Message from Director

Thank you so much for exploring our website to learn more about the Community-University Partnership for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families (CUP).

CUP is a unique research centre housed in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. CUP was created 20 years ago in response to strong community voices calling for more responsive research partnerships with the university. As the CUP model emerged from those early conversations, there was an implicit commitment that the community and university were jointly responsible for CUP and shared in its ownership. Today, CUP is a thriving collaboration of community, government, university, and funding partners striving for equitable and engaged communities that support the wellbeing of children, youth and families across Edmonton & Alberta. 

CUP is privileged to work alongside engaged and resilient partners in addressing issues of concern for children and their families. We reduce barriers for community partners who are seeking university connections, expertise, and capacity building opportunities. We support academics in developing community engaged approaches into their research and enhancing their connections to the community. We engage under/graduate students in all stages of our research partnerships where they learn how to build collaborative relationships, engage in respectful co-creation of knowledge, and mobilize knowledge into decision making. 

Alongside community partners, we develop research and evaluation projects that produce new knowledge that can be translated for use by all forms of decision makers. CUP develops unique learning opportunities (i.e embedded graduate certificates, workshops, courses, etc) to address capacity needs across the community and the university. We support conversations across the social services sector that supports advocacy and policy development. Given the current complexity of issues impacting families across Alberta, we also encourage thinking beyond the outcomes of individual service programs or research projects. CUP encourages authentic community engagement, interdisciplinary thinking, and cross-sector dialogue that breaks down the silos across the sector and the institution. 

There are so many ways to get involved with CUP and I encourage you to reach out if you are interested in learning more. We all have a role to play in supporting better outcomes for children, youth and families. Browse our site, get to know us better, and join us in this important work.

Karen Edwards