Engage Dallas’ Place-Based Community Engagement Symposium took place on November 5th and 6th. This year’s theme was Thriving Together: A Place-Based Approach to Combating Isolation through Connected Communities. We were thrilled to host attendees from across the country, including California and Washington D.C.
A networking reception was hosted at Bishop Arts Theatre Center, one of Engage Dallas’ community partners. The Party Poet was also in attendance, offering personalized, meaningful poems for participants. A documentary filmed and produced by SMU student Jake Willeford (‘27) debuted, sharing the rich history and meaningful work of Joppy Momma’s Farm. The film was followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and the creator of Joppy Momma’s Farm, Ms. Kim High.
The second portion of the night was a student panel, facilitated by Kallie Terrana, Associate Director for High-Impact Practices and Co-Initiative Manager of the Engage Dallas program at SMU. The panel included:
- Jake Willeford, SMU junior (‘27), filmmaker of the Joppy Mommas Farm Documentary
- Tulsi Lohani, SMU alumni (‘25, ‘27), participant in CCPA 2375 – research course with Dallas Furniture Bank
- Bailey Kamau (‘26), SMU junior and Engage Dallas Student Director for Boaz Commons
- Raissa Umwali (‘25), SMU senior, Engage Dallas Student Director for Cockrell-McIntosh Commons, and organizer of the Senior Source Mural Project
Participants heard from students about their perspectives and experiences of community engagement, specifically through co-curricular projects and relationship-building with community partners.
Day two was hosted on SMU’s campus and began with a poster session sharing results of community work and research. Artstillery kicked off the main session with their interactive performance. Our keynote address was given by Krista Nightengale, Executive Director at Better Block Foundation, who shared powerful examples of how the foundation has transformed spaces to better serve the community and offer opportunity for connection.
Attendees were able to choose from a variety of workshops and “champion talks” offered by members of the SMU and Dallas community. Speakers covered topics from the power of reflection, building belonging by combating the impostor phenomenon, to presentations on specific programs that are making an impact in our community.
A panel facilitated by Dr. Adeline Tolliver, Associate Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence, included several incredible community leaders:
- Keri Mitchell, Executive Director of Dallas Free Press
- Vanessa Larez, Development Manager at Bachman Lake Together
- Erica Lopez, Managing Director of External Affairs at Dallas College
We are grateful to all who gathered to attend this year’s Symposium and look forward to seeing how the learning and connection will be put into practice to engage with our Dallas community and beyond.