Creating meaningful and sustained connections between students and community: Parramatta Mission and the ACU community-engaged learning program

Join us for the next Carnegie network session which will explore a case study from Australian Catholic University and how its approach to partnering with community facilitates community-engaged learning. In 2023, ACU became one of two Australian universities to receive the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. 

This webinar will bring together representatives from ACU and its partner Parramatta Mission in Western Sydney to provide an inside look at how a large-scale, institutionalised community-engaged learning program translates at the grass roots level. A particular focus is on reciprocal partnerships that address – and continually adapt to – community need. To support the program nationally, ACU formally partners with over 75 community organisation that address issues such as homelessness, education, mental health, and disadvantage to provide meaningful learning experiences for students. The close alignment between Parramatta Mission’s values of inclusivity, empowerment, and social justice, and ACU’s mission to pursue knowledge, human dignity and the common good, has resulted in countless transformative learning experiences and capacity building in community.

In the webinar, we’ll include a brief, but practical overview of how community-engaged learning is embedded and supported throughout the majority of ACU’s undergraduate courses. We’ll then hear from representatives from both Parramatta Mission and ACU, who will share their insights from working together to embed students in community. They’ll discuss the mutual benefits of this partnership, offer practical tips for building strong community relationships, and share lessons learned from their collaboration.

Presenters 

Caroline Allen, Senior Community Engagement Officer, Australian Catholic University

Caroline joined Australian Catholic University’s Blacktown campus in 2020 as a Senior Community Engagement Officer. Her primary role is supporting the student community-engaged learning program, which connects undergraduate students with local community organisations and developing and fostering partnerships with local community organisations to support the program. With 10 years’ experience in University Community Engagement, she also has a Master of Education in Social Ecology from Western Sydney University, and is a member of the Blacktown City Council’s Women’s Advisory Committee and the Western Sydney Women’s Interfaith Initiative. 

Chao Zhao, Volunteer Manager, Parramatta Mission

Chao oversees and supports a team of over 200 volunteers annually that run an essential meals service/community centre in Parramatta. In this role, he manages volunteer recruitment, training, and engagement, ensuring smooth operations and fostering a positive environment for those who contribute their time and skills. Prior to his current position, Chao practiced law in Australia for over a decade; his practise areas include immigration, commercial law, dispute resolution, and mining. Chao is passionate about creating safe and engaging community spaces that brings out the best in people.

Jen Azordegan, Manager, Community-Engaged Learning, Australian Catholic University

Jen is manager for community-engaged learning (CEL) at ACU. She leads a multi-campus team dedicated to supporting CEL across multiple disciplines and departments and has a primary focus on building institutional supports for sustainable, impactful CEL across the university. Jen joined ACU in 2019 with nearly twenty years of experience in teaching, research, project, and policy advisory roles in education. She has been involved with the internationalisation of the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification since 2019, leading ACU’s involvement in the pilot of the Classification in Australia and its successful submission in the 2023 inaugural classification cycle in Australia. She has served on the National Advisory Committee for the Australian Carnegie Community Engagement Classification since 2021.

Session agenda
- Introduction to ACU’s community-engaged learning program
- Case study: ACU’s partnership with Parramatta Mission 
- Questions and discussion

This session is run as part of the Carnegie Community Engagement Network offerings.  
*Please note that this session is free and will be recorded.

Contact us:

If you have any questions about the session or the Carnegie Community Engagement Network, please contact carnegie@engagementaustralia.org.au