The demand for partner-engaged experiential learning remains strong, and once again in 2024–25, we exceeded expectations by supporting nearly 4,500 student experiences—an 18% increase from 2023–24.
We’re also proud to report that 94% of all 2024 graduates from Laurier’s undergraduate programs participated in at least one curricular experiential learning opportunity during their studies.
This past year, in Fall 2024, we launched a new interdisciplinary placement course based out of our Brantford campus. The course enables partners to draw on students from a wide variety of academic programs, gaining diverse perspectives and contributions. Students benefit from flexibility, choosing either part-time paid positions or volunteer/training roles with local organizations and employers to fulfill the course requirement. One of our partners, Brant United Way, shared their experience in this course at the 2025 Summit for Creative Community Solutions in May. The Brant Museum and the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie also took part in the panel presentation.
Another highlight from 2024–25 was the introduction of a community service-learning project in a second-year Sociology course, Qualitative Methods. Students engaged directly with partners—including Supportive Housing of Waterloo (SHOW) and Basic Income Waterloo Region—to learn about their work, priorities, and challenges. Students then developed and presented research proposals to these partners. In Spring 2025, Master of Applied Politics students carried out several of these proposals, continuing the work in partnership. This kind of sustained engagement exemplifies our commitment to building long-term, meaningful relationships with the community.
We have a number of courses in which students are working on projects with hyper-local, small and medium-sized organizations such as Four All Ice Cream, Lady Glaze Donuts, Good Practice Physiotherapy, Games on Tap, Indulgence Studio & Spa, and Gibson Sound & Vision.
Finally, we take this opportunity to appreciate and thank our Assistant Vice President, Experiential Learning & Career Development, Jan Basso. After more than 50 years at Laurier, Jan has retired and we want to wish her all the best. Jan’s vision and support for our work in Community & Workplace Partnerships has profoundly shaped our direction and driven meaningful collaboration, expanding our reach, and creating lasting impact for our students and the community and employer partners we work with.
Geetika joined the CWP team in a work-study role for 2025-26. Having done a CSL placement course herself, she brought both passion and experience to the role. Here Geetika shares about her experience.
Before my CSL placement, I knew I wanted to get involved in the community, but I wasn’t sure where to start. The CWP staff provided the structure and guidance I needed to take that first step, ensuring I felt supported throughout the entire process. Through this support, I had the privilege of volunteering with Parents for Community Living in Kitchener, where I gained hands-on experience supporting youth with developmental disabilities.
Like many Psychology students, I entered the program with a narrow view of what my career path might look like. CSL challenged that perspective and encouraged me to explore possibilities I had not previously considered. While my coursework provided the foundational theories of social support and human behavior, my placement allowed me to see those concepts come to life. In the classroom, we discuss advocacy and inclusion; in the field, I learned that beyond academic knowledge, empathy, patience, and consistency is what truly builds trust and meaningful relationships.
During my time at the organization, I developed strong connections with the youth and collaborated closely with dedicated staff members. This experience did more than broaden my career aspirations; it reshaped my understanding of inclusion and community. I came to see that a community is only as strong as the support it provides its members, and being part of that support system gave me a profound sense of purpose.
The impact of this placement extended far beyond the requirements of the course. Even after the semester concluded, I chose to continue volunteering because of the meaningful relationships and lasting lessons I had gained. What began as an opportunity to fulfill a placement requirement evolved into an experience that strengthened my confidence, deepened my empathy, and clarified the kind of work I hope to pursue in the future.
In many ways, my journey has come full circle. After beginning this experience unsure of where to start, I now have the privilege of supporting fellow Laurier students as they begin their own CSL paths. Looking back, I realize that stepping into the community was one of the most valuable decisions of my undergraduate experience. CSL not only connected me to the Kitchener community, but also strengthened my commitment to building inclusive, supportive spaces for others. It is an experience that continues to shape my academic journey.
We collaborate with external partners to offer meaningful experiential learning opportunities to Laurier students. Our partners offer placements, life case studies, research projects, problem-based learning opportunities and job shadows.
Results were from 82 responses to our partnership survey.
95% would consider offering experiential learning opportunities again in the future.
94% would recommend working with CWP to peers/colleagues.
We had several partners who provided opportunities for multiple students:
We asked our contacts to share about these partnerships from their perspective.
Working with Laurier CSL students has been a truly enriching experience for our programs and the community we serve. Through their volunteer placements in initiatives such as English Conversation Circles and Canada Connects, students bring not only their time and commitment, but also genuine care, curiosity, and a strong willingness to connect with newcomers.
Their presence creates meaningful opportunities for participants to practice English in a supportive environment while also fostering a sense of belonging and community integration. At the same time, students gain valuable hands-on experience, developing empathy, cultural awareness, and a deeper understanding of the newcomer experience in Canada.
This partnership has been mutually beneficial and impactful, strengthening both student learning and community connection. We are truly grateful for the collaboration and the positive energy Laurier CSL students bring to our programs.
Throughout 2024/25, we have continued to foster the relationship with Laurier faculty to grow partner-engaged experiential learning opportunities for students.
Get to know one of our new faculty partners and read about the reasons they embeded experiential learning into their course.
This past winter 2025 term, I incorporated an optional Community Service-Learning (CSL) placement in my newly developed class FS209C: Food and Identity in Film. FS209C examines the intersections between food, foodways, and the cinema by focusing on how the representation of food become markers of personal, national, cultural, and gender identities. Two of the main objectives of my course were to provide students with opportunities to explore the intersections between food and film studies; and to develop an appreciation for the personal and political relationships that food and representations of food has to one’s identities and traditions through academic concepts and community experiences. Therefore, my course was a natural fit to incorporate a CSL component as it helps students to move outside of their comfort zone within the classroom; and to apply their analysis of how food is represented on the big screen to real-life implications of global foodways, food justice, insecurity, sustainability, equity and activism within the K-W community.
The students who chose the CSL option had placements at such community partners as the food banks, food kitchens, the Distro, among others, either working behind the scenes like packing and organizing food donations, or in the frontlines distributing food and serving meals to those who experience food insecurity in the community. Students gained a great deal throughout their placement; they learned the importance food not just from a quantitative perspective but also within cultural and social contexts. Food is not only about filling one’s hungry belly, but also about forging social connections within one’s community and developing a sense of cultural identity, dignity, and sense of belonging. Most importantly, many students noted how after their placement, their appreciation for community-based initiatives was deepened.
It has been a pleasure working with the CSL team at Laurier. I received much guidance early on regarding the possibilities of different configurations of incorporating the CSL option within my course assignments. The coordinator team were supportive and extremely gracious with their expertise and time in not only explaining to me what different partners missions are as well as showing me the workings of several of their community partners before the Winter term even began so that I was able better tie course themes and concepts to the design of my lectures and assignments. My students and I had a wonderful experience working with the community Workplace Partnerships Office (CWP). I plan to continue to incorporate CSL option in my class on Food and Identity in Film and will develop another course that will incorporate a CSL component.
100% had a positive overall experience working with CWP.
100% recommended working with CWP to their colleagues.
100% felt that it enhanced the classroom learning environment.
100% felt that it enhanced their teaching practice.
90% felt that it helped them better engage with their students.
100% felt that experiences coordinated by CWP staff were a good fit for the learning goals of their course.
100% felt that CWP staff provided their students with adequate assistance and support.
100% felt that there was adequate communication with CWP staff.
Through the community and workplace partnership experience, we support students as they build connections in the community, and in the programs and initiatives of their community partner organization.
2633 students completed the evaluation with a 59% response rate
Explore our selection of courses offered that included the CWP experience during the 2025/26 academic year. Courses marked with an * indicates that they are new courses.
In all CWP courses, students can link their experience to the Laurier Competency Framework. Over the course of the 2023/24 year, the top five competencies selected across all types of experiential learning in CWP courses were: communication, collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking, adaptability and resiliency and problem solving. Competency data for the 2024/25 year will be available soon.
The bar charts below identifies the number of students who reported they developed the competency through their experiential learning opportunity.
Sociology instructor Kimberly Ellis-Hale worked with the Community and Workplace Partnerships team to embed experiential components into three sociology courses this year. In addition to engaging with various guest speakers in class, her students engaged in tours of The Working Centre, St. John’s Kitchen, and Waterloo Region Health Network sites.
Last year the Faculty of Arts offered 18 courses with community-engaged and workplace learning experiences. Among these are social entrepreneurship and political sciences courses in which students have worked with Ignatius Jesuit Centre, African Women’s Alliance of Waterloo Region, and Supportive Housing of Waterloo Region to make meaningful contributions to community programming.
Learn about the four types of CWP experiences that you can recruit students for.
