Engage Edmonton
Engage Edmonton is a program for students who live in residence that offers service learning opportunities and educational social justice events throughout the year through partnership with various initiatives both on campus and in the greater Edmonton community.
The theme for the 2024-2025 academic year is social justice and humanity.
Using a social activism lens, participants will engage in a variety of service learning activities, research, service and reflection exercises that will expose them to diverse social issues. These engagements should equip students with the knowledge and skill to move beyond acts of charity and address the root causes of systemic social inequality.
Participating in Engage Edmonton will allow you to:
- Make friends with residents across various communities.
- Develop personal growth in social and political awareness.
- Form connections with organizations in Edmonton committed to pursuing social justice.
- Gain experiences that instill a greater sense of purpose in learning.
- Stand out amongst your competitors when applying for a job.
What is service learning?
Service learning is an approach to learning that emerges from active engagement with the community, with the ultimate goal of working towards positive social change. Although volunteering and service learning both involve community service, service learning has a stronger focus on the intentional learning outcomes associated with that community service. A key aspect of service learning is reciprocity, which emphasizes that service placements should be mutually beneficial for students and campus/community partners.
Service learning comprises of four components:
- Preparation: Learning about the community partner and the social issue that will be explored.
- Action: Participation in the service event.
- Reflection: Discussing the experience and reflecting on the outcomes to process the impact.
- Celebration: Recognizing the partnership and learning that took place and celebrating the communal success of the team.
Examples include sorting clothing donations, serving meals, packing food hampers, hosting a virtual afterschool program for youth living in poverty and creating holiday cards for houseless seniors.
What is social activism?
Social activism is about making real change in the world by tackling local and global issues through raising awareness, increasing engagement and facilitating education.
Examples include documentary screenings, panel discussions, attending protests and participating in letter-writing campaigns for various social justice causes.
PROGRAM CALENDAR
The Engage Edmonton program is unique because it is a low-commitment program that boasts a high diversity of service learning opportunities. Sign up for as many or as few opportunities as you like!
Programs are updated throughout the year, so check back periodically.
If you have any questions or would like to organize a service learning opportunity, please contact the Diversity, Inclusion and Service Learning Intern at slintern@ualberta.ca.
Day of Service
Friday, August 29, 2025 | 12–4 p.m. | Various non-profit organizations across Edmonton
Make your orientation meaningful by giving back to the Edmonton community. Participate in a Day of Service — tour a non-profit organization, understand their impact, and lend a helping hand.
The group will travel together to the organizations.
Engage Edmonton Information Session
Monday, September 8, 2025 6:00-7:30 p.m. | ECHA 1-420
Meet like-minded people and explore ways to get involved with service learning on campus and in the local community. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.
No registration required.
Prairie Urban Farm - Group Farming Session
September
Join for an evening of harvesting vegetables and working with compost. This placement is 18+ only. Please bring your ARC card and ONEcard.
Sign ups will be posted on the Residence Newsletter.
Water Warriors - Group Volunteer Session
October
Take a tour of the facility, learn about the mission of Water Warriors, and make sandwiches.
Please bring your ONEcard and Arc transit card.
Sign ups will be posted on the Residence Newsletter.
Campus Food Bank - Trick or Treat Session
October
Join us as we go trick-or-treating to support the Campus Food Bank. We will visit neighbourhoods surrounding the North Campus to collect donations of non-perishable food items. You can even dress in your Halloween costume!
Sign ups will be posted on the Residence Newsletter.