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TRANSCRIPT
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Wednesday, May 24, 2017 Anderson Academic Commons
Community Change Initiative Presentations
University of Denver Pioneer Leadership Program
www.du.edu/leadership
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Racial Inequality in the Justice System
Morgan Carter, Camryn Dreyer, Victoria Price-‐Husher, & Lois Shih
Partner Organizations: The Bridge Project & The Denver Police Department
This year, we have undertaken an initiative to attempt to bridge the gap between minority communities and the Denver Police Department. We partnered with the Bridge Project, which provides after school programming for students in public housing neighborhoods, and the Denver Police Department. Our goal was to facilitate interaction between these communities and help build meaningful bonds that assist in lessening the stigma between these groups. After intense research into the issue as it pertains to the Denver community, for our final project we met with the officers who work in the same neighborhood our community partner to showcase the volunteer opportunities offered by the Bridge Project and encouraged them to
involve themselves with these young minority students in the communities they serve.
Thank you to all participating organizations and community partners!
NOTES
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Classroom Culture Chaye Gutierrez, JJ Khan, & Faith McKenna Partner Organization:
Centennial Elementary: A School For Expeditionary Learning Hello! We are Chaye Gutierrez, Faith McKenna and JJ Khan and for our Community Change Initiative we decided to explore how students have the ability to influence and create positive classroom culture. We believe that by working directly with elementary aged students to foster leadership skills and build supportive connections between peers, classrooms can have a culture that positively impacts the future. This culture is important not only because of its immediate relevance, but also because in the years to come these kids will be our doctors, teachers, and even world leaders. We believe it is crucial that kids are supported, encouraged, and given a voice today. Forward Focus Shea Claflin, Austin Johnson, Montrell Nickerson, & Kayla Steffens Partner Organization: Englewood High School Education is often heralded as the key to a successful life. With regards to low income students, not only does attending a college or vocational school provide them with the opportunity to advance their socioeconomic status, it also gives them the power to end the vicious cycle of poverty. The Forward Focus program seeks to address the toxic stressors that negatively impact low-‐income high school students’ post-‐graduation outcomes. Our vision is to prepare disadvantaged sophomores for life after high school so that their opportunity to achieve is equal to that of their more affluent peers. In doing so, they will rise above their environment, transforming from “just another statistic” into a visionary and successful member of society.
Creating Sustainable Relationships Within the Arts Community Bryce Armijo-‐Hubbard, Nicolino Carmosino, Silas Carter, Soleil Kohl, & Maddie Tremblay Partner Organizations: Colorado Young Leaders & RedLine Tackling the issue of arts in volunteerism led us on a path where we were able to connect the youth of today with an underrepresented field. Our goal was simple: create longstanding, sustainable relationships between volunteer groups and the arts field. Ableism and the Arts Ryan Bullard, Rhianna DeVries, Nicholas Luangphithack, Moriah Mabry, & Mayci Namio Partner Organization: Littleton Public Schools Transitions Program Our mission focuses on promoting communication skills for students with disabilities by engaging in the performing arts and professionalism for the goal of independence and accessibility. Our Community Change Initiative is comprised of a partnership with the Littleton Public Schools Transitions Program, for whom we instructed a course in the performing arts. Using a devised curriculum including modules in improvisation, storytelling, and professionalism, the class came to fruition in a final production including all of the students. By the end of the course, students developed their acting skills, they grew in confidence while performing, and they became equipped with tools and resources they can employ in the workforce and in life.
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Making College a Reality Lloyd Alcorn, Alex Barrett, Hugh Jeffery, Spencer Johnson, & Noah Rodighiero Partner Organization:
Denver Public School; North High School, University of Denver Admissions Team, & University of Denver Financial Aid Team
Our team coordinated with Denver North High School to plan three visits with 15-‐20 students focusing on college access. One session was held at their campus and two were held here at the University of Denver. We addressed the various difficulties within the complex college application process. We linked them with valuable resources here on campus, and gave them crucial insights on how to approach the college application process. We gave each individual the skills and assets to help make college a reality for them. Substance Abuse Nancy Enriquez, Long Liu, Amanda Ly, & Abi Olson Partner Organizations:
Colorado Office of Behavioral Health & Harm Reduction Action Center
Substance abuse is the use of substances that serves as harmful to the individual physically, mentally and socially. In other words, it poses a threat to the user’s health and overall well-‐being. Throughout the year, our team worked to lessen the impact of those abusing substances around the community by spreading awareness and teaming up with the Harm Reduction Center in hopes it will not only positively influence the individual, but those they are surrounded by.
High School Sexual Assault Prevention Education Maddy Gawler, Erin Maher, Talia Reynolds, & Donovan Rice Partner Organizations:
Blue Bench, MESA (Movement to End Sexual Assault), & South High School
Sexual assault is primarily a crime committed against youth. It is also partially committed by youth. We brought this much-‐needed conversation to a younger audience to teach not only how to avoid being sexually assaulted, but how to proactively stop yourself and others from committing sexual assault. We partnered with South High School’s student council to organize an awareness month, and we delivered a four-‐hour lecture to seniors in partnership with Blue Bench and MESA. Next school year, the student council is creating an annual education program during freshmen orientation in partnership with Blue Bench. They will also make an awareness campaign in the school every April. Sexual Assault and Consent Education Kelly Cortes, Tommy Dattilo, Emily Janée, Sophia Sterling, & Suraj Renganathan Partner Organizations:
The Blue Bench & 1is2Many from the Denver School of the Arts
For our community change initiative, we sought to educate high school students about topics of sexual assault, bystander intervention, and consent. With the help of our partner, The Blue Bench, we were able to connect with a student organization, 1is2Many, at the Denver School of the Arts (DSA) who share the goals of sexual assault education within their community. With our partnerships, we sought to foster peer-‐to-‐peer activism among young adults in this subject matter. We also worked with this organization to facilitate their recruitment process for the following year by hosting engagement events with students at DSA as well as organizing a senior send-‐off panel event for the parents of graduating seniors where we began a discussion over sexual assault prevention in universities.
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Get Woke: Cultural Engagement for Students Alejandro Chavez, Sarina Phu, Olivia Storz, & Morgan Zueger Partner Organization: The Bridge Project Get Woke centers on educating and fostering discussion around social justice issues for young students, who may not get the opportunity to have these discourses in their regular classes. By focusing on expanding their cultural competencies and exposure to various cultures and societal issues, especially in Denver, we hope to cultivate the next leaders of Denver.
Education Access: Summer Melt Anthony Clemente, Trey Berry, Laney Brink, & Chris Florez Partner Organizations: Meredith Barrow & Denver South High School ‘Summer Melt’ is a term to describe the 10% of admitted college students, that, every year pay their deposit but don’t show up to school in the fall. For our group, the hope was to assist students in breaking the cycle not attending different institutions around the country. In doing so, we wanted to provide resources and opportunities, specifically for students to utilize in the summer leading into their first year in college, that would potentially keep them on track and confident in their ability. Our end product is going to be a step by step process guide of the FAFSA process, distributed to our partner organization in the hopes of helping students through the application.
Toxic Masculinity Blake Ballard, Alex Bliss, Skyler Bowden, Kira Pratt, & Michael Young Partner Organizations:
Denver South High School Student Senate, Elizabeth Truskin from Vista Peak Preparatory, & Man Up from Rangeview High School
We aimed to facilitate a community dialogue surrounding the effects of toxic masculinity and gender stereotypes for a primarily high school aged demographic. We worked with the Denver South Student Senate to organize the 1st Annual Community Dialogue about what roles gender has in our society today, particularly Masculinity. This conference, open to students, teachers, and parents alike, was centered around how masculinity is presented through media, the classroom, and social interaction and how it impacts the South community specifically. As a result of our work, the leadership teams at South have set the goal to work together to create a healthier community in regards to masculinity. Mental Health in Middle Schools Erin Beasley, Jackie English, Claire Girardeau, Kameron Haake, & Charlotte Moxley Partner Organizations:
Morey Middle School, Schools within DPS, & University of Denver Professors
We partnered with Morey Middle School with the goal of helping teachers better identify and work with students who have mental health issues. To accomplish this, we created an intervention guide that contains information on internalizing and externalizing behaviors as well as advice on what teachers can say and do to support these students. Several community members collaborated with us on this project including school counselors in the Denver area, professionals in the mental health field, and professors in the DU physiology department. We recently had the opportunity to present our guide to the Morey staff at their weekly meeting. Based on the results from our pre and post surveys of the teachers, we hope to be able to bring this guide into other schools.
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Refugee Outdoor Integration Initiative Will Smock-‐Egan, Arie Feltman-‐Frank, Hannah Fox, Connor Horan, & Alex Jackson Partner Organizations:
African Community Center & Denver Public Works The Outdoor Integration Initiative (OII) is a program dedicated to getting refugee students to connect with their new homes by engaging in their natural environments. Through exciting adventures to Saint Mary's Glacier, Dinosaur Ridge, or Cherry Creek, the OII promotes environmental education as a vehicle for refugee students to engage more with their community, and gain an appreciation for Colorado's rich natural environment. Working with the African Community Center, Denver Public Works, and other stakeholders in the scientific community, the OII plans trips on the weekends geared towards different topics such as water testing, climate change, or glaciology. While there are many organizations that help Refugees get on their feet after the tough transition, the OII's goal is to create opportunity for students to build fresh connections with their new environments as a catalyst for growth and personal grounding.
INTERMISSION
Enabled Volunteerism Gabi Arias, Austin Clapp, Holden Fitzgerald, Dahlia Kurdmisto, Claire McShane, & Ben Sawyer Partner Organizations: South High School's Rising Rebels & Metro Volunteers Our CCI group set out to encourage students of color to rise to leadership roles in the Denver community through enabled volunteerism. Our partners include Metro Volunteers and the Rising Rebels, a South High School Student Organization. Our team volunteered at the Denver Rescue Mission, a nonprofit that serves nutritional meals to those in need. Our project also helped to establish a team within the Rising Rebels devoted to volunteerism that will begin operation next fall.
Ethication Claire Caviglia, Sebastian Legarburo, Gabe Marcano, & Seung Joo Yi Partner Organizations:
EthicsGame, The Bridge Project, Denver Board of Ethics, Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative, & Cherrelyn Elementary School
In a world where ethics are seemingly bent or even ignored, Ethication's goal is to bring ethics education into the American school system, particularly in elementary schools. Partnering with Cherrelyn Elementary School, our five-‐week long program focused on ethical dilemmas and problem-‐solving skills that students could use in and outside of the classroom. We are further excited to partner with Young Americans Bank and apply our curriculum to their programs.
Denver Homelessness Advocacy Project Cory Dubray, Rachel Ledon, & Lexxi Reddington Partner Organizations:
Burnes Center on Poverty and Homelessness, Denver Rescue Mission, & DU College of Law
Homelessness is a rapidly growing problem in the Denver area that currently lacks the financial, governmental, and community involvement to begin being fixed. For our CCI, we created a short documentary style film to inform the public about homelessness beyond the sign-‐flyers and nomads they see on the streets. With this video we hope to dispel misconceptions about who homeless people are and why they are on the streets. We aim to shed light on a problem that has lived in the shadows of our community. Our hope is that it will inspire individuals, especially young people, into action to help these members of our community who have largely been ignored.