Centre for Community Engagement and Social Change Year End Report 2024-2025
Strategic Goals
This 2024–25 CCESC Annual Report outlines the activities of the Centre for Community Engagement and Social Change (CCESC) over the past academic year and describes critical actions undertaken to engage Queen’s faculty, staff, and students, as well as broader partnerships with the Kingston community. It also showcases the vibrant and growing portfolio of research projects seeded and supported by the Centre. It is organized around the CCESC’s five strategic goals, which have guided our activities and priorities throughout the academic year.
Significant progress was made in establishing a collaborative governance structure for the CCESC. This included the formation of an Executive Committee composed of Centre leaders and staff with diverse areas of expertise, and the launch of a Community Advisory Board to ensure ongoing accountability and alignment with community priorities. These structures support collaborative, shared decision-making and sustain the Centre’s commitment to reciprocity and meaningful community engagement.
CCESC initiatives in 2024–25 aligned closely with Queen’s University Strategic Goals, particularly our commitment to Research Impact, Research & Teaching Integration, advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and supporting community-engaged research and innovation. Through partnered community events mobilizing research and faculty-led research seeded by the centre, the CCESC played a key role in activating institutional priorities in concrete and participatory ways and in elevating the role of Queen’s Education in achieving them.
The Centre expanded its support for faculty and student research and training at Queen’s and beyond, including community, through targeted funding programs. In 2024–25, CCESC awarded $37,340 in Amplify Grants (small grants), provided $2,800 in Guest Speaker Funding, and allocated $90,000 to six Community-Engaged Research Clusters to seed collaborative projects. This included, for example, the Radical Love and Relational Research project in Ecuador led by the Decolonizing and Indigenous Research Cluster and the CCESC Internship Pilot led by Collaborative Evaluation for Social Change cluster, connecting nine students with four community partners to create meaningful experiential learning opportunities grounded in community identified needs and requests.
CCESC hosted a range of events designed to strengthen relationships with community partners and share knowledge. Highlights include the Art of Hosting, which brought together over 60 faculty and staff across Queen’s to learn about collaborative leadership, Neuro-Vibes: A Night Exploring Neurodiversity, with Limestone District School Board, over 200 educators, leaders, students and family members and 25 community organizations, and the Empowering Neurodivergence Speaker Series. These events provided spaces for reflection, co-learning, and action around transformative education and research.
Foundational work was undertaken to enhance the Centre’s visibility and communications strategy in collaboration with the Faculty of Education Marketing and Communications team. Key achievements include the launch of the CCESC website, production of a CCESC promotional video, and ongoing development of a knowledge mobilization strategy. Planning is underway for the launch of our new blog series and Centre newsletter to share the Centre’s vision, priorities, and impact.
Looking Forward to 2025-26
As the CCESC concludes its first full academic year of operation, this report reflects both the breadth of activity undertaken and the foundation laid for sustained impact. Looking ahead, the Centre will deepen its research infrastructure, expand community grant opportunities, and continue to grow its internal and external partnerships. These next steps will further position the CCESC as a vital hub for community-engaged scholarship, teaching, and transformative collaboration at Queen’s University and beyond. We are proud of what we accomplished together this year and look forward to the future!