On June 17, the UBC Learning Exchange and the newly-formed Canadian Association for Community Service-Learning co-hosted a very successful regional conference that brought together more than 70 people with an interest in community service-learning (CSL).

Many educational institutions and community organizations were represented. The post-secondary educational institutions present included UBC, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, University of Northern British Columbia, Kwantlen University College, Douglas College, University College of the Fraser Valley, Thompson Rivers University, Okanagan University College, the University of Saskatchewan and Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Also in attendance were representatives from Volunteer Vancouver, the YWCA, First United Church, Sheway, the Vancouver School Board, the West Vancouver School Board, the Cerebral Palsy Association of BC, and City Centre Care Society.

The conference featured a keynote speech by Dr. Joel Westheimer from the University of Ottawa and several small group sessions including discussions of student perspectives on community service-learning, key factors in the success of university-community partnerships, and the process of institutionalizing CSL in different settings.