Champlain College has recently introduced a new semester-long initiative, the Urban Innovations Community Project, designed for students of any major. Set to take place during the fall semesters, the program collaborates with a community partner in the Point St. Charles neighborhood of southwest Montreal. The initiative aims to provide all students with meaningful engagement in community development and practical application of their skills.
An organization in Point St. Charles called Press Start Co-op runs a youth program. The co-op offers a leisure space and arcade for teens in the neighborhood while helping them find employment. Champlain College students will collaborate with the youth co-op organization this fall to help positively impact the local community. The TikTok below takes a tour of the Co-op.
The Urban Innovations Community Project aims to redefine how COR classes at Champlain College are taught. All students are required to take COR classes, including COR-301 (Place and Identity) and COR-302 (Field Methods). These courses engage students in fieldwork while learning about themselves and the relevance of the place they are in. Students will take a first-hand approach to applying what they have learned during their time in the community project.
Credit hours in this program are geared toward exploring the local community and conducting research. Students will gain work experience while actively improving local neighborhoods and communities working alongside Press Start. The two other courses for students to take include:
COR 304/DHS 222/DDL 280 (digital urban humanities methods/project design methods),
SAP 293/CCM-430: Creative Production Studio
SCI-155 + lab: a location-based science course that explores environmental themes.
Students will also participate in outings and meet guest speakers to expand their professional networks in class. They will be encouraged to explore what constitutes a community by engaging with the concepts of belonging from social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental viewpoints. By taking part of a distinctive and immersive experience, students will be prepared for a wide variety of opportunities.
The ultimate goal of the Urban Innovations Community Project is for students to apply what they learn in pursuit of their majors and their experiences from COR classes to make a meaningful difference in the community.
