Self-Initiated Opportunities

CWP courses at Laurier combine academic learning with an experience in a workplace or community setting. In many courses, students can self-initiate an opportunity allowing you to complete your experience with an organization you are already connected with or to find positions outside Kitchener-Waterloo or Brantford if you are commuting to Laurier or taking an online course and reside in another community.

Self-initiated opportunities must be approved before you can begin the experience. You will submit the information about your proposed self-initiated opportunity using Navigator, and then wait for notification of approval. Your application will be reviewed by the CWP coordinator for your course and we will contact the supervisor for your proposed opportunity to obtain their verification and approval.

COVID-19 Criteria

Remote and in-person opportunities will be provided by our department. If you intend to complete an in-person Self-Initiated experiential learning opportunity, there are additional COVID-related criteria that must be met.

• Determine and follow any COVID-19 requirements as prescribed by your host organization. Including, but not limited to masking requirements, screening, and vaccination.
• Your host organization is required to provide you any PPE that they require you to use.
• If there are challenges with regards to meeting your host organization’s requirements, work with your Laurier placement coordinator.

Criteria for Self-Initiated Opportunities

• The proposed placement has been discussed with the supervisor before you submit details to CWP office.
• The duties and expectations for the experience are clearly defined and are agreed upon by the supervisor and the student.
• The duties and expectations for the experience meet the learning outcomes of the course(s) (verification of this by the course instructor(s) may be required). i.e. the experience is relevant to the course material.
• At the beginning of the experience, the student is adequately oriented to the organization and trained to the position, if applicable for the experience type, by an adult staff member and/or a trained adult volunteer, and is supervised by such a person throughout the placement period.
• The partner organization is able to offer the number of hours that the student requires for their course(s) and this is clearly communicated to the supervisor and verified in advance.
• The opportunity is not for a position with an organization that we are already partnered with for that semester, unless this has been approved by a CWP coordinator ahead of time.
• Full contact information (address, phone number, and email) for the partner organization and the supervisor is provided by the student.
• Upon invitation from CWP staff, the supervisor for the experience is willing to create an account in Navigator and use it to verify student attendance, if required.
• For Community Service Learning (CSL) placements, service is required throughout the course period (10 weeks January-April, May-August or September-December). Service ideally occurs weekly. Schedule should be approved by the coordinator before starting.
• For CSL placements, the host organization is a not-for-profit, social profit, educational or government agency/institution.
• There should be no obvious conflicts of interest; ex: being supervised by a family member or close friend.