Practicums

To chat about practicum opportunities at CommunityWise, please contact info@communitywise.net. *Please note that we’re not currently accepting practicum students.*

What is CommunityWise?

At CommunityWise we offer more than just subsidized office space; we build the capacity of nonprofit organizations by creating opportunities that facilitate increased knowledge, skills, efficiency, opportunity and effectiveness for our members by activating their collective skills and intelligence.

CommunityWise is a nonprofit centre which means that we provide affordable office and meeting spaces and other backbone infrastructure (shared internet, office equipment, mailboxes), as well as collaborative capacity-building and programming supports to nonprofit member organizations. In our case, we support around 65 small and grassroots organizations whose work spans a diverse spectrum of social, environmental, and cultural issues. About 30 of our members are physically co-located within our space as Tenants and the other 30+ are known as Associate Members who access our meeting spaces or other resources.

Most of CommunityWise’s members are small, volunteer-run initiatives providing peer-support or advocacy for marginalized communities or social issues. Members work in areas such as 2SLGBTQ+ peer support; community economic development; addictions support; mental health; film, performative, and community arts; culturally relevant Indigenous services; and urban sustainability. View our member list here.

What to expect in a social work practicum with CommunityWise?

CommunityWise’s primary areas of practice are organizational and community development.

Social work practicum students assist in the day-to-day management of our shared space in the areas of programming, community development, administration, member support, and facilities. Students will practice essential skills like critical thinking, relationship-building, project coordination, communication, member outreach, research, evaluation, facilitation, administration, time management, and peer support.  These skills will be practiced within the context of anti-oppression theory, anti-racist theory, and values-based decision making.  Students will also have the opportunity to learn from other nonprofit groups within the centre.

In 2017, we completed a participatory evaluation about the experiences and outcomes of practicum students at CommunityWise. The report can be viewed here.