Strengthening Connections between McMaster and Hamilton
MacChangers 2023-2024 Final Deliverable - Team A7
Executive Summary
Group Members
Mission Statement
"Our team is passionate about making a meaningful impact in our community. We are comprised of a unique disciplinary team who are focused on creating new methods and alternatives for students to become more engaged within the Hamilton community. Our goal is to learn, embrace new perspectives, and drive innovative solutions."
Description
There is an observable disconnect that can be seen between the McMaster community and the city of Hamilton. Students are not aware of the various events and workshops that are hosted within the city of Hamilton, preventing them from breaking out of their student bubble that they currently live in. As the Westdale area (east of the university campus) contains a variety of commodities and conveniences for the student body, less and less students are making the push to explore the neighboring Hamilton communities. As a result, great relationships are prevented from being established between students and organizations within the city, as well as potential internships or job positions that can be filled by McMaster students. We, as a group, are determined to find various alternatives to approach this problem, with a potential solution aimed to increase connectivity between students and the city of Hamilton as a whole!
Our How Might We Question
How might we create a proactive culture between McMaster students and Hamilton community organizations to spark more student engagement within the city?
Human Centred Design
Our Research Findings
SDG Alignment
SDG 8: - Decent work and Economic growth
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Targets: Target 8.6: By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
Target 8.9: By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.
Rationale:
The opportunity for McMaster students to consume goods and services outside of the “McMaster Bubble” would promote local economic growth and encourage participation for a more comprehensive city experience. Additionally, Bridging connections between employers and students could give students opportunities to engage in experiential learning and apply knowledge in real-life settings. It has been recognized by the City of Hamilton in their Economic Development Strategy that investment opportunities that focus on student retention are important for sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
SDG: 16
Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, providing access to justice for all, and building effective and accountable institutions at all levels.
Targets:
Target 16.6 - Developing effective, accountable, and transparent institutions at all levels.
Target 16.7 - Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
Rationale:
Through the implementation of targets 16.6 and 16.7 can create potential solutions in fostering community and strengthening connections between the university and city. This may be implemented through the inclusion of all students of various races and walks into programs and services offered by various organizations within the Hamilton community they were not aware of initially. By bringing awareness through responsive and representative decision making (i.e. community outreach to McMaster students, information nights hosted by organizations, holding certain events that are close in proximity to where McMaster students live) can help to provide solutions for students who are in need (whether by physical or mental means). Additionally, by making certain that organizations and institutions have well known goals and transparency is key to creating honest connections between the community and students and to ensure no one is left out with any problem they may be facing.
SDG: 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities.
Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Targets:
Target 11.a: Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning
Rationale:
Our main goal is to foster positive and economic links between the community of hamilton (urban areas) and the university through strengthening regional planning (to interlink the 2 communities together) and support social relationships (establish sustainable practices). We recognize that in order to achieve our goal, we must establish relationships that are built on trust, respect and are mutually beneficial. To share and act on knowledge, work long-term, and create inclusive spaces to contribute to the greater social good.
Case Studies and Findings
Explain your primary research here!
Revised Questions After Speaking to the Community
Measuring Success
One method to measure success of the solution would be to look at exactly how many people are able to complete each edition of the respective passport guides and compare the numbers to the amount of people that have registered for them. Completion of the guide would be looked at through verification of the certain edition that has been completed. This would be done through students coming to MUSC and redeeming their respective passports, and the number of locations/programs they have visited around the city, for a valued prize that would go towards their tuition or for their own enjoyment during the end of the school year. Through comparing the numbers of how many people have redeemed their prize and the number of initial participants, a judgement can be made on how many students were actively engaged and how many participated through the process.
Additionally, a survey would also benefit obtaining relevant information from those partaking within the passport program. Those who have signed up for the program would receive an email within their inbox, asking them to fill out a 5 to 10 minute survey, with multiple choice questions asking questions such as participation, opinions on the programs, some pros, cons, and an optional space for them to write out their feedback in whole. This survey would be created through Microsoft Forms for easier use of access. This information from surveys would then be parsed by the team managing the passport program to determine the best implementation for the feedback received from the forms.
Our Solution Ideas
Include all 3 solution ideas and prototypes here!
Equitable and Inclusive Considerations
Project Viability
Final Solution
To address the problem at hand, a solution would need to meet the following:
- Create engagement with students such that they would develop an interest to visit parts of Hamilton they have not discovered before
- Having reliable transportation that students can depend on to travel to the city
Potential Solution: A McMaster-Hamilton Passport
This solution is a combination of a passport and general city guide to provide a comprehensive experience for students to visit key parts of the Hamilton area that has a duration during the entire school year. This passport would come in primarily 3 sections: a sightseeing edition that involves a scavenger hunt/geocaching activity with a monetary prize once completed, a date spot version for couples to visit, and another version for any events/programs happening in the city during the year. First year students would receive the passport within their welcome week packages, and upper years can register at MUSC or during clubfest at a designated booth.
For accessibility reasons, there would be a green label/sticker on one of the pages indicating that the passports is wheelchair-friendly and for individuals of all walks of life (i.e. race, gender, disabilities) where no one would be left out. The passport would contain locations that have wheelchair access for students who have disabilities to make traversal easier for them.
