Category: Reflections

Categories
Community Partners Crum Commons Event Reflections Service Trip Uncategorized

Painting with Purpose

During my first semester as an Engage Dallas Student Director, I had the opportunity to tour one of the senior living homes supported by our community partner, The Senior Source. While visiting Modern Senior Living, I had a meaningful conversation with the activities director about the positive impact their new garden had on the residents. That conversation got me thinking—what other creative ways could we enhance the space and bring more joy to those living there? When she mentioned their hope to one day have a mural painted on an outer wall, the idea for the mural project started to take shape.

After months of planning, searching for the right artist, and finalizing the design, we brought that vision to life this April. I eventually connected with an artist through the SMU Student Organized Art Collective, and with the support of the SMU Engaged Learning ELSA Grant and additional funding support, we were able to paint the mural and host a block party to celebrate with the residents and their families. With the help of 17 amazing volunteers, we spent the day painting, celebrating, and even inviting residents to leave their handprints on the wall. It was a special moment that brought so much energy and community spirit to the space.

What made this project truly meaningful was the response from the residents. Throughout the painting process, many came outside—some for the first time in a while—to watch, share feedback, and chat with us. The staff told us it was rare to see so many residents actively engaging like that. During the block party, which was held on a Saturday when many families came to visit, residents proudly showed their loved ones the mural and took photos in front of it. One resident shared how moving it was to see someone in a wheelchair represented in the mural, saying it made them feel seen. For many of us students, it was their first time visiting a senior home, and it was eye-opening. I hope this project not only made a difference for the residents, but also encouraged all of us to stay engaged with and advocate for our elders—because one day, we might find ourselves in their place.

Raissa Umwali ‘25

Engage Dallas Student Director – Crum Commons

Categories
Alternative Spring Break Event Reflections Service Trip

Spring Engage Dallas Alternative Break Trip

Written by Engage Dallas Area Coordinator Hannah Green

Over this past Spring Break I, along with our staff advisor (Dani Palomo), and three other students (Julian Seghers 26’, Margaret Alt 26’, and Marcus Johnson 28’) engaged in a week of direct service in the Dallas community. Specifically, we served at Engage Dallas community partners Joppy Momma’s Farm, a community farm and garden, and Mercy Street, a sports and mentoring outreach organization that serves the youth of inner-city communities! Here are some key highlights from that week.

Joppy Momma’s Farm
Spending the morning assisting with the upkeep of the garden was such an educational and eye-opening experience. Some of the tasks that we did throughout the week included mulching, planting, harvesting, and weeding. We were not only taught how to do these things properly but also the amount of care that goes into completing these practices weekly in order to maintain the garden. Some of the highlights from our time at Joppy Momma’s included harvesting lettuce, planting bell pepper sprouts, and making our take-home tea bags of sage, rosemary, mint, and lemongrass! It was truly a delightful experience to lend a helping hand. During the week, I was reminded of the importance of supporting initiatives that provide local access to fresh produce, such as Joppy Momma’s initiative! This farm is meeting a nutritional need within a community struck by the wider inequalities we see in Dallas.

Mercy Street
Following our lunch breaks, we would spend the afternoon serving at Mercy Street. We spent Monday and Tuesday repainting their soccer field gate but due to unfavorable weather conditions, we pivoted to assisting with other tasks. When we met with the Mercy Street administrative staff, they were so grateful for what we were able to accomplish with giving the gate a newer coat in time for Mercy Street’s opening day for their various sports programs, considering the financial commitment of otherwise completely replacing the gate. On Wednesday and Thursday, we organized and rolled hundreds of shirts tied with handwritten motivation messages that would be given out to the attendees of the opening day ceremony that upcoming Saturday! This was again much appreciated by the staff, and it was quite satisfying to get the shirts prepared in time! On Friday, we were tasked with setting up chairs in the gymnasium, setting up signs around the complex, assembling a pressure washer, and getting the soccer goals in tip-top shape for Saturday! Although the tasks at times were physically demanding, it was really neat to activate our teamwork skills in the process of doing new things such as putting together the pressure washer or replacing soccer nets and moving the goal across the field. Overall, we ended up accomplishing so much that week and we collectively walked away with a renewed understanding of how important volunteers are for organizations such as Mercy Street.

Not only was this week truly enriching, but it was also fun and full of surprises! I would encourage anyone who is debating on whether to go on an Alternative Break trip to go for it and be ready to potentially step out of your comfort zone!
If you have any questions about earning your Community Engagement proficiency, please reach out to me: greenh@smu.edu

Categories
Community Partners Event Reflections

Research and Creative Posters Presented at the Place-Based Community Engagement Symposium

During day two of the third annual Place-Based Community Engagement Symposium, the morning opened with a poster presentation session featuring faculty, staff, and community champions sharing research studies focused on various community engagement efforts.  

The first research poster presented was titled During and Post-COVID-19 Community Engagement Expectations Research Poster written by Audryanna Reed & Dustin K. Grabsch, Ph.D.

Their research study discusses how they utilized a post-positivist worldview and employed a cross-sectional survey research study to explore how undergraduate students’ attitudes, behaviors, and intended skill development through community service changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Their findings have implications for service-learning faculty and higher education professionals working in functional areas of community engagement. 

The second research study presented explored Contextualizing Serviceships: Describing and Understanding the Influence of Financial Compensation on College Student Intern Performance written by Audryanna Reed, Dustin K. Grabsch, Ph.D, David Summers, and Kennedy Honors.

These scholars analyzed serviceships, within the non-profit organization community engagement field and the return on investment that intern supervisors receive from interns. Since non-profit organizations do not always have the budget to support an intern, they may select an intern for an unpaid position benefiting them with practical work experience or may seek an internship sponsor to financially support the intern experience. Their findings have implications for non-profit partners who host interns as well as universities looking to maximize the benefits of high-impact practices for their students. The core focus and themes found from analyzing the discussion within the focus groups were great opportunities to share with non-profit organizations that supervise interns as well as for students to understand what supervisors for service and community engagement internships desire from workers. 

Thirdly, a research study was presented on Patterns in Community Partners Experiences Research Poster The Intersection of Knowledge and Engagement: Patterns in Community Partners’ Experiences with a Place-based Community Engagement Program written by Sondra N. Barringer, Ph.D., Dustin K. Grabsch Ph.D., Kalkidan W. Desta, Caitlin Anderson, Ed.D. & Sakshi Hinduja. 

Their research discussed how High Education Organizations, while invested in service-learning, internships, and community-based research, poorly understand the impact of these programs on the community partners. Their focus groups revealed a two-dimensional understanding of community partners’ experiences. Their findings suggest that HEOs can leverage this two-dimensional understanding, prioritize mission alignment, and emphasize assessment and mitigation of costs to support community partner organizations better. 

These three research posters emphasized scholarship produced by SMU faculty that highlighted the importance of evaluating place-based community engagement organizations and their partnership with higher education. Through Engage Dallas, increased scholarly research, and other community engagement organizations on campus, SMU has shown its commitment to creating a learning engagement that ignites faculty, staff, and students to serve others through academic and other activities. 

In addition to highlighting research, Engage Dallas gave community partners the opportunity to share creative features as well. Ms. Alendra Lyons and Filmmaker Vonnie Smith, who spoke on the Day 1 pre-symposium panel, presented a Don’t Mess With Mill City poster.

These community champions worked together to create a documentary showcasing Ms. Lyons, a proud member of Mill City, dedicating herself to investing in this marginalized community that faces struggles that often go neglected. The creation of the Mill City Community Association has helped provide stem education, sustainable agriculture, and other avenues for approving the quality of life for residents in their community. To learn more about the Mill City Community initiative, connect via Linked In or the Mill City website for more information about the finished production of their documentary or volunteer opportunities.

The poster session was an excellent opportunity to showcase the work that SMU and community partners are doing to better understand, recognize, and support the Dallas community. These posters left many faculty, staff, and community partners inspired to continue to learn about and even pursue research dedicated to place-based community engagement.

For those interested in developing a research study related to community engagement, SMU offers Research grant opportunities through Engage Dallas, the Office of Engaged Learning, the Maguire Center of Ethics, and a host of other opportunities, such as faculty and department-led research. Get connected today and stay updated on all things Engage Dallas by subscribing to our blog.

 

Categories
Community Partners Event Reflections

Engage Dallas Hosted Third-Annual Place Based Community Engagement Symposium

On October 2nd and 3rd, Engage Dallas hosted the third-annual Placed Based Community Engagement (PBCE) Symposium. The theme for the sympodium was Listening, Learning, and Leading Locally, with an emphasis on the Place-Based Approach to Amplifying Community Champions and Mobilizing the Next Generation. 

The symposium had 130 people registered, giving community partners, non-profits, faculty, staff, and students an opportunity to learn from different speakers and panelists who shared their expertise and experience to foster meaningful discussion and inspiration on community engagement.

Participants had the opportunity to collaborate, learn, and adapt together and built shared understanding through networking, asking critical questions, and exchanging ideas. The PBCE Symposium gave participants the opportunity to gain more historical context about the community they serve, including Engage Dallas’s focus on South and West Dallas.   

Day One Recap 

The first day of the symposium kicked off with a pre-symposium panel discussion with community Champion Ms. Alendra Lyons and Filmmaker Vonnie Smith. These community partners discussed their Mill City documentary, which highlighted the work Ms. Lyson did to enhance the lives of marginalized communities through agricultural sustainability, STEM education, youth engagement, and community development. Vonnie Smith discussed how he crossed paths with Ms. Lyson, the unique challenges and opportunities that came with filming the Mill City community project, and how focusing on blackness and identity in Mill City is different from other projects he has done in various states.  

After the Community Champion discussion, Rev. Richie Butler, a board of trustee members for SMU, founder of Project Unity, and senior pastor at St. Luke United Methodist Church, led the symposium into a mindful Together We Dine conversation. This conversation allowed a diverse group of participants to converse and share their experiences and beliefs to create understanding among each other.

  • 88 percent of participants who gave Day 1 feedback strongly agreed that the event activities addressed the symposium’s theme.
  • 86 percent felt a positive range of satisfaction with the opportunity to make professional connections, with 54 percent of attendees making 3-5 connections and 26 percent making more than 6 connections.
  • The most enriching part of day 1 activities expressed by attendees was the conversation, being able to hear others’ perspectives healthily, and being able to talk openly and freely.

Day Two Recap 

Day 2 of the PBCE Symposium was hosted on the campus of UNT Dallas. We kicked off day 2 with a pre-event poster session sharing research that faculty and community partners have done related to place-based engagement in the Dallas area.  

The first speaker attendees heard from was Morgan Glover, a senior at SMU who serves as an Engage Dallas Area Coordinator. She shared her ideas on how Generation Z can engage with disadvantaged communities. Then, attendees heard from Taylor Toynes, a proud third-generation Oak Cliffian, who shared his experience serving as the CEO of For Oak Cliff. This place-based initiative has strived for transformational change in the community for 10 years.  

After hearing from two community champions, attendees listened to different breakout sessions hosted by several community champions:  

  • Donald Payton, (Historian & Community Advocate)  The Dallas Texas Impact On The National Civil Rights Movement From 1945 To 1965 
  • Priscilla Escobedo (president of the DMAHL): History and the Presence of Systemic Racism by the Dallas Mexican American Historical League 
  • Dr.Michael Reimer (Director of Community Activation ) & Cheryl Mathis (Program Manager at United to Learn ) Listening First, a Programmatic Model for Accompanying Under-Championed Communities  
  • Dr. Laura Robinson-Doyle: (Clinical Assistant Professor at SMU) Community First: Elevating Voices and Redefining Expertise Beyond the Degree 
  • Nitashia Johnson (multimedia artist and educator), & John Spriggins (General Manager of SDCC)The Beauty of South Dallas: Crafting a Community Conversation 

The last session hosted at the symposium was a panel discussion facilitated by Ed Gray with community champions Taylor Toynes (CEO of For Oak Cliff), Sienzhi Kouemo (Way of Metropolitan Dallas), Kazai Drew (Soulstice Consultancy and Dallas Afterschool), and Dr. Karla del Rosal (Director of Graduate Studies Department of Teaching & Learning, Clinical Assistant Professor).  

Engage Dalles concluded the symposium with a spoken word performance centered around the Dallas community and black identity by Derrick “iamdwalk” Walker.  

  • 83 percent of attendees thought the day 2 activities aligned with the theme of the symposium.  
  • 85 percent of participants felt satisfied with the opportunity to make professional connections ranging from 3 to over 6 plus connections for over 91 percent of attendees.  

Overall, attendees expressed that the most enriching parts of day two were the informative breakout sessions and Derrick Walker’s spoken word.

For students, members of the rising Generation Z, or seasoned professionals looking to mobilize the next generation to serve their communities, SMU has many opportunities to serve the great Dallas area. Engage Dallas is an excellent way for SMU students to serve in multiple forms, such as 2 in 2 pathways, solo service, and individual pathways. Student organizations like Mustang Heros and Big Event host volunteer opportunities to mobilize students to learn about how to give back to communities in Dallas effectively.

Additionally, faculty, staff, students, and community partners are welcome to participate in Engage Dallas One Night for Dallas on April 9th, 2025.

To stay updated on all things Engage Dallas, please subscribe to our blog.  

Categories
Armstrong Commons Boaz Commons Cockrell-McIntosh Commons Community Partners Crum Commons Event Kathy Crow Commons Loyd Commons McElvaney Commons MHPS Commons Morrison-McGinnis Commons Reflections Service Trip Virginia-Snider Commons Ware Commons

Engage Dallas Hosts Fourth Fall Day of Service

On October 12th, Engage Dallas held the 4th annual #1Day4Dallas fall day of service. On this day, students from every Residential Commons, along with staff and faculty, were able to engage in serving the city of Dallas. Engage Dallas offered service opportunities with ten of our community partners during this event.

Students served with Trusted World, Empowering the Masses, Austin Street Center, The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, Mercy Street Ministries, Brother Bill’s Helping Hands, Keep Dallas Beautiful, Our Saviour Community Garden, Senior Source, and Trinity River Audubon Center. 127 volunteers spent their Saturday morning assisting these community partners in serving the people of South & West Dallas.

Several of the community partners shared gratitude for the service that students offered. One of Ware Commons’ partners, Empowering the Masses, hosted one of the sites where students served:

“Keeping our space tidy and presentable is an underrated part of providing our services.  Whether you’ve broken down boxes, wiped down tables, swept and mopped the floors, or anything in between, we thank you for your diligence and dedication.Your positive attitude and willingness to serve is noted by the members of the church and staff of Empowering the Masses. Every aspect that goes into serving our community, no matter how small in the grand scheme, is crucial to the progress we’re achieving. We cannot thank you enough.”

Students from Crum Commons were able to serve with their community partner, Senior Source/Modern Senior Living. They were able to facilitate activities and interact with the residents who reside there. Senior Source staff shared their gratitude for the students who came to their site: “I cannot THANK the students from SMU Engage Dallas Crum Commons enough for hosting their #1Day4Dallas Fall Service Project at Modern Senior Living Nursing & Rehab Center in South Dallas this morning. The residents enjoyed meeting and socializing with the students. So many residents do not have family and seldom have visitors, therefore, the students made an immeasurable impact in the residents’ quality of life.”

Students at other sites engaged in trash pickup, gardening, donation sorting, and facilitating sports camps for youth. Overall, student volunteers had an excellent experience learning more about their city and how they can impact others. When asked what was impactful for them about the experience, students shared that the opportunity to give back and to connect to the community was really meaningful. One student shared, “Meeting people who live so close to me and have fallen on tough circumstances while I am so privileged has humbled me significantly. It has made me both more grateful for what I have and more determined to give back.”

A big thanks to all who came out to serve, and to our community partners for offering opportunities for SMU to learn and serve alongside them to better our city.