Trainings and Micro-Credentials
Expand your knowledge and enhance your impact in the Richmond community through our specialized trainings. Whether you're a student, faculty member, staff, partner, or community member, our training opportunities equip you with the best practices for service, volunteering, partnership development, community-based research, and more.
By participating, you’ll gain valuable insights into ethical engagement, collaboration, and responsible community impact—earning micro-credentials that recognize your commitment to meaningful service and partnership.
Explore our available trainings and take the next step in building stronger, more informed connections with Richmond’s communities.
Trainings Available:
What does community engagement look like at VCU?
Explore how to build meaningful partnerships, connect students with communities, and integrate community engagement into teaching, research, service, and outreach.
VCU Community Engagement 101 is a series of six short, self-paced modules, each taking 15 minutes or less. Explore practical insights, focused information, and opportunities for reflection.
Learn at your own pace and choose the topics most relevant to you. There’s no required order and no need to complete all six modules.
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- What Is Community Engagement at VCU?
Build a shared understanding of community engagement and explore how it is integrated across VCU. - Understanding Partnerships
Explore what makes community partnerships meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial. - Pathways to Community Engagement
Discover the different ways faculty, staff, students, and community members can engage with one another. - Community Engaged Learning and Student Engagement
Learn how community engagement can enrich student learning and create meaningful connections between the classroom and community. - Introduction to Community Engaged Research
Explore the principles and possibilities of conducting research with communities rather than simply about them. - Service, Outreach, and Civic Engagement
Consider how service, outreach, and civic engagement connect to, and differ from, community engagement.
Community-Engaged Scholarship Series
These professional development sessions equip faculty and staff with skills in community engagement, focusing on building stronger relationships between institutions and the communities they serve.
Community Engagement Scholarship Writing Group
Join a dedicated writing group. Get fellowship, accountability, and focused writing time for manuscripts, grants, and other scholarly projects. Sessions meet Fridays from 11:00–12:30 p.m. on Zoom, hosted by the Council for Community Engagement Research Workgroup. Register below or join via Zoom.
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Community Engagement Onboarding Curriculum
The goal of this onboarding program is to equip students with the essential training and knowledge in community engagement best practices.
Please visit Learning Systems for any issues enrolling in the course
Applied Community Engagement Badge
The Applied Community Engagement Badge recognizes individuals who actively participate in key learning opportunities that deepen their understanding of community engagement. Offered by the Division of Community Engagement (DCE), this badge is available to VCU colleagues, students, community members, and partners.
For more information, contact Shari Garmise at garmiseso@vcu.edu.
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Available Economic Development Badges
The Division of Community Engagement at VCU recognizes the vital role that faculty, students, and community partners play in fostering economic development and social impact. Our Economic Development Badges highlight key areas of engagement that contribute to economic mobility, workforce development, and business growth in our communities.
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Advanced Certificate in Youth Development
The VCU Advanced Certificate in Youth Development Management offers essential training in workforce and positive youth development. Designed for professionals across various sectors, including early childhood education, outside-school-time (OST) youth and young adult programs and services, school and community group settings and healthcare facilities/offices. This certificate equips participants with the skills needed to excel in roles such as caregivers, mentors, teachers, healthcare providers, youth program leaders, and managers.
History and Health: Rural Health
The VCU Office of Health Initiatives and the Health Humanities Lab at the Humanities Research Center launched a new History and Health: the Rural Health series. These eight online learning modules are each designed to take 1-2 hours to complete and include a variety of scholarly articles, news media, videos, etc., suitable for a range of participants, including undergraduate students, staff, faculty, and community members. The series is free and available in Canvas Catalog. Participants have the opportunity to earn a Digital Badge.
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