Understanding the development and implementation of schools as community hubs: A case study approach

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in the implementation of schools as community hubs, both within Australia and at an international level. In the Australian context: service provision, the role of infrastructure, as well as the implications of these spaces for community engagement are part of the challenges when it comes to implementing community hubs. This paper will provide a research overview of the work being undertaken by the author to investigate the development and implementation of schools as community hubs based on a case study approach, aiming to understand the processes, challenges, successes, needs and opportunities of schools and their communities.

Keywords: community hub, school facilities, school infrastructure, case study, space

Speaker's bio

Carolina Rivera Yevenes
University of Melbourne
PhD Candidate

Carolina Rivera Yevenes

PhD Candidate
Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne

Carolina Rivera Yevenes is a PhD candidate in the Building Connections: Schools as Community Hubs ARC Linkage project at Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) of the University of Melbourne. Carolina's research focusses on how schools can be planned, designed, governed and managed to thrive as community hubs.

She holds a Master of education from the University of Melbourne and a degree in education and philosophy. She has more than ten years of experience as a teacher and is also working with schools as an academic consultant and formulating intervention programs. In 2012, she co-founded NGO Innovacien, Chilean organisation working in the development of 21st-century skills, technology and innovation in schools.