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.
