Oshawa: Durham College launches community belonging research with federal grant

Durham College's Social Impact Hub is partnering with Community Development Council Durham (CDCD) on a new three-year applied research project aimed at helping community organizations across Durham Region tackle housing affordability, food insecurity, social isolation and hate, the college announced Friday.

The project, titled "The Future of Belonging – Reassembling Social Infrastructure for Inclusive Innovation in Durham Region," is funded by a College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF) grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The college did not state the grant amount.

The research uses a Future of Belonging model developed by Georgian College, which will serve as a strategic advisor. It will examine how relationships, institutions, resources and lived experiences shape belonging and access to support, and how community decisions are made and whose knowledge informs them.

Durham College students will take part as paid research assistants and placement students, gaining hands-on experience in community-based research, participatory design, systems mapping and equity-informed practice, said Colleen McKay, Manager of Grants and Special Projects at the Social Impact Hub. CDCD will ground the work in local social planning priorities, community relationships and service-provider needs.

Through Community Innovation Labs, residents and students will define shared challenges, co-design ideas and test approaches together. "Belonging isn't built by any one organization," McKay said. "By bringing community members, students, and partners together to map where power and resources sit, we can help Durham Region build the kind of connected social infrastructure that makes it easier for people to find the support they need."

"Social Innovation is an exciting and growing space in colleges and supports more inclusive innovation for everyone," said Nicole Norris, Director of Social Innovation at Georgian College. The college said the project aims to build a more inclusive and sustainable approach to social innovation in Durham Region and beyond.