Community Stories of Sustainability and Resilience: Promise for the Learning Experience
Communities’ lived experiences are unique and varied, informed by diverse historical contexts and community values. Working alongside community partners is necessary to develop equitable, sustainable, and responsible solutions to current challenges.
This project explores embedding Civic Engagement and Service Learning (CE&SL, 2021) into existing courses by engaging students, faculty and Borderland communities in community-driven research around sustainable food and water solutions. Working across Fine Arts, Engineering, Architecture, Honors, Biosphere 2 and Global Initiatives, the project pilots and evaluates this innovative approach to place-responsive CE&SL, while providing new opportunities for students and faculty to have a measurable societal impact. The project aims to lay foundations for strong bi-national relationships and improved student capacity for community-driven action, as part of the UArizona CE&SL teaching and learning experience.
>>> Learn more about CUES Spanning Boundaries Challenge Grants
CE&SL Spanning Boundaries Challenge 2022 Team
From left:
- Caitlyn Hall, Department of Biosystems Engineering, W.A. Franke Honors College, CALES, College of Engineering
- Nicole Antebi, School of Art, College of Fine Arts
- Aaron Bugaj, Biosphere 2, RII
- Lysette Davi, Honors Global Experience, Honors Study Abroad, W.A. Franke Honors College
- Laura Horley, Marketing & Communications, W.A. Franke Honors College
- Kenneth Kokroko, School of Landscape Architecture & Planning, CAPLA
CE&SL Advocacy/Advisory Board
The board -- comprised of experts on CE&SL and leads from the CUES Mapping Educational Challenges Workshop on CE&SL, provides guidance for this project.
- Ana Cornide, Spanish & Portuguese, College of Humanities
- Judy Marquez Kiyama, Educational Policy Studies & Practice, College of Education
- Aileen Wong, Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences, College of Science
Publications
Kokroko, K.J., Leipold, W. & Hovis, M. (2024). Applying a pedagogy of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration as socio-ecological practice in landscape architecture education. Socio-Ecological Practice Research. 6(1), 21–40. DOI: 10.1007/s42532-023-00175-5
Products
DEC 2023: Small Seeds, Big Change (Animated Short Film), 'What's Up, Docs?' Annual Documentary Showcase, presented by The School of Theatre, Film & Television, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. Key Community Partner: Borderlands Restoration Network, Patagonia, AZ | Facilitator: Jordan Sene.
DEC 2022: Ingrained (Animated Short Film), 'What's Up, Docs?' Annual Documentary Showcase, presented by The School of Theatre, Film & Television, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. Key Community Partner: Flowers & Bullets Community Farm, Tucson, AZ | Facilitator: Silvia Valdillez.
Presentations
APR 2024: Developing a Cross-Cultural Framework for Sustainability Solutions in the US-Mexico Borderlands: Integrating Interdisciplinary and Community-Driven Research in Curriculum, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, EGU24-14000.
NOV 2023: Creating Cross-Cultural, Interdisciplinary Academic Research Experiences, CUES Inside UAZ-Funded Scholarship Series, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
NOV 2022: Transnational Community Centered Animation: A conversation between Norma V Iglesias-Prieto and Nicole Antebi, 10th Annual Emerging Conversations Symposium (EC2022), University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
Broader Engagement
MAY 2023: Transdisciplinary Bi-national Collaboration for Environmental Sustainability and Cultural Resilience, Arizona Institute for Resilience Grant, University of Arizona, $100,000.
2022-2024: VIP Award (Caitlyn Hall). Arizona Institute for Resilience, University of Arizona, $10,000.