
Communities of Practice (CoPs) provide a unique opportunity for Campus Compact members to join peers across the country to dig deeper into specific areas of engagement practice. Through discussions, joint activities, resource sharing, and relationship building, participants develop a repertoire of resources, skills, and knowledge to use in their practice. Above all, the CoPs provide a great space to communicate and share strategies with like-minded individuals from all across the country!
Spring 2023 Communities of Practice Offerings
Designing with Intention: Critical, Inclusive and Participatory Approaches to Scaffolding Your CEL Course
Guiding structures that support inclusive, participatory learning in community-engaged learning spaces.
Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Integration
Exploring the structural and functional integration of DEI in community and civic engagement work.
Combatting White Pedagogy
Exploring the ways that service-learning represents "whiteness pedagogy" and collectively imagining new ways of structuring service learning experiences to be more inclusive.
Embedding Care for the Whole Student in Community and Civic Engagement
Developing strategies for students to attend to their emotional and mental health needs while engaging in volunteer and civic community activities.
Health Equity
Evaluating the importance of a health equity lens in community engagement.
Program Administration
Evaluating best practices to support student-initiated community projects and understanding administrative approaches to student activism.
Equitable Community Engagement
Cultivating equitable community-engaged partnerships through examining social justice, power dynamics, community, civic learning objectives, reflexivity, and sustainability.
Community College Equity and Inclusion
Evaluating equity and inclusivity in community and civic engagement on community college campuses.
Cogenerational/Intergenerational Engagement
Evaluating tools and resources that promote an intergenerational approach to community and civic engagement.
Rural Campuses
Creating synergy and increasing collaboration between rural serving institutions and the communities they serve.
About Communities of Practice
What is a Community of Practice?
A CoP is a learning community—or collegial network—that we define as “a group of people who share interest in an area of inquiry and engage in collective learning about that issue as it relates to their work or practice. Through discussions, joint activities, and relationship building, the community of practice develops a shared and individual repertoire of resources, skills, and knowledge to use in their practice.” (MN Campus Compact).
Communities of Practice provide community engagement professionals an opportunity to dig deeper into specific areas of engagement practice by sharing experiences and models, networking, and exchanging resources.
Communities of Practice also can support individuals wishing to earn credentials in community engagement by offering: (a) space to share, reflect on, and build knowledge around the key competencies that practitioners are expected to demonstrate to earn credentials and (b) a valued cohort that supports each other with reflection on professional practice and preparation of portfolios to submit as part of the credentialing application process.
Campus Compact-led CoPs are free of charge for participants. They are designed to be democratic and embrace the following equity-based principles: (a) that everyone has knowledge to share, (b) that everyone has learning to do, and (c) participants bring many identities and ways of knowing and that such diverse expressions should be encouraged and incorporated into CoP activities.
How often do Communities of Practice meet?
Communities of Practice are convened quarterly.
Typically, participants commit to attend six regularly-scheduled, 60-90 minute virtual group sessions. There is no fee to participate in a CoP. CoPs are only open to individuals from Campus Compact member institutions.
Who facilitates the Communities of Practice?
Each quarter, we publish an open call for community engagement professionals to propose topics and serve as co-facilitators for the Communities of Practice. Co-facilitators commit to hosting six, 60-90 minute virtual sessions over a limited time period. Campus Compact offers design and technical support to co-facilitators as well as helps “pair” individuals to co-facilitate offerings together.
This is a great opportunity for those who are seeking national leadership opportunities in the field of civic and community engagement.
If you have specific questions about co-facilitating a Campus Compact’s CoP, contact us at campus@compact.org.
How can I get involved?
Calls for participants for the Communities of Practice are posted on this page on a quarterly basis. To get the latest information about openings, be sure to subscribe to the Campus Compact mailing list. Communities of Practice are a benefit of Campus Compact membership and are only open to active members.