Community engagement is not new at UBC, it has been a part of the fabric of the university since the institution was founded.
Engagement is a part of UBC’s vision and is one of the core commitments within UBC’s Strategic Plan, Shaping UBC’s Next Century. The university enters into relationships where decisions about means and ends are made collaboratively, costs and benefits are shared, and learning is reciprocal.
20+
Units, centres, networks and departments dedicated to supporting community engagement
$170M
Estimated annual funding for research collaborations with non-profit partners
2500
Staff, student, faculty and community voices contributed to the 2020 Indigenous Strategic Plan
6000+
UBC Vancouver undergraduate students per year participate in community service learning or community-based research
400+
UBC Okanagan undergraduate students per year participate in community service learning or community-based research
2000
Community residents continuously engaged in programs and projects at the UBC Learning Exchange
Engagement activities take on multiple shapes and forms, span units and faculties at both campuses, and take place both on and off-campus.
- Community-based research
- Experiential learning
- Public dialogue & discourse
- Events and public programming
- Public access to resources
- Democratic debate
- Knowledge exchange
- Community and practice-based student placements
Engagement is Relational
The UBC Vancouver-Point Grey and Okanagan campuses are located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) and Syilx Okanagan people, respectively. UBC has formal affiliations with the Musqueam Indian Band and the Okanagan Nation Alliance that acknowledge and honour the university’s relationships with and commitments to its host Nations. UBC has numerous relationships with Musqueam, Syilx Okanagan, and other Indigenous communities and organizations throughout BC and Canada, as well as with the provincial government and local cities. These place-based relationships are foundational to how UBC defines itself and engages with communities.