When Errin Johnston-Watson saw that she had the option of working with Artemis Place Society in her Professional Communication course, she jumped on it: “I emailed Sara [Humphreys, the course instructor] within 5 minutes and was like, please, please, please! I want that [community partner]! And she agreed. I was lucky!” That enthusiasm carried through the rest of her semester and fueled a positive community-engaged learning experience.
Like many instructors this past year, Sara Humphreys had never run her course, English 407: Digital Communication and Social Media entirely virtually. Wanting to still retain a community-engaged learning option for students despite the Covid-19 conditions, Humphreys worked with the Community-Engaged Learning Office to see which community partners could accommodate hosting a student given the new reality we were all facing. Artemis Place Society – an organization that assists young women, young moms, and trans youth finish their high-school education in a safe, inclusive space – agreed to participate as a community partner.
This was the first time Johnston-Watson, a fourth-year English major and professional communications minor, had participated in a community-engaged learning (CEL) course and was particularly excited about the opportunity to work with Artemis, as her values aligned with those of the organization. She found it to be a “good experience” and found that CEL “genuinely really made my class and probably my semester…I didn’t realize just how invested I would become with the project itself!” While partnered with Artemis, Johnston-Watson (along with a classmate) made two videos—a short trailer and a longer documentary—centring on the community garden the students were working on with the Compost Education Centre (see photos below, taken by Johnston-Watson, of the beginning stages of the garden). The two UVic students also facilitated a workshop on internet safety for the Artemis students. These projects further developed Johnston-Watson’s skills in editing, filming, interviewing, and fostering relationships with the community: “My favourite part was being able to interact with everyone…and how involved I could be with everyone and how well I got to know the people who were [working on the garden].” Alison McLean, a teacher and Occupational Therapist at Artemis, noted how the videos Johnston-Watson made continue to be utilized by Artemis to reach broader audiences “about the broader intentions behind this youth initiative!”
Additionally, Johnston-Watson was interested in exploring communications as a possible post-grad career path, which she was able to explore further during her time with Artemis. Johnston-Watson acknowledged her newly-gained confidence in working outside of an academic setting. The skills she learned during her undergraduate studies seamlessly moved her forward into a professional setting: “[The CEL experience] kind of let me realize I have some skills I can use, and some that I feel totally confident dealing with now, whereas before I was like, ‘I think I can do this.’ This experience definitely made me feel like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m almost done this degree and I have these skills I can use!’”
McLean relayed how the community-engaged learning experience with UVic fostered a reciprocal relationship and introduced different skills/ resources into their organization: “The students brought knowledge and energy to the program. They were flexible and supported Artemis to reach their desired goals.” The work conducted for a semester of CEL will continue to have lasting impacts moving forward!
Johnston-Watson shared that she “didn’t realize how much I would appreciate that [CEL] is an option for classes until I did it. The biggest thing about the CEL part was that it was the first time that I felt like I got real experience and an understanding of what any of my classes were actually for.”
Get involved in a CEL-based course related to your degree!
Learn more about Community-Engaged Learning at UVic or contact the CEL Office.