The main way to engage with local and regional communities through the PACE Initiative is to enrol in a participation unit. Participation units are the third pillar of the New Curriculum: People, Planet and Participation. They provide an academic framework that allows you to engage with the community, learn though participation, develop your capabilities and build on the skills that employers value. When you successfully complete a participation  unit, not only do you develop all these skills and capabilities, you also gain academic credit towards your degree.

Each participation unit will vary in its requirements, but all require an experiential component within an academic framework. Each unit involves undertaking an orientation and completing assignments in addition to the experiential component. The type of experience will vary depending on the unit and the learning outcomes, but could be an:

• internship
• work-integrated learning
• practicum
• field trip with a partnership component
• community service and learning
• community development

To see examples of the types of activities undertaken and the benefits gained from enrolling in a participation unit, read through the Local and Regional Success Stories from the four University faculties and view the video below.

Community Connections

Community Connections
Length : 7:12 mins
Bill Rak, AHFL Project Manager from Marist Youth Care talks about the advantages of partnering with PACE on the Affordable Housing for Life project.