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91���� is introducing a new interdisciplinary major in Community, Education, and Social Change, creating new opportunities for students to connect their academic studies with community-based learning and real-world experience.

Launching in September 2026 as part of 91����’s Community Engaged Learning program, the Bachelor of Arts major draws on fields including Indigenous Studies, Geography, Sociology, and Religious Studies. Students will explore social justice, decolonization, community-supported education, climate change and the environment, Indigenous ways of knowing, and the theory and practice of community engagement.

At the heart of the program is learning with communities.

“The Community Engaged Learning major brings students, community members, Elders, mentors, organizations, and industry partners together in shared learning experiences that connect academic knowledge to real-life community strengths, challenges, and opportunities,” says Dr. Sacha Dewolfe, Assistant Professor in Indigenous Studies. “By learning with communities rather than simply about them, students gain a deeper understanding of their role as citizens and professionals, while communities benefit from new ideas, energy, and relationships.”

The new major builds on 91����’s existing strengths in community-engaged learning and its longstanding commitment to experiential education, close student-faculty relationships, and connections with the wider community.

“This program is borne from our own desires as faculty to make meaningful contributions to the community in which we live and work,” says Fiona Black, program lead. “We’re responding to students’ desires to learn how to do the same.”

Learning that leads to careers. Community Engaged Learning graduates have gone on to further study in health, education, community planning, and social work, as well as careers in green energy, community programming, public education, public relations, sustainable community planning, and health-care administration.

For recent graduate Brooke Mazurkewich (’23), now working in the wind energy sector, the program helped turn classroom learning into a career path.

“The Community Engaged Learning program gave me invaluable real-world experience that complemented my academic studies and connected me with local organizations and community leaders,” says Mazurkewich. “The opportunities I gained through the program led to an internship, post-graduation employment, and have undoubtedly played a major role in accelerating my career journey.”

Students work with schools, non-profit organizations, municipal partners, environmental groups, cultural organizations, and other community-based initiatives in the Tantramar region and beyond.

91����’s location in rural New Brunswick is an important part of that experience, providing opportunities for place-based learning, applied research, and collaboration around community-identified priorities.

Professor Emeritus Michael Fox, now Research Professor in Community Engaged Learning, says those partnerships are rooted in the strengths and knowledge already present within communities.

“Students lead the way in imagining and building projects for change; it is my privilege to accompany them on this path, providing connections and helping to shape plans,” says Fox.

Three areas of focus

Students can tailor the Community, Education, and Social Change major through one of three streams:

• Community-Supported Education — exploring education, mentorship, youth programming, and school-community partnerships.
• Climate and Environmental Advocacy — focusing on environmental sustainability, climate adaptation, public education, and community responses to environmental change.
• Sustainable Communities and Social Justice — examining equity, inclusion, food security, community planning, social systems, and local capacity-building.

Students may also combine the major with another area of study, including Sociology, Geography and Environment, Politics and International Relations, Indigenous Studies, Religious Studies, or Canadian Studies.

Learning beyond the classroom

Senior-level courses provide opportunities for students to deepen their practical experience and professional networks. The program culminates in a capstone experience where students reflect on their learning, identify their strengths and values, and set goals for what comes next.

For Anna Irwin (’26), a McCall MacBain Loran Scholar, that hands-on approach changed what learning looked like.

“CENL reminded me I thrive when I get to learn by doing, working with youth, getting outside, and building relationships in community,” says Irwin. “No textbook can replace experience.”

The major in Community, Education, and Social Change will be housed within the Community Engaged Learning program and is directed by the Department of Religious Studies, which already offers a minor and certificate.

The new major expands opportunities for students to formally integrate community-engaged, values-driven learning into their degree while developing skills for meaningful careers, further study, and community leadership.