Our mission is to be a catalyst for community action through research. Community-based research brings together the knowledge of the community with the research expertise of the university. The research questions come from the community* and, using credible research methods, community members, researchers, faculty and students work collaboratively to find the answers.
*The ‘community’ that define
s the research questions could be a municipality (e.g. City of Peterborough), a demographic community (e.g. a citizen’s coalition on climate change), a community organization (e.g. the YWCA, Chamber of Commerce), a neighbourhood or any combination of these.*
We connect community with Trent University and Fleming College and others to mobilize the knowledge and expertise of community members, faculty and students to find solutions and identify opportunities that contribute to the development of healthy, vibrant communities. Central to our work is our commitment to provide opportunities for university and college students and community members to learn new skills and effect community change through direct involvement in research in the community. Students gain academic credit and on-the-job experience by undertaking supervised research projects for local community organizations. Our work is focused in the Greater Peterborough Area and, in collaboration with our partners, in the Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes and Durham regions. This page is for students, community organizations/groups/employers and professors interested in community-based research.