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
- Ed Gray (Social Justice Civic advocate) : The Hidden Struggle: Dallas and Racial Oppression 1956-1986
- 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.
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