NIC is committed to working together to build healthy and thriving communities as we have done for nearly 50 years. NIC Community Engagement is the intentional action between NIC and the communities we serve in the equitable sharing and creation of knowledge, resources and experiences through participation, consultation, involvement, collaboration and empowerment. By working together, the North Island region benefits from sharing both NIC and community-based resources, research and knowledge to tackle the challenges we face. Together, we’re better.
NIC's Community Engagement Strategy
NIC’s Community Engagement Strategy lays out the framework and guiding principles for collaboration between NIC and the communities we serve as we work together to build healthy and thriving communities.
Community Engagement Dialogue Model
NIC Community Engagement Goals
- Improve access to NIC
- Facilitate connection between NIC students/alumni and community organizations and businesses
- Strengthen NIC-community relationships through community outreach, participation and partnerships
- Facilitate greater knowledge and practice of accessibility and inclusivity across NIC and the communities we serve through sharing our efforts and learning in striving for greater accessibility, diversity, equity, inclusion, reconciliation and sustainability
- Access and learn through our practice of community engagement
NIC Community Engagement Principles
Diversity and inclusion
We enter relationships knowing that we each belong. Trust is cultivated when we share our diverse stories and engage with one another with great compassion and care.
Honesty and integrity
We commit to ethical, transparent and accountable systems and processes that clearly identify, plan, implement, measure, evaluate and celebrate our shared goals and actions.
Humility
NIC is committed to the journey of working together. Being on the journey requires that we make adjustments based on evaluations of our processes and in response to the changes in the communities we serve, the environment and the world.
Respect and reciprocity
We have and show deep respect and love for people, culture, language, history and the environment. Reciprocity in this context, asks us to listen, share and understand the experiences and needs of people of the region we serve in order to create relevant and responsive solutions.
Truth and responsibility
NIC acknowledges the damaging role educational systems have played in the lives of many people across the region. We also realize that post-secondary institutions can be intimidating places of power and privilege. We work to address the legacies of colonialism through listening, understanding, acknowledgement and action. Read NIC's Indigenization Plan: Working Together.
Wisdom
We will use the breadth and depth of our knowledge and experience equitably to meet our shared goals. This commitment includes research, opportunities, knowledge and information. When sharing information and knowledge, we will use clear and accessible communication so that all partners are working with the same information. When we need further expertise, guidance or information, we will work together to ensure that we have the knowledge resources to lead us to thoughtful, informed action.
Engagement Activities
NIC community engagement areas of activity describe the current ways in which NIC participates in the equitable sharing and creation of knowledge, resources and experiences with community partners. These include:
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Community and NIC engage in applied research to understand community-based issues and develop innovative solutions to address shared challenges. NIC is committed to fostering applied research and social innovation projects as fundamental experiential learning opportunities where students develop transferable skills while increasing the college’s contribution toward the socio-economic needs of the community. Research equitably involves students, faculty and community throughout the research process.
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Connect with NIC Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation (CARTI)
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As a public learning institution, NIC campuses and centre are places of learning, sharing and dialogue. NIC welcomes community to participate in creative and scholarly activities and engagement initiatives. Examples include community access to NIC libraries, fine art studios, and to writers and artists speaking series.
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Connect to NIC Facilities at each of our campuses
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For other community learning hub inquiries please contact Diane Naugler, Director of Future Students & Community Engagement
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Programming that has been identified by a community and that is delivered by NIC either in community, digitally or on campus. This can include programs that serve Indigenous communities as well as programs that serve to develop the skills and knowledge of community members to contribute to their economic or social needs.
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For Indigenous in-community programming, please email Marisa Bennett, Manager, Indigenous and Regional Partnerships
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For community responsive programming (industry certification, vocational courses and program, professional development, or general interest), please contact: Bob Haugen, Director, Continuing Education & Training in Campbell River, Comox Valley and Port Alberni region and Donna Merry, Regional Manager, Mixalakwila Campus and Continuing Education and Training in the Mount Waddington region
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Community engaged learning is a form of student experiential learning through community-based projects and learning experiences. For students, engaged learning enhances the understanding of an issue and is an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills through action and/or service. This could be, for example, sociology students researching and writing a community “Quality of Life” report or biology students conducting surveys and counting forage fish eggs for a local environmental organization.
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NIC staff, faculty and students are part of knowledge networks that share and exchange information, research, knowledge and experience. Community members provide knowledge or service to support student learning. Faculty are also part of networks that may articulate sector needs and developments and enhance program curriculum and experiences (including WIL, community engaged learning and community engaged research). Other networks include membership in associations, organizations and groups to discuss, understand and take collaborative action on educational and community needs.
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Contact Diane Naugler, Director of Future Students & Community Engagement
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WIL is a form of curricular experiential education that requires an engaged partnership between NIC, a host organization and a student. WIL formally and intentionally integrates academic coursework with meaningful experiences within a workplace which includes the development of student learning objectives and goal setting related to employability, personal development, knowledge and skill mobility and life-long learning. At NIC this often takes the form of an internship, a co-operative educational work term or a practicum. Examples are an internship at a local hotel, a co-op work term at an accounting firm.
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Connect with Work Integrated Education Coordinator Anita Budisa-Bonneau
Contact Us
Danielle Hoogland, Community Engagement Liaison
Diane Naugler, Executive Director, Community Engagement
