WCA staff attended the Community Indicators Consortium Spring 2017 Conference in Winnipeg, Canada to present on the topic of “Overcoming Barriers to Community Engagement in Low-Income, Minority Communities. The conference theme was “Engaging Values/Effective Metrics: Rooting Indicators in Community Aspirations”.
Georgia Tech’s President Peterson visits the Westside
President G. P. “Bud” Peterson Experiences the Richness of the Westside
On Halloween Day 2016 President G. P. “Bud” Peterson and a small team of GT employees made a special visit to Atlanta’s Westside. He visited the historic Paschal’s Restaurant for lunch as well as three sites where Georgia Tech is making an impact with its consistent presence. Approximately three years ago President Peterson presented an overview of Georgia Tech’s global, national, statewide, and local reach at a community meeting. During his presentation he amplified Dean Jacqueline Jones Royster’s Westside Communities Alliance (WCA) initiative as an emerging university-community partnership program. As the director for the WCA, I was pleased to have an opportunity to showcase our accomplishments and to introduce many of the partners we work with daily to make a difference.
During the brief luncheon President Peterson heard from community stakeholders, elected officials, philanthropists, and Tech employees about the investments we are making in westside communities and schools. Mackenzie Madden, WCA Associate Director, presented a timeline of events and a map of activities in each community served by the WCA and the many campus and community partners with whom we work.
Next, President Peterson and the Government and Community Relations team visited Michael R. Hollis Innovation Academy, where CEISMC partners with Atlanta Public Schools to provide onsite professional development and STEM teacher support year-round. Principal Diamond Jack welcomed the GT team and introduced us to her stellar students, active parents and dynamic STEM teachers. Tamara Pearson, CEISMC Associate Director, shared details about the ongoing professional development support provided onsite at Hollis and the teachers and administration were gracious for the support of the partnership. After hearing students praise their new school and describe their plans to be successful as adults, President Peterson encouraged all of them to consider Georgia Tech the place to pursue their academic dreams. He also assured parents and teachers of the many academic opportunities for students get involved and join educational programs at a young age.
From there, the team headed to the WCA’s Westside Resource Center where we have partnered with Sister Precious Muhammad of Hagar CTM to provide a community-based computer lab since December 2014. Sister Precious expressed deep gratitude for Georgia Tech’s westside engagement and lauded Tech for doing “second chance hiring.” Unemployment continues to be a major issue for westside community residents who often take advantage of the computers to search and apply for jobs. President Peterson also learned of our partnership with Atlanta Community Food Bank, allowing us to expand hours and services such as public benefits screenings. He met with additional partners such as Operation HOPE, Spelman College, and Georgia Tech’s Human Resources division to hear about the various workshops and volunteer support we have been able to coordinate in the space.
Finally, he visited with children at the Bellwood Boys and Girls Club on Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy where we were greeted by Ben Ashby, President of YEP! (Youth Enrichment Project). YEP! is one of the few GT student organizations that have mentored/tutored youth for more than fourteen years on a regular basis. They currently run math and science experiments as well as sports and homework help on Friday afternoons during the academic year. President Peterson thanked the organization for their long-standing commitment to these westside communities.
In less than a few hours we were able to connect President Peterson with many community leaders, residents, youth, and partners to provide him with a snapshot of the impact Georgia Tech is having on Atlanta’s Westside. At the end of the day I think he could clearly see and wholeheartedly agree with our motto, “Together, we can do better!”
Georgia STAND UP gives information on Healthcare Marketplace and Healthcare Action
At the Georgia STAND UP Meeting on March 21st, more than 30 people were able to sit and talk to a healthcare navigator and enroll in insurance coverage through the marketplace.
Linda Perrin spoke and answered questions about affordable health care and the marketplace. Afterwards, attendees brainstormed an action plan on how to bring expanded insurance per SB990 that puts healthcare expansion decisions in the hands of the governor and legislation. Here is more information: Healthcare_Mar2014
From STAND UP: “As of mid-March, 5 million people have signed up for insurance through the new healthcare law and the Obama administration hopes to sign up another million before the March 31st deadline next week. According to the AJC only 13% of eligible Georgians have enrolled in a plan through the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA). If you still need to sign up for healthcare or if you know someone who does, visit https://www.healthcare.gov/. You can also call the Health Insurance Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY – 1-855-889-4325). For information in Spanish visit www.CuidadoDeSalud.gov.“
Atlanta’s NPR station now following Project ENGAGE
Jim Burress, from WABE.org and 90.1 FM, is following the story of 12 Westside high school students as they progress through Project ENGAGE, which stands for Engaging New Generations at Georgia Tech through Engineering.
NPR Stories:
Read about the Project ENGAGE Mentor Match Luncheon here.
30 students from the single gender high schools B.E.S.T. Academy and Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy applied and 12 were selected to participate. Professor Emeritus Robert Nerem, working with the program, says that they admitted 12 instead of the planned 10 as a result of the high-quality pool of applicants.
In addition to conducting paid laboratory research in the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, the program is proving to be a great model for interdisciplinary interaction within Georgia Tech. The mentors had a training session with Taneisha Lee, Program Director of the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). Lee Baker, president-elect of Georgia Tech Black Alumni Association came and spoke to the scholars about the concept of “belonging”.
The program began with a four week cell biology boot camp led by Dr. Manu Platt. Professional development activities learned through the program include: written and oral communication; data analysis; time management; and accessing online databases. In the coming month, scholars will participate in Responsible Conduct in Research training from Senior Academic Professional Jason Bornstein in Ivan Allen College of the Liberal Arts and industry visits to a cell therapy company and a medical company.
Nerem says that Project ENGAGE is meant to inspire the scholars to aspire to a life of possibilities.
On July 26th, the scholars will be giving short oral presentations about their research thusfar followed by a poster exhibition and luncheon. For more information about Project ENGAGE, please contact Robert Nerem at 404-894-2768.
Youth Enrichment Program (YEP!)
YEP! is dedicated to building connections between Georgia Tech and the youth of the English Avenue Community in order to enrich the educational opportunities available to them. This is achieved through problem-based learning programs, math and science experiments, and fun projects held each Friday from 4:00-6:00 at the Bellwood Boys & Girls Club. The program was started as a student project from the Semester in the City course.