Tag: Engage Dallas

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#1Day4Dallas a success in inaugural year

Engage Dallas hosted its inaugural Residential Commons Fall Day of Service, #1Day4Dallas, on Saturday, October 16th.  

Each of the 11 Residential Commons were represented with over 100 participants serving at 8 different locations around South and West Dallas: Rebuilding Together North Texas, North Texas Food Bank, Heart House, Restorative Farms, SMU College Access Programs, The Senior Source, and Voice of Hope. Collectively, participants contributed over 500 hours of service and engagement during #1Day4Dallas. 

Kirk Thomas, who serves as the Student Director of Ware Commons, was a leader in the planning for #1Day4Dallas. He described the experience of seeing the event come together as a thrill. 

“Seeing 1Day4Dallas come together for the first time in Engage Dallas’s history after weeks of planning was electric, like the feeling of weightlessness on a rollercoaster,” said Thomas. “Not only was it fulfilling being a part of meaningful community service work to help our neighbors in Dallas, but having that feeling amplified knowing that all across Dallas, SMU students were doing projects anywhere from home repairs to planting fresh vegetables in a community garden. Personally, I care because in doing these projects, we are able to create a sustainable cycle of people helping people. The more communities and neighbors we support and build up, the better off they will be not just today, but for tomorrow also.” 

Kirk and his fellow Ware students served with Rebuilding Together North Texas for #1Day4Dallas, where they helped to remove carpet and place wood flooring in the home of a West Dallas resident.

A student participant shared, “It was a wonderful experience to finally volunteer and directly serve another community.” The impact service had on students was tangible throughout the day. Engage Dallas is excited to continue to serve our Dallas neighbors. Students who remained on campus served our community through The Not So Big Event, hosted by SMU Big Event in partnership with Tango Tab.

Thank you to all students, faculty, staff members, and Community Partners for engaging with us through #1Day4Dallas. Please visit our website, www.smu.edu/studentaffairs/engagedallas, to learn more. Contact us at engagedallas@smu.edu. Follow us on Instagram at @smu.engage.dallas. 

 

Engage Dallas is a place-based community engagement initiative via SMU’s Residential Commons to address community needs focusing on South and West Dallas. The initiative is a long-term, university-wide commitment led by students to partner with local residents, organizations, and other leaders to positively impact the community. There is equal emphasis on campus and community impact stemming from the initiative. 

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Announcements News

The Engage Dallas Resource Library is now live

Engage Dallas is excited to unveil the Resource Library available to all students, faculty, staff, and community members.

The resource library was designed by two SMU students, Shelby Peck and Cristal Mendez. Peck ’21, an undergraduate student studying Public Policy and Political Science, described the experience as “an incredible way to connect with the Dallas community by learning more about the social problems that affect the areas of South and West Dallas and seeing the resources available to address these problems through community partnerships.” 

The resource library will be unveiled in two phases. Phase one encompasses all Residential Commons-specific social problems and offers a self-paced, deeper learning experience through four different categories:  

  • “Listen & Learn” gives access to short videos that help the readers gain an introductory understanding of the social problem 
  • “Watch & Reflect” allows the readers to experience a more in-depth video or podcast that offers an extensive dive into the social problem 
  • Through “Explore & Understand,” readers will have access to an individualized learning experience and will be able to engage with various web resources, digital learning tools, and articles to deepen their learning 
  • “Learn More” provides the reader with articles, publications, and relevant nonprofit resources to further their understanding 

Phase two will allow viewers to progress through the history of South and West Dallas. While exploring the rich histories, the Resource Library will point out connections between the historical context of these communities and the current community-identified needs. Mendez ‘22, a graduate student in the M.Ed. in Higher Education program, shared that “the most exciting part about this entire process has been using my previous knowledge gained in the classroom to develop the Resource Library while gaining new knowledge about my West Dallas community.” 

Peck mentions that “you can look forward to seeing the history of Dallas unfold in a way that highlights the origins of the social problems we addressed in phase one, with an emphasis on how certain actions throughout Dallas’ history led to the ‘current’ South and West Dallas.” Phase two will be published December 2021. 

The below image is a preview of the resource library and the options that you can expect when starting your social problem exploration. Explore phase one. 

 

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Announcements Community Partners News

Partnerships are pivotal…community partnerships are highlighted in new Engage Dallas video

Community partners are central to what makes Engage Dallas possible.

We recognize that the Engage Dallas initiative is new to the South and West Dallas communities, so we plan to work with community partners to advance the goals and initiatives that are important to the community members and best fitting for their needs. We know that we are not the experts, but our community partners offer invaluable insight and expertise that will empower us to serve in the most effective and efficient ways. Check out this short video to learn more about what Engage Dallas is and how you can get involved!

We invite you to explore our 11 community needs. If your organization supports or addresses one of these areas, we would love to have you connect with us!

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Announcements News

Reed steps into Engage Dallas Initiative Manager role effective September 7

Audryanna Reed (she/her/hers) is the newest addition to the Office of Academic Initiatives, serving as our new Associate Director for High-Impact Practices. Reed will provide leadership, vision, and management for the implementation and sustainment of high impact educational practices in SMU’s residential setting.

As the Associate Director, Audryanna will serve as initiative manager for Engage Dallas, collaborate with various offices to offer our Peer Leader programs, and implement the pillars of SMU in Four.

As the initiative manager, Reed will lead campus elements of Engage Dallas including: facilitating the Engage Dallas implementation team, supporting the Engage Dallas Student Directors, overseeing risk management efforts, and supporting sustained relationships with community partners.

Reed continues her service at SMU, transferring from Office of Housing Operations to the Office of Academic Initiatives in Residence Life and Student Housing, effective September 7th, 2021.

She has experience with curriculum development, policy review, and began her journey in student affairs as an Academic Resident Assistant. Audryanna earned her BS in Hospitality Management from the University of North Texas, and went on to earn her Master of Liberal Studies with concentrations in Human Rights & Social Justice and Organizational Dynamics from SMU.

Reed is active with DFW Urban League Young Professionals, One Community Church, and keeps busy as the owner of her own small business.

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Announcements

Student Directors give their take on Engage Dallas

Launching a new initiative in the middle of a pandemic is no small task, but at SMU, our students were ready for the challenge! The SMU student directors created a video that briefly shared their experiences with Engage Dallas, why they decided to join the initiative, ways that they have been able to continue “Engaging Dallas” despite current restrictions, and how other SMU students can get involved.

Check out their video below: