Spring 2019 Symposium
This event was held Friday, April 26th, Noon - 3:30 pm, Marvin Center, 3rd floor
Highlights this semester included:
Explore New Pathways to Social Change Room
Facilitator: Colleen Packard, Coordinator of the Civic House Scholars Program, Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement & Public Service
Now that you have experience addressing a social issue in the local community this semester, what comes next? In this session, students will be introduced to the Pathways to Public Service and Civic Engagement model and will consider a variety of approaches to leverage more positive change on the issues they care about, such as: advocacy, policy analysis, political action, research, entrepreneurship and fundraising.
Working with Differences to Build Intersectional Relationships
Facilitator: Dr. Phyllis Ryder, University Writing
Student Presenters:
Dayii Elfayous, Olivia Haglund, Elizabeth Katheder, and Dhymond Revan from UW 1020: Writing for Social Change in Washington DC
Emily Bailey and Aiswarya Bulusu from PUBH 6299: The Autism Experience: A Community Health Perspective
In this roundtable, GW students will examine the challenges and opportunities that they experienced as they came to understand how race, gender, ability, and class affected their roles in the community. Student presenters served as mentors with DC youth or served with young adults with autism, all hoping to build authentic relationships across differences. How much should race factor into a partnership between a white college student and African American children whose family has been impacted by incarceration? Do class differences interfere when a middle-class African American woman mentors African American high school students in Congress Heights? What assumptions might we make when meeting a person who is autistic and nonverbal? How can we all productively mobilize our own identities to build positive relationships with people in the community?
When Service Meets Innovative Thinkers: How You Can Be a Social Change Agent with GWupstart & the Knapp Fellowship
Facilitator: Dania Castro, Program Manager, Service & Social Innovation, Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement & Public Service
Student Presenters: Gillian Joseph and Kristen McInerney, the winners of the 2018-2019 Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning
Learning and serving in a community leads innovative thinkers to imagine endless possibilities to tackling social issues. GW students have started a movement by utilizing the Social Innovation Hub through the Nashman Center to work with communities and create innovative approaches to foster social change around the world. This session will provide a collaborative space for the GW community to create innovative solutions to social issues and discover the resources available to turn these ideas into action. Come learn how you can go from ideas to projects with support from the GWupstart team through funding, mentoring & training opportunities. Opportunities for mentoring and funding through the Knapp Fellowship will be presented as well.
The Sustainability Forum
Facilitator: Dr. Tara Scully, Assistant Professor of Biology and Director of GW’s Sustainability Minor
Students, community leaders, and faculty will discuss their community-engagement initiatives, experiences and scholarship with respect to sustainability. Sustainability encompasses the triple bottom line of ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable practices. What are the challenges involved in, “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs?” (United Nations Brundtland Commission, 1987).
Values in Action ~ Valores En Acción
Facilitator: Dolores Perillán, Spanish Instructor
A collective reflection on civic engagement impacts through Operación Impacto and our CHI GW (Chavez~Huerta~Itliong) Juntos~Magkasama~Together experience. Join our students' enthusiasm, commitment and call to action. English speakers are welcome.
Beyond Service: Social Change as Good Business Continental Ballroom
Facilitator: Sejal Mehta, GW School of Business
Presenters: Chloe King, Founder and COO at Last Call, Dylan Tally, Executive Director and Founder of Community Engagement Consulting
These student leaders will share their stories and discuss how business and management skills allowed them to make a more significant difference in the community. Presenters and session participants will reflect on the intersection of business skills and community engagement. Given your service experiences and awareness of community assets, what issues are important to you and how will you get involved in creating positive social change in the community?