DU - Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship and Learning

Congratulations to our amazing Puksta Scholar seniors, Christy, Sunjoi, Marissa, and Dhiona, who graduated this month! Your hard work and dedication have paid off, and we couldn't be prouder. We wish you all the best as you embark on your next adventures and we can't wait to see what you will accomplish.
Puksta Foundation

Day 2 of our Community-Engaged Teaching 101 (CET 101) training is in full swing! Today, participants are learning from a hybrid panel of faculty, students, and community partners. Their shared insights are providing valuable perspectives on community-engaged teaching methods.

We host a CET 101 training twice year for instructors interested in learning more about community-engaged teaching methods. Stay tuned for more updates!

Escape the Books! Tomorrow (6/3) enjoy food from Urban Burma and Jasmine Syrian, two immigrant-owned culinary gems, at the Graduation & End of Year Party hosted by the International Disaster Psychology (IDP) department. Come show your support for these local and delicious businesses while they set up shop on campus!

IDP will also be offering wellness activities (e.g. yoga, Latin dance, art and crafting, music, etc.) from 10-12 - all are welcome to join!

Happening today - Come learn about student internship projects at today's Internship in Spanish Showcase! You'll have the opportunity to network with multiple community partners for future collaborations, interact with students who have completed internships with them, and enjoy some food.

Everyone is welcome! Stop by as you're able to from 10am-12pm.

Today's the day! Thank you to everyone who submitted a photo for the 3rd annual Community Engagement Photo Showcase. Drop in for light bites at today's opening reception in the Community Commons Art Gallery (4pm-6pm). We'll be announcing the prize winners and student awards - We hope to see you there!

On this , make a difference by supporting our CCESL ACE Grants Gift Fund! Your donation to ACE Student Scholars grants empowers students to lead community-engaged research and creative projects without financial barriers. Help advance their impactful work — like the projects showcased below.

Your contribution will ensure that students can focus on creating enduring impacts and lasting outcomes within and beyond their community.

If you're unable to donate, please share this post with your networks. Whether it's $10 or $1000, a gift of any size can make a big difference!

🌟 Donate or share using this link: https://www.givecampus.com/rwlbla

📸✨ Capture the impact of community engagement at DU and win a prize! Don't miss the deadline - submit your photo and written statement by noon tomorrow for a chance to win one of three prizes, including a polaroid camera!

Each year, we invite students, faculty, and staff to share their community engagement experiences through photos and written statements. Selected submissions will be displayed in the Community Commons Art Gallery from May to June.

Learn more and submit your entry at bit.ly/cceslphoto. Check out last year's winning photos below for inspiration!

Don't miss out on these exciting events happening around campus this week 4! From Earth Week to to our next Spark Session, there's something going on each day this week. Check out what's happening:

4/22-4/26 Earth Week of DU-ing: Join the Sustainability Council for a week-long series of events and volunteering opportunities!

4/24 Denim Day: Wear denim to campus in honor of Denim Day and in support of survivors of sexual violence!

4/25 CCESL Spark Session with special guest Eric Hartman of Risk Management: Drop by to enjoy light bites while connecting with others and gaining valuable strategies for navigating uncertainty in community engagement.

4/25 The Road Ahead: Mile High Mobility through Bus Rapid Transit - Join Transportation Solutions at their 19th annual seminar, The Road Ahead, featuring a buffet breakfast, presentations, and a special panel discussion being recorded to be released as a podcast by City Cast Denver. This year, they are exploring the pivotal topic of bus rapid transit (BRT).

4/26 CIPR 2024 Spring Symposium: "Navigating Partnerships with Migrant and Refugee Communities: Mental Health, Engaged Learning, and Accompaniment."

Are you ready to make waves with your words? Calling all wordsmiths and poets! This is great opportunity to get creative and have your piece widely shared.

See below for details!

The application is now open for this summer's Community-Engaged Teaching 101 (CET 101) training! CET 101 is for instructors new to community-engaged teaching. Participants will take part in training designed to increase knowledge about community-engaged pedagogy as well as prepare faculty to use best practices for community engagement in their courses.

Participants whose positions include teaching responsibilities are eligible for:
- A $600 stipend for attending the full training
- A $125 stipend if you submit a syllabus for a newly developed (or revised) community-engaged course

The training will be offered in a hybrid format on June 20 & 21 from 10am - 4pm MST. Learn more and apply at bit.ly/CETeaching101

Calling all DU students, faculty, and staff! You're invited to share photos that reflect the impact community engagement has had on your DU journey.

The top 3 photos will receive prizes! All photos will be displayed in the Community Commons Art Gallery for a month, kicking off with an opening reception on May 22 from 4-6pm. Winners will be announced at the reception.

The photo submission deadline is May 6th! Learn more and submit photos at bit.ly/cceslphoto

See last year's winners below:

Meet Community-Engaged (CE) Fellow, Kristen Park! Kristen is a third year PhD Student in the Counseling Psychology program.

🏡 Where you consider home? Orange County, California

🎭 Interests/hobbies: I love exploring the city by going on long walks or exploring new bakeries.

📒 CE Fellow Project: This year I am working alongside Asian Pacific Development Center (APDC) and co-teaching an English as a Second Language class. We meet every Thursday evening, via zoom, and engage in a co-learning session to enhance the wellbeing of the students in the class.

🎯 Future goal/aspiration: My professional and academic goals are to work in a hospital setting, where I can provide mental health services for those experiencing severe and persistent mental health issues. Additionally, I hope to continue being an adjunct faculty member, teaching courses at the intersections of Asian American Studies and Psychology. My personal goals are to rescue as many dogs as I can and give them the best lives ever.

Our next Spark Session will feature special guest, Eric Hartman of Risk Management! Drop by to enjoy light bites while connecting with others and gaining valuable strategies for navigating uncertainty in community engagement.

You can submit anonymous questions for Eric to address during the session.

Register at ccesl.info/sparksession - we hope to see you there!

Kicking it off is Community-Engaged (CE) Fellow, Adwoa Boateng! Adwoa is in the Health Informatics and Data Analytics graduate program.

🏡 Where you consider home? I am from Ghana in West Africa

🎭 Interests/hobbies: I like to bake, cook, read, enjoy a good movie, sing, travel, and sightseeing, and volunteer.

📒 CE Fellow Project: As a fellow, I am focusing on youth organizing and working with high school students at DMLK to address school violence. I am passionate about engaging and empowering young people to create positive change in their communities.

🎯 Future goal/aspiration: My future goal is to create a world where health and social disparities are solved, equality and justice are achieved, and the youth who feel lost and helpless are empowered. There's a special place in my heart for children, especially those in the orphanages and the streets. I also hope to see a world where better nutrition leads to better health outcomes and to open up a bakery and restaurant that offers healthy food options for everyone, regardless of any underlying health conditions. Professionally, I aspire to be a skilled healthcare data analyst and researcher.

We're kicking off week 3 by featuring our incredible Community-Engaged Fellows! These passionate individuals are DU graduate and undergraduate students at the forefront of making a difference with at DU and beyond.

Stay tuned as we share their inspiring stories, projects, and impact throughout the week!

Last week was a great experience at ! We had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in thoughtful discussions, connect with other community-engaged leaders, and gain new insights. From inspiring keynotes to engaging roundtables, it seemed like every moment was filled with learning. We're excited to apply what we've learned as we continue forward!

That wraps up day 1 at ! During yesterday's "Dreaming and Scheming Together" interactive session, CCESL and IRISE shared the successes and challenges in working collaboratively, as well as how to pursue opportunities to uplift, support, and reinforce one another’s work.

Pictured from left to right: CCESL Associate Director, Anna Antoniou; Associate Vice Provost for Public Good Strategy & Research, Anne DePrince; CCESL Executive Director, Cara DiEnno; and IRISE Director, Associate Professor of Law, and Affiliated Faculty with the History Department, Tom Romero.

Today kicks off ! CCESL Executive Director Cara DiEnno helped kick it off at the TRUCEN meeting, sharing her community-engaged scholarly work with the Valverde Movement Project with collaborator True Cost (Carrie Makarewicz).

Stay tuned this week - we'll be posting our favorite quotes, key sessions, and updates!

Welcome back, DU! Have a great spring quarter!

It's week 10! If you need a break from studying this week, stop by and learn about the amazing work of graduate students in Professor Galemba's INTS 4632: Qualitative Research Methods course.

This course provides training in ethnographic and community-engaged research methods while giving Korbel graduate students the opportunity to apply their skills to the local Denver immigrant and labor rights community. During this event students will present their findings from the quarter.

RSVP at https://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2472AOUtAy03cZU

This event is proudly supported by the Center for Immigration Policy & Research (CIPR), the Michael and Alice Kuhn Foundation, and the Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship & Learning (CCESL)

Happy International Women's Day! Today we celebrate and recognize the strength, resilience, and achievements of women around the world. Here's to the incredible women uplifting each other each day within our communities and beyond, especially those at DU making a difference for the greater good!

With support from an ACE Student Scholars grant, six students from the PLP - University of Denver program addressed the issue of climate change by providing young students with access to the outdoors and environmental education.

The group worked with Cole Arts and Science Academy and Garden Place Academy to implement a program that addressed the gaps in environmental education through exciting, informative outdoor experiences aimed at instilling in students a passion for the environment and future action.

Check out more of their project at https://pollutionsolutiond.wixsite.com/pollutionsolution/s-projects-side-by-side

Submit your proposal for the Public Good Fund! Proposals are due March 4!
The Public Good Fund supports community-engaged research and/or creative work that involves faculty and community partnership. Learn more about the Public Good Fund and other previously supported scholarly projects at https://academicaffairs.du.edu/ccesl/opportunities-faculty-staff/public-good-fund-faculty

Join us for the Community-Engaged Research Spark Session! Stop by CCOM 1100 anytime starting at 11:15 AM on February 29 to enjoy light food and beverages while exchanging valuable feedback and advice on conducting community-engaged research to create measurable public impact. Spark your imagination and fuel new possibilities at this engaging event! Register at https://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6zBqRdWSevvCcw6

Join DU & Denver Public Library for the next Feed Your Mind lecture in this 4-part series!

Each talk will feature a different DU faculty member exploring hope through the lens of their work. The next one will be on Wednesday, February 21 at 3pm at Sam Gary Branch Library with Dr. Stacy Freedenthal from Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver on Hope & Su***de: Helping People Stay Alive. The event will be at 3pm at Sam Gary Branch Library. RSVP at https://www.denverlibrary.org/event/feed-your-mind-hope-and-suicide

Did you know? If you're a student working on a project with communities, you could use an ACE Student Scholars Grant to cover project costs and compensate yourself. Join us Monday for a virtual info session to learn more!

Be sure to register at ccesl.info/aceinfo to receive the Zoom link.

Join us this Wednesday for a workshop on anti-oppression analysis with community organizer, Roshan Bliss. This event is open to all students!

With support from the Public Good Fund, Alejandro Cerón, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology & Kassandra Neiss with Front Line Farming built “Esencial,” a digital community archive that documents the fight for rights, respect, and visibility by agricultural workers in Colorado.

In the face of racism, climate chaos, and public health crises, these essential workers, along with their families and allies, are rewriting the narrative of invisibility and oppression. This storytelling project makes these realities as undeniable, celebrates these humans who are always essential, and invites the public to take further action towards justice. We invite you to learn more about this amazing work at: https://academicaffairs.du.edu/ccesl/news/esencial-online-community-archive-disseminate-stories-colorado-agricultural-workers

This year's Public Good Fund proposals are due March 4th. You can learn more about the Public Good Fund and previous works it has supported at ccesl.info/pgf

Image: "The land is a gift and creative hands are needed to produce it!" October 2022. Esencial Colorado, https://esencialcolorado.org/items/show/125

Thank you to everyone that joined for the second annual Public Good Celebration and who made this event and the 2024 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification possible!

We also want to congratulate the inaugural recipients recognized by new DU Signature Faculty and Student Program: Teaching Assistant Professor Lina Reznicek-Parrado and Assistant Professor Carlos Jimenez! Learn more about the program at ccesl.info/signaturework

If you didn't get a chance to stop by and view the featured work, you can view them online at ccesl.info/Featured or stay tuned as we spotlight them this month.

We invite you to check out DU Newsroom's latest story to learn more about the community-engaged work being carried out at DU: https://www.du.edu/news/renewal-carnegie-classification-renewal-spotlights-deep-commitment-community-partnerships

Have you seen the signs around campus? 👀 Today's the day! Stop by the Community Commons this evening and enjoy drinks, food, and view the amazing community-engaged work by DU students, faculty, and staff featured throughout the 4th floor. We hope to see you there!
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Featured Remarks by: AVP for Public Good Strategy & Research, Anne DePrince; Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, Mary Clark; and Signature Faculty and Student Program Awardees, Lina Reznicek-Parrado and Carlos Jimenez