Recognizing Work-Study Students at the CCP: Part Two

Throughout my time at the Centre for Community Partnerships (CCP), I’ve learned, watched, and grown. I’ve witnessed how at the heart of the CCP, it is a place to connect with passionate and community-orientated organizations, and work alongside like-minded students.

This week is the second-part of my series in recognizing Work-Study Students at the CCP! Over the course of the past week, I took some time to recognize my other colleagues: Vinuja and Leslie. While I do not work directly with these two ladies, they have both shared more about their work over the past few months, which has been important in ensuring the success of CCP programming! 

Ashwini: What is your role at the CCP?

Vinuja: I am the Pop-Up Days Assistant at the Centre for Community Partnerships! I work with other co-curricular leads to organize and execute Pop-Up Days, a new program promoting community-engaged learning to students working remotely. Throughout this year,  we have rolled out different opportunities to engage in social action based on themes such as social justice, equity, eco-justice, and other relevant issues. 

Leslie: I am a Community Action Projects (CAPs) Assistant at the CCP this year. In this role, I oversee the Youth Engagement stream for CAPs, in which I conduct monthly check-ins with the students volunteering with youth-centered organizations. Apart from that, I host monthly group conversations to provide the volunteers with the opportunity to get to know one another and reflect on their volunteer experiences. 

Ashwini: What do you enjoy most, about your work at the CCP?

Vinuja: The CCP’s commitment to equity and acknowledgement of our intersectional identities motivates me as a work-study student. My interests in education and leadership are reflected in experiences the centre provides as well. I am currently working towards my Master of Teaching degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, where my work with the CCP is relevant and vital.  

Leslie: Thus far, I have been happy to hear that the students I am working with have been deriving enjoyment from their volunteer placements. Through working at the CCP, I have gained a newfound appreciation for the work being done by our community partners, especially now that most of the work is taking place virtually. I am extremely passionate about social justice issues and I am grateful to be working in a position that has allowed me to enrich my understanding of these issues, as well as provide me with foundational knowledge that will be useful when I pursue a career in the social justice sector.  

As the Blogger and Storyteller for the CCP, I do not often have a chance to work closely with every single work-study student. It is thus illuminating for me to be able to learn more about the common themes of social-justice and pertinent work, all of us have taken away from our work at the CCP! As always, I am grateful to be working in a position that has allowed me to enrich my understanding of not only social justice issues, but engage with fellow students as passionate as I, on matters we truly care about.