Lauren Murphy

Bachelor of Commerce, Marketing Major, 5th Year 

Course: Marketing 455 (Fall 2021) with Instructor Webb Dussome

Who was your community partner, and can you describe the project objectives? 

Converse and Cook with Mishma and Juanita. We were tasked with helping them receive more recipes for their cookbook. They expressed that they had received a lot of submissions from university students and professors, and they were looking to diversify their submissions. My group used our network and was able to collect 20+ recipes from grade three students and seniors from different senior homes across Edmonton.

What was the biggest takeaway from your CSL placement? 

There are many great community partners in Edmonton, and university students can play a small role in helping them reach their goals. Mishma and Juanita are amazing people and what they do for the greater Edmonton community is amazing. I am so proud to have played a small role in helping them reach their goal.

How can you apply any newly gained knowledge/skills to your future endeavours (courses/employment/volunteering)? 

I think of the things I learned while completing this project is we all have a great network of people who are willing to help. I utilized my mom's grade three students to gain more submissions for their cookbooks, and my partner leveraged her mom's relationship with different senior facilities across Edmonton. This is something I will keep in mind moving forward. So many people are willing to help out, and many students/seniors were proud to have their recipe submitted. It made them feel like they were giving back to the community in a small way.

What are some ways that COVID-19 has affected your community partner or your placement? 

One of the ways the pandemic has affected Converse and Cook is not allowing them to have their cooking socials in person. They are using the cookbook to help raise funds for the programs, but at the same time using it as a way to connect the community. Many people spent a ton of time at home cooking with their loved ones, and this cookbook allows them to share a little piece of their heritage with the broader community.