Welcome to the Center for Community Engagement

A woman sits on a tree-trunk chair at the base of Waipiʻo Valley

About Us

ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi.
One learns from many sources.

The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) at UH Hilo creates and sustains opportunities for community-engaged teaching and learning. Our primary mission is to integrate community-based projects into course curriculum, creating opportunities for students to learn through the application of knowledge to authentic, meaningful and relevant local issues. These activities increase students’ sense of purpose, engagement and belonging to UH Hilo and the broader community. By understanding how education and research can be responsive to community needs, the CCE contributes to the university’s role in building a healthy, vibrant community for all.

The GEER Grant

Innovation is what occurs when there is a collision of differences in a culture of trust.
— Stephen Covey

In 2021 the Center for Community Engagement was honored to be awarded a grant from the Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief fund to build capacity in the areas of higher education that are relational in nature. Thus began a year of highly impactful programming for students and faculty.

Bonners sitting outside for photo

Group photo of 12 Bonners

Student Resources

E lawe i ke aʻo a mālama, a e ʻoi mau ka naʻauao.
Those who take their learnings and apply them increase their knowledge.

With the support of a 2021-22 Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) grant, the CCE is excited to enter its second year of the Bonner Leader Program, a 4-year student leadership program grounded in community engagement.

Faculty & Staff Resources

Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners.
— John Holt

With the generous support of a 2021-22 Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) grant, the CCE offers workshops and communities of practice for faculty and staff interested in deepening their knowledge and implementation of practices grounded in community, equity and relationships.

Faculty and Staff working at a table in front of the ocean

A woman reaches to pet a horse on its head as another woman looks on happily

Community Resources

The only source of knowledge is experience.
— Albert Einstein

The Center for Community Engagement works to build reciprocal relationships with our community partners in multiple ways: building capacity for co-created community-engaged projects that address authentic community issues (no dash), maintaining a searchable database of community-engaged projects, and hosting an annual community partner fair.