MISSION
The Center for Community Partnerships will build mutually beneficial partnerships in university communities by advancing a transformative approach to the fundamental research mission, which will, in turn, reform institutional values, pedagogy, and operations.
VISION
The Center for Community Partnerships envisions universities that serve local communities by bringing rich research resources to bear and equipping students to lead in building a more just society.
VALUES
Authentic Partnership: Our approach to community-engaged theory and practice means we are committed to authentic, honest, and transparent community collaboration.
Shared Power: We will intentionally and amicably share our power as researchers by studying issues that address community priorities, openly sharing data and results with our community partners, and helping to translate our research into tangible actions.
Justice: Our work will contribute to the fair distribution of basic rights to all members of society.
Beneficial: We will conduct research that tangibly benefits communities, both methodologically and in implementation.
Action: Our research will go beyond the creation and discovery of new knowledge--we will also work to directly employ our learning to implement interventions.
Mutuality: We will form meaningful partnerships with community members of all ages to create opportunities for two-way knowledge transfer and co-learning that will lead to more effective and enduring solutions.
Youth: We will make training and equipping young people a major focus of our work, because young people are at the center of many of the harms present in our communities.
We seek to:
- Build mutually beneficial partnerships in university communities through authentic community collaboration, respectful treatment of community experts, and intentionally leave data and benefits of our research with the community.
- Model and teach students a unified theory of community-based scholarship for impact that reverberates from their local community.
- Disseminate theoretical knowledge and practical experience to reduce harm in the Charlottesville/Albemarle region, across the state of Virginia, and globally.