SUST 202 - CAWST

What was the experience like working in collaboration with your community partner, and what projects or roles did you engage in? 

We worked to develop social media content that shared information on the importance of clean water and proper sanitation with Canadians. This experience was highly collaborative, as we had many meetings with our community partner to determine the most impactful information we could share.

During your CSL placement, can you share the knowledge and skills you developed in relation to climate change mitigation or sustainability activities? 

Our project was centered around clean water, which is directly related to Sustainable Development Goal #6. We learned about household water treatment as it applies to Canadians, as well as how household water treatment systems can have a profound impact in developing countries. Apart from being an SDG itself, clean water helps to promote many other sustainable development goals, such as no poverty, good health and well-being, gender equality, life below water, life on land, and more.

How did you and your community partner meet project objectives aligned with environmentally conscious goals?

Our community partner, the Center for Clean and Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) works to share information regarding clean water and sanitation across the world. They do this through social media and working with partners that are developing solutions for clean water in developing countries. Our role was to support the social media team by developing some additional content to share. CAWST aims to help the journey to worldwide responsible and safe water consumption, which will benefit the environment by maintaining a safe water supply.

Why should students consider being involved with CSL, and how does it enhance their academic learning?

CSL is a great way to learn more about how people outside of the U of A are working towards sustainable solutions. We learned a lot about the non-profit world and the impact that we could have. The experience that we gained was a direct extrapolation of what we were learning in class, which was very interesting. We were able to make connections between what we learned in class and what we learned through our placement and expand our knowledge on the subject.

What advice would you give to another student considering Community Service- Learning?  

Apply! It’s a fantastic way to meet new people from different programs and people working outside of the university. CSL will also help you develop some of your soft skills, like communication, teamwork, and group organization.

In partnership with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), and with support from the Government of Canada, CSL provides financial support to environmentally-focused community partners for their educational and mentoring roles with CSL students.