Your Role
As Carleton students, you have the opportunity to work alongside our community partners because you have proved to be intelligent, thoughtful, and capable. We are lucky to be invited to work alongside and collaborate with different local organizations to better our community as a whole! We want to build and maintain trust within our community partners all whilst learning and having fun!
What does trust mean to you? How do we build trust?
Mutual Respect
This represents respect for the expertise that all partners bring to the table. Respect for diverse ways of knowing, such as cultural viewpoints and beliefs about how we know what we know. Collectivity needs to matter as much, maybe more than individualism.
- Research the program, see what core values they are pursuing
- Be thoughtful about how you enter a space
- Remember that your schedules may differ from theirs
- Follow through with commitments
What unique perspective do you bring?
Mutual Power
Each stakeholder should be able to define the benefit they (or their organization or their sector) needs, or received and communicate expectations with each other. This work cannot be “volunteer” even if we wish it to be. Community members need to be compensated for the value they bring to projects.
- Define your goals and understand your partner’s goals
How can you collaborate to achieve everyone’s goals? What are you hoping to achieve through this experience?
Shared Power
True reciprocity. Sharing power requires and facilitates the full participation of all partners in decision-making and governance.
- Establish expectations about communications early on (some people don’t check their emails on the weekend!)
- Be confident in your abilities
What does partnership mean to you? How can you efficiently collaborate when there are different power dynamics present?
Share Knowledge
There are different “ways of knowing” or different knowledge systems, all to be equitably valued. Partners are co-generating knowledge through collaboration. This knowledge is co-owned by the partnership. Issues of “who owns the data” need to be addressed.
- Keep an open mind
- Allow yourself to challenge your own preconceived ideas
What can you bring to the project? What are your specific strengths or skills? What are your limitations?
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