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.

Waitlist for the UBC 2025 Partnering in Research Conference

June 12, 2025 | Join the waitlist 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.

Community Engagement’s 2024 Annual Report

In 2024, the office engaged over 1,600 community partners, faculty, staff, and students through funding, programs, and events. Learn more in our inaugural annual report.

Meet the CEN: Mandy Young, Community Engagement Coordinator

Mandy Young is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Patient and Community Partnership for Education in the Office of UBC Health. A dedicated patient partner and caregiver, Mandy works to integrate patient perspectives into the education of future healthcare professionals.

Challenges in Partnered Research: Professor Moura Quayle, Associate Provost, UBC Vancouver

Adriaan de Jager, UBC’s Associate Vice-President of Government Relations and Community Engagement, interviews Professor Moura Quayle, UBC Vancouver’s Associate Provost. They discuss the evolving role of universities, navigating academic structures, fostering innovation, and strengthening knowledge exchange with the community.

Lingít: a Love Language for Community — Children of the Taku Society and UBCO Partner to Document Language Reclamation and Resilience

In this episode, we speak with K’èdukà Jack, executive director of the Children of the Taku Society, and Dr. Christine Schreyer, an associate professor at UBC Okanagan. They discuss their collaborative efforts to document language loss and revitalization, and how this work is strengthening cultural identity and community resilience.

POSTPONED: Insights from Organizing an Indigenous-Led Event: UBC’s Intergenerational March to Commemorate Orange Shirt Day

POSTPONED | Hear from event co-founders Dana-Lyn Mackenzie and Danilo Caron, along with student organizers, and gain actionable insights for planning meaningful, community-centered events that honor truth and reconciliation.

Demystifying UBC’s Financial System: Supporting Fair and Timely Payments for Community Partners

November 7, 2024 | Develop the skills you need to process payments smoothly and fairly within UBC’s financial system. Strengthen your partnerships by ensuring prompt, transparent compensation for community collaborators.

Unlocking BC’s Housing Potential: How the New Single-Egress Code Can Help Us Build Better Communities

October 25, 2024 | Curious or concerned about BC’s new building code that allows small apartment buildings to have only one exit staircase? Explore how this policy shift could support affordable, family-friendly, and low-carbon housing.

Meet the Summer Recipients of UBC’s 2024 Partnership Recognition and Exploration Fund

From advancing Indigenous rights in Kaska Dena Traditional Territory to building seed-saving infrastructure at UBC Farm, this season’s projects showcase the diverse ways in which communities are partnering with UBC students, faculty, and staff.

From Oral Tradition to Comics: Homalco First Nation Partner with UBC and Education Without Borders to Create Graphic Novel Based on the Stories of their Elders

In our latest podcast, we speak with project leads who have brought together a team of Indigenous graphic artists to create short comics inspired by archival recordings of Elders from the Homalco First Nation.

CUES Fund info session #1: What to know before applying

September 12, 2024 | Get an overview of the CUES fund, review the applicant guide and eligibility requirements, and ask any questions before submitting your Notice of Intent.

Decolonizing and Engaging in Research by Way of Graphic Recording

June 10, 2024 | Learn about the skills and experiences of graphic recorders Adriana Contreras and Michelle Buchholz. Discover how graphic recording can enhance your research and serve as a tool for decolonization, creativity, and engagement.

I’m a Community Engaged Researcher. Should I Start a Non-Profit?

June 3, 2024 | Explore the benefits and challenges of non-profit organizations for research, offering a decision-making framework and guidance for those considering launching a non-profit entity to support their community-engaged initiatives.

Hogan’s Alley Society Partners with UBC Students to Combat Anti-Black Racism in Social Work

In the summer of 2022, Hogan’s Alley Society founding director Lama Mugabo collaborated with a team of five UBC students to create an Anti-Racism in Social Work Toolkit.

Stories of Partnership: AMSSA & UBC’s Centre for Migration Studies 

May 28, 2024 | Hear about the evolving relationship between UBC and AMSSA, a province-wide association well known as an umbrella organization for the BC immigration and settlement sector.

Folil Trafün: Connecting Afro-descendant, Indigenous and Latin American Communities in the Lower Mainland Through Film

In the fall of 2023, the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre (VLACC), Ficwallmapu, and UBC’s Faculty of Forestry collaborated to highlight and celebrate Indigenous and Afro-diaspora films from Latin America.

Defining and Describing Community-Engaged Scholarship for Promotion and Tenure

May 21, 2024 | Learn how to effectively present your community-engaged scholarship, focusing on outputs, outcomes, and processes, to enhance recognition and appreciation of your work across your portfolio.

What Doesn’t Kill It Makes It Stronger: Navigating Conflict in Partnered Research Teams

May 2, 2024 | Learn how to identify and navigate conflict in research teams using the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument. Transform disagreements into opportunities for deeper understanding and impactful collaboration.

Crafting a Compelling Narrative: How to Tell Your Research Story

April 30, 2024 | Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging audiences, securing research funding, and delivering impactful messages. In this interactive workshop, learn how to tell your research story with clarity, authenticity, and impact.

Meet the CEN: UBC’s Centre for Asian Canadian Research and Engagement

In our fourth episode, we interview the team behind UBC ACRE, an incredible initiative that is working to center the voices, experiences, and expertise of Asian Canadian communities, both within the university and, crucially, beyond it. 

Lessons from a Partnership: How United Way BC, UBC’s School of Public Policy, and the Office of Community Engagement Collaborated on a Public Policy Event

Reflecting on the collaborative success of “The Age of Disruption in Public Policy: DRIPA and Social Media” event, we share valuable insights for future collaborations including leveraging unique strengths, shared leadership, and clear communication.

Imagining Multisensory Art: Learning from Objects; Literacy and Inclusion

January 27 | Join the Vancouver Art Gallery for a discussion on how collaboration between educational and artistic institutions can enhance accessibility.

Stories of Change: Documentary Screening + Atlas

January 26 | The “Stories of Change” project team is excited to invite you to an exclusive screening of their climate resilience documentary. Discover the stories of resilient communities in Bangladesh who are confronting the impacts of climate change.

Wellbeing Festival: Celebrating Local Mind-Body Health

January 20 | Join Maternal and Infant Health Canada for an event focused on BIWOC (Black, Indigenous, Women of Colour) themes. The event will feature meditation, reflection, and creative activities.

Breathing life back into their language: A collaborative e-dictionary project with Klahoose, Tla’amin, Homalco, and K’ómoks Nations

Today, fewer than 47 native speakers of ʔayʔaǰuθəm remain, all of whom are over the age of 60. To help preserve their traditional language, four sister nations—Klahoose, Tla’amin, Homalco, and K’ómoks—are working alongside researchers from UBC and the University of Alberta to develop an ʔayʔaǰuθəm e-dictionary.

Let’s Talk About Your Data: A Discussion of Public Health Data

November 29 | Curious how your data is contributing to advancements in health care? Learn from health experts, data specialists, and patient voices about the benefits of sharing public health data and the innovative tech safeguarding it.

Postcards: Trans Narratives on Stage

November 12 | Join us for a unique event that intertwines art and research to amplify trans voices. Hear from talented trans and queer artists and be part of championing trans joy, community, and liberation.

Meet the CEN: Kshamta Hunter, Manager of Transformative Learning and Student Engagement

In our third interview, we introduce Kshamta Hunter, the Manager of Transformative Learning and Student Engagement within the Sustainability Hub at UBC.

Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation and UBC Forestry Students Collaborate to Shape the Future of Fire Stewardship 

PRE Funded Project | The Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation and students from UBC Forestry are working together to find community-driven and decolonized solutions to wildfires in British Columbia. 

Meet the summer recipients of UBC’s 2023 Partnership Recognition and Exploration Fund

From supporting parents of children with speech delays to exploring Indigenous-led solutions to wildfires, this summer’s projects showcase the diverse ways in which communities are partnering with UBC students, faculty, and staff on reciprocal initiatives.

Apply for the 2024/25 Community-University Engagement Support Fund

Get up to $25,000 to support community-university partnerships and projects. Submit a Notice of Intent by September 27, 2024.

Apply for the 2023 Partnership Recognition and Exploration Fund

Get up to $1,500 to fill small resource gaps and empower community partners to build reciprocal relationships with UBC students, faculty, and staff.

31 community partners receive funding from UBC’s 2022-23 Community-University Engagement Support Fund

UBC awards over $745,000 to support community-university partnerships that benefit communities and advance collaborative research, teaching and learning throughout British Columbia.

Preserving and sharing syilx digital heritage: Westbank First Nation and UBCO collaborate on interactive web map

The Westbank First Nation Archaeology Office have teamed up with Dr. Neha Gupta (UBCO) to develop a unique digital archaeology project that celebrates syilx heritage and strengthens Indigenous data governance.

Peer-Led Intervention Work to Promote Dignity

March 30, 2023 | Hear firsthand from individuals with lived experience of incarceration and their allies as they delve into the significance of peer-led interventions in offering personal support, health mentorship and systems navigation.

Connecting Online Safely

March 27, 2023 | Learn how young people can develop healthier approaches to social media, cyberbullying, and more. Join experts from UBC’s Faculty of Education to explore strategies for safely connecting online

Screening of “Rouge” (4K restoration) & exhibition of “Leslie Cheung — Hong Kong Icon”

March 25, 2023 | Don’t miss this rare opportunity to watch “Rouge 胭脂扣” on the big screen. Accompanied by a special exhibition commemorating the 20th anniversary of the passing of the legendary Hong Kong actor, Leslie Cheung.

Cinema Thinks the World: “Fail to Appear” (2017) film screening and discussion

March 15, 2023 | Join us for a free screening of “Fail to Appear” at UBC Robson Square. Followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and topic experts from UBC Social Work and SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Cinema Thinks the World: Rewind & Play (1969) Film Screening and Discussion

February 16, 2023 | Watch a special screening of Rewind and Play for Black History Month. The screening will be followed by a discussion with local experts and scholars from UBC.

Increasing food security for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and low-income folx

Saige Community Food Bank & Community Kitchen has provided the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and low-income folx access to a safe, no-barriers food bank and bi-monthly community kitchens for over 11 years.

Three projects highlight how community organizations partner with UBC Land and Food Systems to address needs in BC’s food system

Three Faculty of Land and Food Systems initiatives received funds of up to $1500 through PRE to work with these community partners: Watari Counselling and Support Services; ARC Arts Roots and Culture Community Society; and, FarmFolk CityFolk Society.

Watch Hearts Beat, a new documentary by two UBC students

The documentary celebrates the shared traditions of drumming, dancing, singing and storytelling between Coast Salish and Irish cultures, and showcases the incredible talent and artistry of the Downtown Eastside community.

Incorporating Indigenous knowledge, perspective, and voice into UBC’s nursing curriculum

Assistant Professor of Teaching Elisabeth Bailey joins with community partner Dancing Water Sandy and School District 27 in Healing Together: Building Relationships to Decolonize Nursing Education.

Eight community organizations receive PRE funding to partner with Arts students, faculty and staff on Indigenous reconciliation, equity, and climate action

Eight community-university projects being co-led by Faculty of Arts members have been funded by the 2022 Partnership Recognition and Exploration fund.

47 community partners receive funding from UBC’s 2022 Partnership Recognition and Exploration fund 

This fall, the Office of Community Engagement awarded over $70,000 to support community-university collaboration and relationship building.

UBC signs Statement of Cooperation with the Ismaili Council for BC

Signed on September 28, 2022, this Statement of Cooperation sets the foundation for continuous institutional cooperation in the areas of community engagement and knowledge exchange.

Public Engagement at Robson Square: UBC and the Ismaili Centre, Vancouver host public dialogue on settler colonialism, identity, and migration

We spoke to the students, faculty, staff, and community partners that worked together to create this community-university event.

The Community-University Engagement Support Fund

Get up to $25,000 to support community-university partnerships that benefit communities across British Columbia and advance collaborative research, teaching, and learning.

CUES Fund Info Session #1: What to know before applying

Watch the Recording | Get an overview of the CUES fund, review the applicant guide and eligibility requirements, and ask any questions before submitting your Notice of Intent.