For its 2013 edition, Community Engagement Day (CED) brought out more than 600 people from the McGill community, more than double the number of people who participated in last year’s inaugural event.
The day—actually held over four days during early October—is a collaboration between a host of partners that include the Social Equity and Diversity Education Office (SEDE), the Students’ Society of McGill University, the Sustainability Projects Fund, the Quartier d’innovation, and Student Housing and Hospitality Services. Students, staff, faculty and alumni volunteer their time with one of 44 pre-existing initiatives that connect the University with Montreal community organizations.
The hope is that CED participation will act as a catalyst for further engagement. The 2013 activities ranged from performing theatre using only American Sign Language, to playing sitting volleyball, to very hands-on participation in the preservation of the historic Griffintown Horse Palace, the city’s oldest stable.
Community engagement isn’t about just one day (or four). Here are some of the things that McGillians did during the rest of the year:
- Community Engagement Day strengthens ties between McGillians and Montreal.
- Inspiring the next generation through music: McGill chapter of the Heart of the City Piano Program provides free piano lessons to inner city children
- Second annual Aboriginal Awareness Week showcases cultures and traditions of Aboriginal peoples
- McGill law students in project that aims to curb cyberbullying
- Lower cost dental services move to heart of downtown: Learning, research and community service come together in Faculty of Dentistry’s modern new home