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  • March 08, 2024

    March 08, 2024

    Featuring rich programs of community-engaged education, arts-based engagement, and technological innovation, this year’s winners are addressing food security, migrant history, cultural connection, intergenerational knowledge-keeping, gender-based violence, access to education, the toxic drug crisis, climate grief and hope, reconciliation, and homelessness.

  • October 20, 2023

    October 20, 2023

    With transphobia growing in Canada, non-binary people in this country are asking for policies to protect them in sport, but they have been continuously left out of the conversations that should inform these policies. That’s where Martha Gumprich’s project comes in.

  • October 19, 2023

    October 19, 2023

    When COVID-19 hit, we all realized the importance of having a local neighbourhood network. Many people experienced major changes in their lives, such as losing their income and social network, or losing access to activities that supported their overall well-being. As a Roots of Empathy instructor who was fortunate enough to have a strong network of support, Rita Lee started looking for more ways to be of service to those around her.

  • October 16, 2023

    October 16, 2023

    In 2022, Ritu Mehra, Harbir Dhaliwal, and Muskan Jammu partnered with local schools to start a breakfast program that incorporates fun education about healthy food choices. More than just a project, Let’s Do Breakfast was inspired by their own personal experiences and their desire to give back to the community.

  • July 31, 2023

    July 31, 2023

    When then-Simon Fraser University (SFU) student Saba Fatemi and her peers won the 2019 SFU Student Community Engagement Competition with their “CommuniCreate” initiative – a program for refugee and newcomer children pre-pandemic – she didn’t specifically have Ukrainian children in mind.

  • June 15, 2023

    June 15, 2023

    In 2020, BSc student Chloe Goodison started Naloxhome as a community engagement project providing overdose education and naloxone training to secondary students in the Tri-Cities area. Today, her project has helped not only those in Tri-Cities classrooms, but throughout Metro Vancouver.

  • May 08, 2023

    May 08, 2023

    SFU students and friends Muskan Jammu, Ritu Mehra, and Harbir Dhaliwal won a $2,000 grant in the Student-Community Engagement Competition and will be using it to address food security and improve nutritional education in their "Let's Do Breakfast" program for elementary students. Background photo: Freepik

  • April 05, 2023

    April 05, 2023

    FHS BSc first year student Puneet Chhina (second from left, inset) and her Finding Present team co-leads (left to right, inset) Anisha Biswas, Catherine Wong, and SFU Geography student Gabrielle Wong - won a $2,000 grant in the 2022 SFU Student-Community Engagement Competition. The team aims to host Crafting Circles for Langley, BC youth to provide access to art and mentorship, and build community and relationships.

  • March 27, 2023

    March 27, 2023

    Martha Gumprich (left inset) and Nicola Hare (right inset) from Kootenays-based health and community group, Trans Connect, will host two discussions to ask trans and non-binary youth what changes would help make sport more welcoming

  • March 23, 2023

    March 23, 2023

    Featuring community-engaged research, policy-targeted knowledge mobilization, equity-serving knowledge translation, and even Bertie, a breakfast banana mascot, this year’s winners of the SFU Student-Community Engagement Competition are bravely building community partnerships across BC in order to tackle challenging complex issues, like Islamophobia, food insecurity, health justice and more.

  • March 17, 2023

    March 17, 2023

    In early 2021, about a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, five students from SFU and UBC came together to persist in their passion for bringing STEM to young learners in Surrey. Delivering their program met with some challenges, but as with so much community engagement work, maintaining respectful communication with partners continues to allow them to engage in their passion for engaging young leaders and learners.

  • March 18, 2022

    March 18, 2022

    From art-based co-creation or engaging with schools, to community advocacy and meaningful acts of Reconciliation and more, the winners of this year’s SFU Student-Community Engagement Competition are putting ideas into action with their community partners.

  • November 09, 2021

    November 09, 2021

    Priscilla Lam and Angelica Tso won a $3,000 Grand Prize Award in the 2020-21 Student Community Engagement Competition for their idea to build an app that would incentivize widespread habit change around using disposable cups. After several months working with businesses in the Lower Mainland to bring their idea to life, they took some time to reflect on what the process has been like, offering some great advice: remember to learn and have fun – changemaking is an ongoing pursuit.

  • November 05, 2021

    November 05, 2021

    In 2018, the We Are the World project was awarded $3,000 to found a magazine to showcase seniors' stories of resilience. Three years later, we are pleased to share that the project is still moving forward, though with some changes.

  • October 26, 2021

    October 26, 2021

    Happy Halloween, SFU. While COVID-19 still means that our office can’t give out candy like we usually do, you can still trick-or-treat with us by registering and submitting your idea to the SFU Student-Community Engagement Competition.

  • April 29, 2021

    April 29, 2021

    NaloxHome is a youth-run team focusing on providing overdose education and naloxone training to secondary students in the Tri-Cities area (Coquitlam, Port Moody, and Port Coquitlam).

  • August 13, 2020

    August 13, 2020

    CommuniCreate helps newcomer and refugee youth in the Lower Mainland learn English. An award-winning project of the SFU Student-Community Engagement Competition, it was initially designed as a hands-on in-person learning experience.

  • March 09, 2020

    March 09, 2020

    A total of $28,000 has been awarded to fund ten student-led projects that exemplify the competition’s purpose and serve as shining examples of the creativity, vision, and community commitment of SFU’s students.

  • August 29, 2019

    August 29, 2019

    Co-Colour shares a few reflections on the ups and downs of partnership work.

  • March 13, 2019

    March 13, 2019

    Thanks to financial contributions by Blackwood Partners, SFU and the City of Surrey, a total of $17,000 has been awarded to fund these student-community engagement projects.

  • November 06, 2018

    November 06, 2018

    SFU’s Student Engage podcast caught up with Aslam Bulbulia – SCEC finalist for his project “Masculinity Dialogues” – in September, for an incredible conversation about impact, power, language and engagement. Aslam’s ongoing commitment to equity and justice is inspiring.

  • October 29, 2018

    October 29, 2018

    In 2015 two “two-footers” reimagined how a shopping cart might make a meaningful difference to the residents of Surrey Centre. Kate Elliot and Tammas Grogan won the 2015 Student-Community Engagement Competition for their project, Gro-Carts. And for shopping carts like Herbert, it was a destiny-changing project.

  • October 22, 2018

    October 22, 2018

    Community-engaged projects can be surprising. But as Shantelle Medel shares with us, “It is better to jump in and encounter the imperfections than be paralyzed by trying to achieve perfection.” It’s messy work, but worth it.

  • April 16, 2018

    April 16, 2018

    The passion, creativity and ingenuity of SFU students continues to shine, exemplified yet again by the outstanding project presentations that took place at this year’s SFU Student-Community Engagement Competition final awards.

  • February 06, 2018

    February 06, 2018

    The 2017 Student-Community Engagement Competition (SCEC) Awards Nights are here! Over the winter break, difficult decisions were made, but 9 projects were selected as finalists, each earning the opportunity to compete for an award to help put their innovative project plans into action.

  • Zahra Haq and Angela Ang won an Engagement Award in the 2017-18 Student Community Engagement Competition to implement Eco Endeavours, an after school care program focussed on the environment. Check out what they learned as they implemented their program.

Finalist Projects by Year

What would you  do with $3,000?

Up to $30,000* is available to fund SFU students who want to work with community partners to create meaningful impact.

Maybe you’re working on an existing idea for a class you’re taking, through a student club, or through another organization. Or maybe you just have an amazing idea that keeps you up at night.... Whatever it is, we want to hear from you!

Start the process now by registering today and then submitting your idea before November 24 – all you need is your passion and an idea.