About

The Centre for Community Research, Learning and Action (CCRLA) was created to develop a centre of excellence for community-based research at Laurier, which encompasses:

• A collaborative enterprise between academic researchers (professors and students) and community members.
• A learning environment to build capacity for community-engaged research, program evaluation, knowledge exchange and action.
• Having social action and social change goals to achieve social justice and community betterment.
• Achieving social action and social change through community development, capacity building, knowledge mobilization, program evaluation and policy development.
• Utilizing and validating multiple sources of knowledge and worldviews.
• Promoting the use of multiple methods of discovery and dissemination.

Collaboration

Our strength is the ability to collaborate with community partners to:

• Generate primary data where community and relational dynamics are poorly understood or limited to secondary information.
• Make use of data to understand social problems, and implement an action to build on community strengths and address community concerns.

Vision, Mission and Focus

Our vision is an informed community in which all have a voice and the capacity to advance positive social change.

Our mission is to harness the knowledge and mobilize the resources of the university and non-academic stakeholders such as policy, industry and community partners to address complex societal issues.

Our primary focus is our commitment to collaborative research processes that honour the unique wisdom and skills of diverse stakeholder partners.

Co-Directors

The Centre’s Co-Directors lead and shape the strategic direction of the Centre, also incorporating valuable input from the Board of Directors.

• Maritt Kirst
• Ciann Wilson