9:30-10:30 a.m. Session One A: Voices of Opportunity & Community Development Panel
This panel will explore multiple perspectives on opportunity and access, coalition building and how institutions can be more agile in community-centered work.
Panel Participants:
Shad Henderson, director of equity and community partnerships, Neighborhood Allies
Ryan Scott, executive director, Social Justice Institute, Carlow University
Delvina Morrow, director of strategic and community initiatives, Pittsburgh Penguins
Leigh Solomon Pugliano, director of opportunity, New Sun Rising
Moderated by K. Chase Patterson, CEO of The Urban Academy
This panel will explore multiple perspectives on opportunity and access, coalition building and how institutions can be more agile in community-centered work.
Panel Participants:
Shad Henderson, director of equity and community partnerships, Neighborhood Allies
Ryan Scott, executive director, Social Justice Institute, Carlow University
Delvina Morrow, director of strategic and community initiatives, Pittsburgh Penguins
Leigh Solomon Pugliano, director of opportunity, New Sun Rising
Moderated by K. Chase Patterson, CEO of The Urban Academy
9:30-10:30 a.m. Session One B: Using Science to Improve Science Communication
Effective scientific communication can foster community engagement and enhance the impact science has on society. Unfortunately, scientists are not trained to communicate effectively to broad audiences; thus limiting the potential benefits of their work. Research increasingly highlights the specific cognitive barriers that limit the effective communication of scientific information, pointing to the special attributes of complex scientific information and social/emotional attributes of understanding. Collectively, this research details the cognitive resistance to new and complicated information. By appreciating these barriers, scientists can improve how they deliver complex messages. After a brief review of the “science of science communication,” this workshop will profile several strategies that can improve science communication when presenting slides to broad audiences. Workshop participants will practice these strategies by modifying slides exemplifying common but ineffective communication techniques. The revisions recommended by participants will then be reviewed and discussed as a group.
Effective scientific communication can foster community engagement and enhance the impact science has on society. Unfortunately, scientists are not trained to communicate effectively to broad audiences; thus limiting the potential benefits of their work. Research increasingly highlights the specific cognitive barriers that limit the effective communication of scientific information, pointing to the special attributes of complex scientific information and social/emotional attributes of understanding. Collectively, this research details the cognitive resistance to new and complicated information. By appreciating these barriers, scientists can improve how they deliver complex messages. After a brief review of the “science of science communication,” this workshop will profile several strategies that can improve science communication when presenting slides to broad audiences. Workshop participants will practice these strategies by modifying slides exemplifying common but ineffective communication techniques. The revisions recommended by participants will then be reviewed and discussed as a group.
Presenters:
Michael Blackhurst, PhD, co-Director, Urban and Regional Analysis, University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and Urban Research
Leonard Peters, faculty fellow in sustainability, University of Pittsburgh Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation
Barbara Granito, director, Science Ambassadors Program
9:30-10:30 a.m. Session One C: Homewood Youth Engagement
This workshop highlights youth engaged praxis related to three after school programs operating through the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center –Homewood. “Justice Scholars Studio —Creating a Better World ON Purpose” highlights a studio space where 11th and 12th grade Westinghouse Academy students explore and analyze justice-related issues affecting their individual lives, their school, the community, and our broader world. This workshop portion introduces the purpose story exercise and highlights strategies the students use to advocate for justice in their communities. “H.Y.P.E. (Homewood Youth-Powered and Engaged) Media: Critical Youth Literacies in Homewood” details a critical literacy, digital humanities project where 9th and 10th grade Westinghouse Academy students, who are members of the Homewood Children’s Village’s Scholars Project develop, media projects that challenge existing narratives about the neighborhood through a youth-centered lens. This portion will discuss the project’s design and management, fostering community partnerships, and critical reflections from facilitators. HCV Youth Data Corps describes the Youth Data Corps which helps to build critical thinking and executive function skills in high school students. Duringthe workshop we will describe the youth program’s design and introduce attendees to some of the experiences that have helped to engage our youth.
Presenters:
Esohe R. Osai, Ph.D., assistant professor of Practice, University of Pittsburgh School of Education
Khirsten L. Scott, assistant professor, University of PIttsburgh English Department
Shannah Tharp-Gilliam, PhD, director of research & evaluation, Homewood Children’s Village
1:45-2:45 p.m. Session Two A: Voices of the City, County, and Commonwealth: Elected and Governmental
Presented by the University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information
This panel will explore how partnerships between higher education institutions, community organizations, and elected officials can result in more equitable, data-informed policy development and governmental investments.
Panel Participants:
Harry Johnson II, regional director, United States Senator Bob Casey
Martell Covington, legislative aide, State Senator Jay Costa
Sara Innamorato, Pennsylvania State Representative, 21st Legislative District
Andréa Stanford, assistant county manager, Allegheny County Manager’s Office
Moderated by Olivia Benson Gallina, chief operating officier, Forbes Funds
1:45-2:45 p.m. Session Two B: Building Equitable Community Partnerships to Promote Child Health Equity: Processes and pathways
This workshop will provide participants with a community partnership toolkit for building community capacity and health equity in their research. Using the community engagement framework of The Pittsburgh Study (TPS), a longitudinal, community partnered intervention study spanning pregnancy through adolescence that aims to understand and optimize child health and thriving. The workshop will address several key themes essential for community partnered research, including building equitable, ethical partnerships with historically disadvantaged communities, strengthening community partnerships through shared decision-making, and co-presenting prevention research goals, and interventions with communities. The learning objectives for workshop participants are to: 1) describe a community engagement framework focused on health equity and building community assets and collaborations, and 2) utilize tools to build research partnerships through community research and leadership training programs.
Presenters:
Erricka Hager, MPH, community engagement coordinator, University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Judith Navratil, MA, coordinator, The Pittsburgh Study, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Michael Sider-Rose, PhD, senior director of programs and training, CORO Center for Civic Leadership
1:45-2:45 p.m. Session Two C: Fostering Civic Engagement and Activism to Advance Equitable Development in Homewood
Low-income neighborhoods across the country are facing increased pressures from neighborhood change, with gentrification occurring at twice the rate of the 1990s (Maciag, 2015; Pendall & Hedman, 2015). In fact, Pittsburgh is ranked the 8th most gentrifying city in the country (Richardson, Mitchell, & Franco, 2019). Given these pressures, engaging residents around equitable development is critical to ensuring that all residents participate in and benefit from Pittsburgh’s economic transformation, especially communities that have historically faced the greatest inequities (Treuhaft, 2016).Our project is in Homewood, a neighborhood that has faced population declines, vacancy, and blight. However, Homewood’s accessible location to downtown, universities, Google, and proximity to high rent/mortgage neighborhoods makes it an attractive target for gentrification. Our research project seeks to understand and foster civic engagement and activism among youth and adult residents and increase their ability to influence equitable development and revitalization.
Presenters:
Mary Ohmer, PhD; associate professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work
Miranda Micire, MSW
Donnell Pearl, community researcher, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work
Shannah Tharp-Gilliam, PhD, Homewood Children’s Village
3:00-4:00 p.m. Session Three A: Getting Engaged: The who and the how and what happens after the honeymoon
Presented by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
This session will feature an entertaining and informative panel discussion featuring seasoned students, faculty and staff from GSPIA’s centers, initiatives and institutes. Both internal and external community engagement will be defined and discussed broadly. The first half is dedicated to lessons learned and best practices developed shared through a few (not funny at the time) stories of pitfalls and innovative successes. Second, digging into specific examples solicited from attendees looking to design their own while stressing the incredible value of cross-discipline collaboration and partnerships on campus for these engagements.
Panel Participants:
GSPIA Centers
Moderated by Lydia Morin, executive director of CONNECT &
Natasha Williams, community engagement coordinator, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
3:00-4:00 p.m. Session Three B: Pathways for Civic Mentoring: Year one data and using the framework creatively with students
The workshop will provide an overview of the Pathways for Civic Growth framework including providing a quick introduction to the tools used and how faculty, staff, and student leaders can utilize them in their own work. The output of the diagnostic quiz has undergone a significant graphic design makeover this year and we will present the new graphics. We will share data collected from year one and a snapshot of where we are at this year. PittServes will share examples of how they have creatively incorporated the 6 pathways (direct service, community-engaged learning and research, policy and governance, social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility, activism and community organizing, and philanthropy) into interactive activities they have done with students. Finally, we will share plans for the future and invite participants to become involved.
Presenters:
Linda DeAngelo, associate professor of higher education, University of Pittsburgh School of Education
Sarah Kurz, graduate student, University of Pittsburgh School of Education
Shenay Jeffrey, assistant director, University of Pittsburgh Office of PittServes
Alka Singh, director of experiential learning, University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information
Meredith Mavero, manager of student programs and community outreach, University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics
Holly Hickling, academic community engagement adviser, University of Pittsburgh Honors College
3:00-4:00 p.m. Session Three C: Appreciative Inquiry as a Process for Democratic Co-Curricular Partnership Development
Much of the research and practice surrounding the actualization of democratic orientations of civic and community engagement, as well as reciprocity in program and partnership development, a key component of the framework, focuses on the curricular experience, with the key campus stakeholders being faculty and students. Although this is where the research and practice is most robust, many civic or community engagement programs facilitated by institutions of higher education, such as alternative breaks, federally funded service programs (AmeriCorps, Bonner Leaders and Scholars) volunteerism, community service, philanthropic activities, as well as others are embedded in the cocurricular experience of students, and oftentimes facilitated by non-faculty Community Engagement Professionals (CEPs). If there is not an intentional way to translate democratic processes to the cocurricular space, institutions of higher education will be falling short of their intention to institutionalize a democratic approach. Without democratic processes within the cocurricular space, colleges and universities which situate all of some of their community engagement work in student affairs or other non-academic units may be left behind as they try to contribute to this shifting dynamic.
Presenters:
Justin P. Dandoy, doctoral student, EdD, University of Pittsburgh School of Education