COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS ABOUT THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS
When people come together it is possible to create positive, significant and lasting differences in communities. Building respectful, reciprocal relationships between communities and UBC is central to the university’s vision of “inspiring people, ideas and actions for a better world” and foundational to excellent teaching, learning and research.
The Community Engagement office at UBC supports university and community partners to work together, bringing the full force of our combined experiences, expertise and knowledge to advance a more just and sustainable society.
Funding & Opportunities
- Apply for the 2025 Partnership Recognition and Exploration Fund
Get up to $1,500 to fill small resource gaps so community partners can build reciprocal relationships with UBC students, faculty and staff.
Events
- All the Lonely People: The Search for Belonging in an Uncertain World
June 4, 2025 | What does loneliness look like in our increasingly connected world and what can we do about it? Join an interdisciplinary panel of UBC researchers from health, economics, philosophy and creative writing to explore the roots and realities of social isolation and how this critical social challenge can be addressed collectively within the broader contexts of men’s and women’s health, relationships, climate preparedness and governance. - CTLT Indigenous Initiatives Virtual Coffee Hour with the Community Engagement Network (For UBC Staff & Librarians)
May 6, 2025 | Join CTLT Indigenous Initiatives and Community Engagement for a casual online gathering designed to foster shared learning and conversation around embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and doing into community engagement practice. - 2025 UBC Partnering in Research Conference
June 12, 2025 | Join us for a full-day event designed to explore the power of collaboration in research. Faculty, staff, graduate students, and community partners will come together to share insights, address challenges, and develop strategies to drive equity and justice forward.
News & Stories
- Meet the CEN: Shayla Walker, Fund Program Manager
Shayla Walker manages our two funding programs—the CUES Fund and the PRE Fund—and plays a key role in bridging UBC with community partners across BC. - Celebrating Our Work Learn Students’ Journeys: Q&A with Lucy Forderer
In this latest Work Learn Q&A, hear from our Communications Assistant, Lucy Forderer, who reflects on her time with us from September 2024 to April 2025. - Stories of Partnership: Central Okanagan Food Bank and UBC Okanagan Faculty of Management
In the 4th episode of Stories of Partnership, the Central Okanagan Food Bank and UBC Okanagan’s Faculty of Management talk about how they started and sustained their partnership, deeply explore how research partnerships help nonprofits and universities alike, and share how flexibility and frank communication are a bedrock for reciprocal partnership.
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