Community engagement is an inclusive approach to teaching, research, and scholarship.

By bringing the community and university together to share knowledge, wisdom, and resources, we:
strengthen how we learn, 
deepen what we know,
• and have more impact on issues that matter.

Tell me more!

Community engagement involves relationships that reflect certain values and principles:

SFU's Office of Community Engagement:

Supporting people. Supporting partnerships. Strengthening rigorous community engagement.

About SFU's Office of Community Engagement

The purpose of our office is to advance the practice of community engagement at SFU, across Canada, and beyond. From small programs to international partnerships, we look for ways to help students, faculty, and staff work respectfully and fairly with community partners to advance education, strengthen knowledge, and have meaningful impact on issues that matter.

One of our primary responsibilities is to steward SFU's Strategic Community Engagement Plan, ensuring that it enables community engagement characterized by scholarly rigor and deep attention to reciprocity and equity.

But that's not all we do.
Explore our work, get to know us, and if you have any questions, please get in touch!

Updates from our programs:

SFU Student-Community Engagement Competition (SCEC)

Congratulations to this year’s Student-Community Engagement Competition winners!

Mar 11 | Last fall, more than 35 student-led teams submitted ideas for working with partners in the community on issues that matter to them. Please join us in congratulating the thirteen student-led teams who won an award in this year’s SFU Student-Community Engagement Competition. 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, homelessness, and more.

Check out the winning projects

SFU's Community Engagement Initiative (CEI)

The 2024 Community Engagement Initiative (CEI) is now open!

Feb 16 | SFU’s Community Engagement Initiative (CEI) welcomes proposals from SFU faculty and staff for innovative projects that build or deepen partnerships characterized by respect and reciprocity with SFU’s communities—including non-profit organizations, industry associations, NGOs, Indigenous communities and local First Nations, and municipal, provincial, and federal government departments. Up to $100,000 is available in grants of up to $10,000. The deadline to apply in the 2024 cycle is April 5, 2024.

Learn more and apply now

Warren Gill Award for Community Impact (WGACI)

Nicholas Blomley wins the 2023 Warren Gill Award for Community Impact!

Feb 16 | The Warren Gill Award is presented annually to an SFU staff or faculty member who has dedicated a lifetime of work to exemplary community-engagement and who has built significant partnerships between the university and the community. Nick was a friend and colleague of fellow SFU geographer, Warren Gill. He has spent the last three decades engaged in research and advocacy related to local issues, particularly those concerning marginalization, exclusion, and poverty.

Connect Fest

Get ready for Connect Fest!

DEC 8 | In 2024, the Burnaby Festival of Learning will be changing its name to Connect Fest! Because our deep interconnectedness with each other and the planet forms the foundation for vibrant community knowledge exchange. Connect Fest remains a festival by the community, for the community, co-presented with the City of Burnaby. Get ready to join us in April 2024 as we celebrate how stories bring communities together, along with new knowledge, cultural exchange, inspiration, food, art, music, and more. We can’t wait 🙂

Food Security

Volunteer at the SFU Food Pantry!

SFU’s Office of Community Engagement has been working with Burnaby organizations and community members to create programs to address food insecurity at SFU because food is pivotal to building culture, good health, and a sense of belonging. Come be a part of the work!

SFU Surrey–TD Community Engagement Centre (TDCEC)

Winter programs are running at the SFU Surrey TD CEC—volunteers welcome!

Come volunteer with us! We collaborate with people and organizations in Surrey to co-create programming, share resources, and take action on key challenges. Our initiatives focus on education, mentorship, connection and skill development, primarily reaching children, youth and newcomers to Canada.

Search our Directory of Community Engagement

Discover SFU's communty engagement projects, programs, initiatives, centres and more...

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Subscribe to our Newsletter!

SFU Community Engagement News is our email newsletter focused on stories, information, events and opportunities all about community engagement. You can unsubscribe at any time.