A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
Wilfrid Laurier University and the City of Waterloo have partnered to launch CityStudio, an innovation hub where students, city staff and community stakeholders co-create solutions that support the city’s strategic priorities.
Inspired by CityStudio Vancouver, the CityStudio project in Waterloo is an innovation hub where stakeholders form new ideas and solutions to challenges confronting the city. The one-year pilot program offers city staff and students the opportunity to engage, support and advance the goals and objectives of the City of Waterloo Corporate Strategic Plan. CityStudio is based in the Carnegie Library in uptown Waterloo.
Laurier launched its first CityStudio course in January, with third and fourth-year students participating in an immersive, experiential learning course that sees them work alongside city staff to co-create, design, launch and test real projects that align with city priorities and community needs.
“The CityStudio project is a great example of Laurier’s mission to inspire lives of leadership and purpose,” said Deborah MacLatchy, Laurier’s incoming president and vice-chancellor. “Its collaborative approach offers a unique experiential learning and leadership development opportunity for our students. By pairing academic programming with real issues in Waterloo, our students’ fresh eyes combined with city workers’ experience can make a real difference.”