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Xuan Nguyen
Laurier student Xuan Nguyen works to promote sustainable student lifestyles during City of Waterloo internship
Feb. 5, 2024
Print | PDFWilfrid Laurier University and the City of Waterloo are working together to better understand how postsecondary students can contribute solutions to community issues in Waterloo.
Through a full-time, paid summer internship at the City of Waterloo, Laurier student Xuan Nguyen investigated ways postsecondary students can embrace and incorporate environmentally sustainable practices into their lifestyles. The internship is part of the Laurier-City Hub initiative in the Faculty of Arts at Laurier’s Waterloo campus, where students take part in social change and shape policy innovations through Laurier's partnerships with cities and municipalities. The internship also provides students with opportunities to develop their professional network and workplace skills.
The focus of Nguyen’s work aligns with climate objectives outlined in the City of Waterloo 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. With approximately 45,000 students calling Waterloo home during the academic year, the city sees opportunities for this demographic to positively contribute to municipal sustainability initiatives.
“Working with Laurier students and professors challenges us to expand how we engage and communicate with students living in Waterloo,” says Ena Ristic, senior sustainability officer with the City of Waterloo. “We know that students want to contribute to the community, so we need to find ways to empower them to do so. Having Xuan’s insight and research findings about this demographic is invaluable.”
Data-driven research
Nguyen’s work began with a field research phase to gather data from project stakeholders. Nguyen conducted 14 interviews with administrators at the City of Waterloo and Laurier, as well as sustainability specialists, to learn more about climate-related needs at the local level. In addition, 135 postsecondary students from across southwestern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area completed an online survey created by Nguyen focused on their habits, attitudes, behaviours and challenges related to living sustainably.
“The research phase was very intense but also very informative and necessary,” says Nguyen, a fourth-year Communications Studies student. “It was a lot of work to undertake on my own, but I learned so much about time management, communication and making data-informed decisions.”
Four major themes emerged from stakeholder interviews and student responses to Nguyen’s survey. Those themes included students seeing themselves as already living as sustainably as they can; affordability as a factor in making sustainable choices; significant student interest in living more sustainably; and a desire among students for increased communication from the City of Waterloo about local climate-related issues and engagement opportunities.
Nguyen paired her research findings with best practices and successes from other municipalities and postsecondary institutions seeking to engage target audiences in sustainable practices, including the University of Guelph, City of Saskatoon and University of Saskatchewan. She also utilized peer research findings from the winter 2023 Laurier course offering of Social Innovation in the City.
The course, taught by Assistant Professor Ehaab Abdou, engages students in developing solutions to issues presented by the City of Waterloo. Last winter, Nguyen’s group in the course worked on dealing with end-of-term bulk waste in the university district. Other groups investigated online voting in municipal elections and greening city festivals and events.
“Participating in Social Innovation in the City gave me a good foundation for my internship,” says Nguyen. “The course provided a great mix of theory, hands-on application and connections to professionals working on municipal projects. I am grateful to Professor Abdou for the care and enthusiasm he brings to topics of social innovation and civic engagement.”
Recommendations and next steps
Nguyen developed a report based on research conducted during her summer internship. On Nov. 7, Nguyen presented “Exploring Strategies to Promote Sustainable Behaviours and Practices Among Post-Secondary Students in the City of Waterloo” to city administrators. The report summarized major themes from her field research, best practices from other postsecondary institutions and municipalities in Canada and abroad, and a set of recommendations to encourage students to adopt more sustainable lifestyles in Waterloo.
“Xuan’s final report is fantastic and includes well-researched strategies to help the City of Waterloo better engage student residents,” says Ristic. “Overall, student attitudes toward living sustainable lifestyles are positive, which gives us a great foundation to work with.”
Some of Nguyen’s short-term recommendations include the development of an app allowing students easy access to information and how-to details about city sustainability initiatives, as well as the creation of a sustainability working group including representatives from the city, Laurier, student organizations and other local groups. Long-term recommendations include increased sustainability education in elementary and high school classrooms in Waterloo Region.
Ristic says plans are underway to establish a working group with representatives from postsecondary institutions in Waterloo, including students, to collaborate on local sustainability issues. Talks have also taken place with the Waterloo Region District School Board to identify how the city can support sustainability topics within the provincial curriculum.
Nguyen, currently in the final term of her undergraduate degree studies, says the internship experience helped prepare her for life after Laurier.
“Improved communication, research and analytical skills are just some of the bonuses I am taking away from the internship experience,” says Nguyen. “These skills will benefit me in whatever I choose to do next.”
Social Innovation in the City is a full-credit course held during the winter term. Registration is open to students from all faculties and there are no prerequisite courses to enroll.