Community Change Collaborative

The Community Change Collaborative (CCC) is a graduate student group that examines the methods, frameworks, and forces shaping community development, approaches to community engagement, and how to build sustainable, cross-sectoral partnerships. Our interdisciplinary research interests range from local to international case studies, applying a variety of qualitative and mixed methods approaches to connect theory and praxis for the benefit of our members, community partners, practitioners, and researchers interested in community change. We meet weekly as a group to explore theories and methods critically, which often leads to lively, educational discourse that informs our professional and personal development.

Another key component of our collaboration is to engage the public through a lecture series and facilitated discussions with academics and practitioners who have expertise in community development. As part of the lecture series, graduate students facilitate podcast interviews with influential leaders (thinkers, practitioners, journalists, authors, and change-makers), which are professionally recorded by the VT Institute for Policy and Governance (IPG) Senior Fellow Andy Morikawa, and stored online for public access as a resource to anyone who would like to learn about the topic. Our four-pronged approach to student-centric and community-oriented learning includes a Speaker Series, Film Series, CCC Forum, and Community-Based Projects.