What is Café Pracadémique?

Tired of conventional workshops featuring “bores on the floor” or “sages on stages”? Want to collaborate meaningfully with academics, practitioners, and individuals with lived experience to address one of the foremost public policy challenges of our time?

Directed by Dr. Damian Collins (Human Geography, University of Alberta), Dr. Joshua Evans (Human Geography, University of Alberta), and Esther de Vos (Capital Region Housing), this pracademic workshop calls on academics, housing organizations, community housing tenants and others to collaborate on the future of Canada’s community housing sector. The results of the collaboration will be used to develop theoretical frameworks, methodological best practices, and other lessons that can be applied to address the challenges and opportunities surrounding community housing in Canada. This engaging one-day workshop will inform the research for the next phase of our partnership and produce an interdisciplinary, pracademic network poised to achieve positive policy outcomes for the community housing sector.

Café Pracadémique will centre on a day-long events (Cafés) intended for 50-75 participants. Each Café will provide a collaborative environment to foster conversations surrounding the challenges and opportunities in the community housing sector. Café Pracadémique will engage policy makers, scholars and citizens in conversation about issues of shared interest and concern.

Currently, the community housing sector lacks a cohesive understanding of key concepts, challenges and practices. Café Pracadémique will be used as a forum for developing knowledge toward strengthening the community housing sector. It will also provide a platform for sharing knowledge in ways that are accessible and meaningful to all participants.

Events will begin with short talks from leaders in the field. This will be followed by small group discussions and activities relating to the objectives of the partnership.

You can learn more about about Café Pracademique here.