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Wednesday’s Symposium Schedule Shows Variety of Topics and Presenters
The concurrent sessions of this Wednesday’s Community Engagement Symposium reflect variety in topics and presenters. Presentations will cover service-learning, community-based research, study abroad, advocacy, and community partnership building.
Concurrent sessions of the symposium are scheduled for 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. and 1:45–2:45 p.m.
“Exploring Community-Focused Dimensions of Experiential Learning” is the theme of the fourth annual Community Engagement Symposium. Related topics covered during symposium sessions include service-learning, community-based research, and study abroad.
Here is a sampling of the topics: “Building Relationships to Support Community-Based Research”; “Addressing Digital Divide Issues in Our Community through a Computer Systems Service-Learning Course”; “When Civic and Cyber Worlds Collide: Service-Learning and Human Rights Advocacy in an Interconnected World”; “Interdisciplinary Collaborative Benefits through a Study-Abroad Experience”; “Stories of Adversity: Utilizing Storytelling for Diversity Training and Youth Empowerment”; and “Community Partner as Co-Educator: Best Practices and Professional Development for Community Partners to Enhance Outcomes.”
The presenters will include faculty, staff, and students from Barry University, Florida Atlantic University, Lynn
The two-hour community partner showcase will begin during the afternoon concurrent sessions, at 1:45, and continue alongside the poster session, from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., in Andreas 112.
Dr. Patrick M. Green, director of the Center for Experiential Learning at Loyola University Chicago, will be the lead presenter at the symposium. He will conduct a 10:00–11:00 a.m. workshop on the topic, “Reflecting on Community Work: A Framework for Meaning-Making,” and a lunch-hour (12:30–1:30) seminar titled “Leading with Community: Emphasizing Community in Community-Based (Experiential) Learning.”
Registration for the Community Engagement Symposium is in progress. The symposium, which will be held on Barry’s Miami
For additional information on the symposium, contact the CCSI by email, service@barry.edu, or phone, 305-899-3696.
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All Set for Community Engagement Awards this Wednesday
The fourth annual Community Engagement Awards Ceremony this Wednesday evening promises to be a memorable event. It will be a by-invitation-only event, scheduled for 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Room 111 of the Andreas
Students, community partners, faculty, and staff will be recognized for their work and achievements in various areas of community engagement. The major awards will be presented in six categories: Community Impact, Community Partnership, Engaged Scholarship, Community Engagement Educator, Service-Learning Faculty, and Engaged Department.
Dr. Patrick M. Green, director of the Center for Experiential Learning at Loyola University Chicago, will be the guest speaker at the Community Engagement Awards. Barry Provost Dr. John D. Murray will deliver brief remarks.
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Barry Group Goes to Border to Learn and Serve during Spring Break
Paola Montenegro could have spent spring break almost anywhere. But the Barry junior chose not to relax on
Instead, she spent her time off providing much-needed assistance to people in the United States-Mexico border town of McAllen,
Montenegro was part of a small group from Barry doing something to bolster hopes and expectations on the U.S. side of the
“I feel passionate about giving back – about serving the community,” Montenegro says. “I am committed to getting involved in social justice issues in the local and global communities.”
It was a seven-member group who headed northwest to the Texas town at the start of spring break. Students Wills Compere, Victoria Montanaro, Paola
The Center for Community Service Initiatives oversees student-led AB trips especially for spring break. James, the CCSI-based experiential learning coordinator, was more than a chaperone. She also was a volunteer serving alongside the students.
They took time to learn about the community and the social issues community members deal with daily. The immigration-related issues of poverty, limited healthcare access, low English-language proficiency, and poor infrastructure were evident.
The spring break trip was also an opportunity for Barry to build a relationship with the Archdiocese of Brownsville, reportedly the poorest archdiocese in the United States.
Maryknoll Sisters hosted the group. A not-for-profit Catholic organization, Maryknoll Sisters is part of the four-member Maryknoll movement headquartered in the village of
Sisters Ann Hayden and Patricia Edmiston serve the Saint Anne Catholic Community of approximately 20,000 people, including undocumented immigrants, living in three “colonias” built on developing farmland in the
There were mixed feelings among some of the residents regarding the reported government plan to build a wall along the border. Some said a wall would provide protection from the drug-trafficking trade. Many argued that a wall would damage the ecology and the culture of the community.
The Barry group volunteered at the Catholic Charities’ Humanitarian
Group members also rendered service at the Proyecto Desarollo Humano (Human Development Project) center in Peñitas, located in western Hidalgo
The Barry visitors and community members served together, preparing garden beds for warm-weather crops. And they learned about the work of the missionary sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who, with their mission partners, established PDH in 2004.
In addition, the Barry group visited La Sal Del Rey Lake, a hyper-saline body of water in a national wildlife refuge. The group also attended a Spanish-language mass in St. Anne parish and a cultural show in La Joya Independent School District.
Wills Compere declared that “not only do we preach solidarity, but we practiced it every day that we are there in Texas.”
For her part, Victoria Montanaro learned “to separate negative things spoken about immigrants in the news from real human stories and communities.”
The students all agreed that spring break gave them “an amazing experience.”
–By Glenn Bowen
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Barry FairShare Project to Benefit Haitian Coffee Growers
The Barry FairShare Project will benefit Haitian coffee growers as fair-trade coffee is added to produce sold to university employees and students. Marketed locally through the Haiti-based COCANO coffee cooperative, the product is expected to be available by next month.
Since 2007, COCANO (Cafèière et Cacouyere du Nord Ouest) has benefited from a partnership with St. Thomas
The COCANO–St. Thomas partnership “empowers rural Haitian farmers, reforests the land, and supports a sustainable socioeconomic infrastructure for Haiti’s future,” says Anthony Vinciguerra, coordinator of the university’s Center for Community Engagement.
Thanks to the partnership, farmers participating in the coop earn around $4.16 per pound of coffee, compared to $0.65 per pound prior to the partnership.
The Barry FairShare Project is a community-supported agriculture initiative of the Center for Community Service Initiatives (CCSI) in partnership with Urban GreenWorks. Launched in January, the first phase of the project involves the sale of produce on campus, which provides revenue directly to local small farmers who practice sustainable agriculture.
Through recent partnership negotiations, Urban GreenWorks has agreed to sell 12-ounce bags of COCANO whole-bean and ground coffee. The product will be added to the Barry FairShare offerings on campus.
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Two Sociology Faculty Members Appointed to State Advisory Committee
Two faculty members in Barry’s Department of Sociology and Criminology have been appointed to the United States Commission on Civil Rights’ Florida State Advisory Committee. The appointment of Drs. Laura Finley and Victor Romano, associate professors, was approved by the commissioners in Washington
In an email on March 19, Jeffrey Hinton, the commission’s southern region director, notified Finley and Victor Romano of their appointment and congratulated them.
Congress established the Commission on Civil Rights in the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Operating as an independent, bipartisan, fact-finding agency, the commission advances civil rights through investigation, research, and analysis of issues of concern to the federal government and the public.
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Next Deliberative Dialogue to Focus on Turkey Point Nuclear Plant
The Turkey Point nuclear power plant will be the focus of the next forum in the CCSI’s Deliberative Dialogue Series. Titled “Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant: Endangering the Environment for Cheap Energy?” the 90-minute forum will be held on April 11 in Room 112 of the Andreas
CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien has provided the following context for the forum: “Nuclear energy has long been a controversial source of power. Some argue that it is relatively low cost and that lack of reliance on fossil fuels makes it a good choice for the environment while others see it as a potential danger to human and environmental health. In South Florida, much of the concern is focused on water quality and marine life, given the location of Florida Power & Light’s Turkey Point (Homestead) nuclear reactors between two national parks and in proximity to one of the state’s major agricultural areas.”
Berrien also noted that concerns were heightened recently when a study commissioned by Miami-Dade
The discussion at the forum is expected to elicit responses to these questions: Should South Florida residents be concerned about potential ecological health risks posed by the Turkey Point reactors? What measures have been taken to ensure the preservation of South Florida’s unique ecosystems and the safety of our community? What are the alternatives to nuclear energy?
The CCSI has adapted deliberative dialogue as a method of civic learning and engagement. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members work toward a shared understanding of social issues, practical solutions to those issues, and recommendations for workable public policy.
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Saturday of Service Scheduled for April 22 in Liberty City
The CCSI has scheduled a Saturday of Service for April 22. Student volunteers will spend the morning (8:30 a.m.–noon) on Urban GreenWorks’ Cerasee farm in Liberty
Throughout the academic year, the CCSI organizes Saturdays of Service in addition to Days of Service.
For additional information, contact CCSI Program Coordinator Ashton Spangler at aspangler@barry.edu or 305-899-5465.
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Online Information Session for Social Justice Jobs Set for this Wednesday
A national community organizing network offering careers focused on social justice will host an online information session this Wednesday, March 29. Representatives of the Direct Action and Research Training Center, or DART, will provide information on the seven available full-time organizing positions to be filled by early August.
Hiring is expected to be completed before August 14 for positions in Daytona Beach,
Sarah Storar, a DART associate recruiter, says Wednesday’s information session will begin at 7 p.m.
“Students and alumni interested in uniting congregations and working for social, economic, and racial justice are invited to participate,” she says. Replies (RSVPs) should be sent via DART’s website, <www.thedartcenter.org/march29>.
For further information, contact Storar at sarah@thedartcenter.org or 937-974-6093.
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CCSI Newsletter
Posted On : March 27, 2017
