The Street Challenge framework is a set of interconnected experiential exercises designed to introduce concepts of community or innovation ecosystems to students with an emphasis on civic engagement. The pedagogy combines experiential learning with a focus on place-based contexts in a distinct neighbourhood.
Core Values:
Street Challenge is predicated on the belief that communities matter. They are the places where we live, work, and play. The communities we come from help shape our identities, and the communities we live in often reflect who we are. They are dynamic and ever-changing places, and they take on a life and a distinct identity of their own. Like any living thing, the health of a community is impacted by the health and interrelation of its component parts. Communities inform the development of people, businesses, and institutions. They are also affected by their members. Communities are ecosystems.
What is an Ecosystem:
From the perspective of entrepreneurship education, where this project has its origins, we operated with a definition of ecosystem as the interconnected network of institutions, businesses, and people that act in ways that are cooperative and competitive (Granstrand & Holgersson, 2019; Isenberg, 2010; Pearsall, 2013;). Street Challenge uses “main streets” (i.e. commercial business districts) as a metaphor for community ecosystems, allowing students to apply the abstract concepts of entrepreneurial or innovation ecosystems in a concrete and applied form.
However, we recognize that a community is not simply a connection of commercial businesses. That’s true even on the main street where those businesses may be located. The other stakeholders in a community ecosystem - the people, institutions, government, and environment that also compose the community - can also be studied and assessed using this approach.
How can Street Challenge be Used:
The pedagogy adapts to different disciplinary contexts, where the link between community or ecosystems and specific places and neighbourhoods may allow students to explore the concepts and challenges of their profession. For example, an education class might use demographic data in a classroom environment to identify potential community needs, and then undertake a field experience to test and validate those assumptions by seeing and experiencing the physical neighbourhood they were learning about through data. Similarly, a law of government course might use the field experience to better “see” and experience the community affected by a legal decision or government policy. A nursing or social work faculty member might want to embed a field experience into a community needs assessment project; or an urban planning instructor might wish to engage students and members of a community in a dialogue about wants, needs, and aspirations.
Regardless of the disciplinary framework, neighbourhoods are an easily accessible and highly relatable context for students to experience, as while they may all have different backgrounds and experiences, a neighbourhood is a common element to all. Accordingly, students are better able to see the connection between an individual business, client, or project (firm- or micro- level analysis) and a broader environmental context (community or meso- level analysis). Development of this skill set is important for students, not only because it strengthens and hones their strategic ability, but also because it strengthens the communities they are a part of.
In the context of a course, an instructor would select one or two neighbourhoods appropriate to their course learning objectives, and partner with community organizations (businesses, associations, or other local organizations) within those communities. The class then engages in a series of different experiential and research activities throughout the course, culminating in a report or presentation to the community partner(s), making recommendations for changes and improvements.
Core Values:
Street Challenge is predicated on the belief that communities matter. They are the places where we live, work, and play. The communities we come from help shape our identities, and the communities we live in often reflect who we are. They are dynamic and ever-changing places, and they take on a life and a distinct identity of their own. Like any living thing, the health of a community is impacted by the health and interrelation of its component parts. Communities inform the development of people, businesses, and institutions. They are also affected by their members. Communities are ecosystems.
What is an Ecosystem:
From the perspective of entrepreneurship education, where this project has its origins, we operated with a definition of ecosystem as the interconnected network of institutions, businesses, and people that act in ways that are cooperative and competitive (Granstrand & Holgersson, 2019; Isenberg, 2010; Pearsall, 2013;). Street Challenge uses “main streets” (i.e. commercial business districts) as a metaphor for community ecosystems, allowing students to apply the abstract concepts of entrepreneurial or innovation ecosystems in a concrete and applied form.
However, we recognize that a community is not simply a connection of commercial businesses. That’s true even on the main street where those businesses may be located. The other stakeholders in a community ecosystem - the people, institutions, government, and environment that also compose the community - can also be studied and assessed using this approach.
How can Street Challenge be Used:
The pedagogy adapts to different disciplinary contexts, where the link between community or ecosystems and specific places and neighbourhoods may allow students to explore the concepts and challenges of their profession. For example, an education class might use demographic data in a classroom environment to identify potential community needs, and then undertake a field experience to test and validate those assumptions by seeing and experiencing the physical neighbourhood they were learning about through data. Similarly, a law of government course might use the field experience to better “see” and experience the community affected by a legal decision or government policy. A nursing or social work faculty member might want to embed a field experience into a community needs assessment project; or an urban planning instructor might wish to engage students and members of a community in a dialogue about wants, needs, and aspirations.
Regardless of the disciplinary framework, neighbourhoods are an easily accessible and highly relatable context for students to experience, as while they may all have different backgrounds and experiences, a neighbourhood is a common element to all. Accordingly, students are better able to see the connection between an individual business, client, or project (firm- or micro- level analysis) and a broader environmental context (community or meso- level analysis). Development of this skill set is important for students, not only because it strengthens and hones their strategic ability, but also because it strengthens the communities they are a part of.
In the context of a course, an instructor would select one or two neighbourhoods appropriate to their course learning objectives, and partner with community organizations (businesses, associations, or other local organizations) within those communities. The class then engages in a series of different experiential and research activities throughout the course, culminating in a report or presentation to the community partner(s), making recommendations for changes and improvements.