Community Service Learning (CSL) is a unique opportunity for students, faculty and community based organizations to work together.  Students can pursue their own CSL experience in partnership with a community organization once it has been reviewed by NSCAD.  Volunteering and service to the community can be tailored to a student’s particular area of study, creating an individualized experiential learning opportunity.

If you are interested in learning more about community service learning, please contact Joann Reynolds Farmer, Coordinator Off Campus, International and Advising, by email at jfarmer@nscad.ca or by phone at 902-444-7213.

Art in Schools – Cape Town, South Africa

NSCAD’s Art in Schools Initiative, a program created by Professor David B. Smith, provides a unique opportunity for NSCAD students to spend the winter or summer semester in South Africa. Students participate as research assistants in a study that examines the effects of “creative learning interventions” on the outcomes of high school learners. The NSCAD students work alongside a visual arts student from Stellenbosch University and local artist Roderick Sauls at a high school in a township near Cape Town, introducing the learners to visual arts projects.

Since there is no established visual arts programming in the school, the students and the local artist will act as “artists in residence”, giving learners the opportunity to explore creativity within the context of their established curriculum. Additionally the students and the local artist will help to establish partnerships with local organizations, bridging the school with the community.

Students earn up to 15 credits toward their degree (6 credits ARTS 3450 CSL/Internship and 9 credits Studio). The NSCAD Art in Schools Initiative is privately funded thanks to the generosity of a friend to the university, and the remuneration for participating in this Research Assistantship is: round trip airfare, local transportation, housing, and a living allowance (tuition and regular fees still apply). Placements have been awarded for 2017.  Next application call will be for March 15th, 2017 for the 2018 academic year.

Students who have participated in the Art in Schools Initiative over the past 5 years have returned to studies changed by the experience and with a renewed perspective on their developing practice.

Warm Heart Worldwide – Chiang Mai, Thailand

Warm Heart Worldwide – Chiang Mai, Thailand

During the winter 2016 semester, NSCAD’s Fashion / Textiles student Stephanie Rybczyn spent a few months in the small villages located between Chiang Mai and Phrao collaborating with local makers on creating products for the marketplace. Taking skills developed in her undergraduate degree Stephanie has pursued this opportunity with the goal of empowering local makers in creating their own product lines.

Saint George’s Youthnet – Halifax, Nova Scotia

During the summer of 2011 Saint George’s Youthnet, in collaboration with the NSCAD – TD Centre for Community Service Learning, partnered and successfully received funding from the 4C’s Foundation for a community collaborations project entitled Illuminate. Illuminate involved a series of art related projects over the summer. Illuminate brought together two diverse groups of students along with artists, Saint George Youth and residents of the north end.