Munk+Evergreen: New course name, same great fun

By Gabriel Eidelman and Jo Flatt

We’re back!

It’s been one year since we first created “Making an Impact from the Outside”, a new course for Master of Public Policy students at the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy & Governance (now the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy), delivered in partnership with Evergreen.

Hosted at the Evergreen Brick Works, the course set out to blend the worlds of policy theory and practice as they relate to community impact. Gabriel Eidelman, director of the School’s Urban Policy Lab, provides the academic dose of theory, while Jo Flatt, Senior Lead, Policy and Partnerships, brings her practical experience working in the field of policy change.

Together we set out to create a unique educational experience, where students learn not only from us, but also each other, as they interact with experts, community leaders, residents, and activists across the city.

If you followed along during our first go-around, you’ll recall that we had three main goals for the course:

1. We wanted to expose students to the world of public policy from a non-governmental perspective.
2. We wanted to take students out the classroom and “into the community,” to learn from practitioners and community advocates in the field.
3. And we wanted to, shall we say, knock students’ socks off by designing a learning experience unlike anything else offered by the School.

By and large, we felt we met those goals, and then some.

By concentrating on bottom-up approaches to public policy, students left the course with a newfound appreciation for community-based advocacy work that, as Sasha, Terhas, Talha, and Alex can confirm, has informed their work as freshly-minted public servants, or, as Jasmine and Harpreet can attest, helped them prepared for an “alternative” policy career outside government, in the not-for-profit sector.

So, what should this year’s cohort expect from version 2.0?

Simple. More field trips to remarkable places. More visits from inspiring “change makers.” And most importantly, more opportunities to challenge assumptions about community work, and ultimately, learn together about what it takes to flip conventional policy thinking on its head. (Here’s a look at the course syllabus, for your viewing pleasure.)

So buckle up, Breanne, Ibrahim, Annie, Melissa, Samantha, Sharnelle, Hiba, Tomasz, Faiza, Katerina, Rachel, and Rebecca, because we have lots to cover over the next few weeks!

For those following along at home or work, stay tuned to this blog to keep up with all the fun!