RCE Greater Atlanta - 2019
Transforming Education and Society through University-Community Partnerships - an RCE Greater Atlanta Track hosted at the Atlanta Global Studies Symposium on UN Sustainable Development Goals in Education, Research, and Community Engagement.
Region:
Americas
Country:
United States
Location(s):
Atlanta, Georgia
Address of focal point institution for project:
Clough Commons, Suite 205 A
Ecosystem(s):
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area :
The Atlanta metropolitan area is known as a place of economic opportunity, good jobs and quality education, as well as one of the greenest urban centers in the US. Moreover, it has a substantial black middle-class and is an important center of African-American cultural production and educational opportunities with its impressive cluster of historically black colleges.
Despite these achievements, Metro Atlanta is one of the worst performing in terms of inclusion by race (according to Brookings Metro Monitor 2019). Moreover, in 2018 Brookings Institution ranked Atlanta #1 among US cities in terms of wealth and income inequality. The city is marked by racial segregation and concentrated poverty, gentrification and displacement and has one of the lowest social mobility rates for its poorest population. Finally, the city has been rated as one of the most congested and least pedestrian friendly in the country.
Despite these achievements, Metro Atlanta is one of the worst performing in terms of inclusion by race (according to Brookings Metro Monitor 2019). Moreover, in 2018 Brookings Institution ranked Atlanta #1 among US cities in terms of wealth and income inequality. The city is marked by racial segregation and concentrated poverty, gentrification and displacement and has one of the lowest social mobility rates for its poorest population. Finally, the city has been rated as one of the most congested and least pedestrian friendly in the country.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses:
Our goal was to foster dialogue and collaboration between university and community partners to address Metro Atlanta sustainability issues including providing quality education (SDG #4), working toward social and environmental justice (SDG #16) and tapping into local solutions for making Greater Atlanta safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable (SDG #11).
Status:
Completed
Period:
April, 2019
Rationale:
Solving sustainability issues requires collaborative, academia-community, cross-institutional and interdisciplinary approaches. Our track brought together university and community partners from across the globe to discuss the diverse approaches, successes and challenges in addressing sustainability issues through research, teaching and community development. The track harnessed the expertise of scholars and practitioners of sustainability in both sciences and humanities, while also seeking direct feedback from the audience to set goals and brainstorm projects to be taken by RCE Atlanta in the next activity period.
Objectives:
1)facilitate collaboration between university and community in promoting sustainability by providing a venue for a direct exchange of ideas.
2)seek direct feedback from the audience to set actions for engaging faculty in the RCE Greater Atlanta and advancing the work of the Higher Education Learning Community Work Group.
3) establish partnerships and facilitate networking to increase impact and visibility.
4)educate the community and university audience on and illustrate priorities to achieve UNESCO's Global Action Programme on ESD.
5)provide case studies on addressing sustainability challenges globally and domestically to learn from our colleagues abroad and in the US.
2)seek direct feedback from the audience to set actions for engaging faculty in the RCE Greater Atlanta and advancing the work of the Higher Education Learning Community Work Group.
3) establish partnerships and facilitate networking to increase impact and visibility.
4)educate the community and university audience on and illustrate priorities to achieve UNESCO's Global Action Programme on ESD.
5)provide case studies on addressing sustainability challenges globally and domestically to learn from our colleagues abroad and in the US.
Activities and/or practices employed:
The track consisted of three sessions.
-The focal points of the first session were an introduction to the work of the RCE Greater Atlanta followed by a presentation by a scholar and RCE co-founder from Portland, Oregon. She illustrated priorities to achieve UNESCO's GAP on ESD, and spoke about her own sustainability work in Portland.
-The second session provided case studies on best practices and challenges in sustainability work in Mexico, Germany and coastal Southeastern USA.
-The last facilitated and interactive session had a two-fold goal. First scholars and community leaders focused on finding common denominators in university-community efforts to address sustainability challenges and advance the SDGs. They shared their experience in implementing the SDGs in their work, including mobilization of communities, teaching in both humanities and sciences, research and government action. The second half of the session engaged the audience in facilitated group discussions. The participants focused on setting goals and outlining next steps to be taken by RCE Greater Atlanta to advance the SDGs.
RCE Greater Atlanta also contributed to the Symposium Poster Session, submitting 8 out of 11 featured posters. Poster topics emphasized current and future collaborative faculty-community and faculty-student efforts in implementing the SDGs.
-The focal points of the first session were an introduction to the work of the RCE Greater Atlanta followed by a presentation by a scholar and RCE co-founder from Portland, Oregon. She illustrated priorities to achieve UNESCO's GAP on ESD, and spoke about her own sustainability work in Portland.
-The second session provided case studies on best practices and challenges in sustainability work in Mexico, Germany and coastal Southeastern USA.
-The last facilitated and interactive session had a two-fold goal. First scholars and community leaders focused on finding common denominators in university-community efforts to address sustainability challenges and advance the SDGs. They shared their experience in implementing the SDGs in their work, including mobilization of communities, teaching in both humanities and sciences, research and government action. The second half of the session engaged the audience in facilitated group discussions. The participants focused on setting goals and outlining next steps to be taken by RCE Greater Atlanta to advance the SDGs.
RCE Greater Atlanta also contributed to the Symposium Poster Session, submitting 8 out of 11 featured posters. Poster topics emphasized current and future collaborative faculty-community and faculty-student efforts in implementing the SDGs.
Size of academic audience:
25-30
Results:
The RCE Sustainability Track provided a highly effective, constructive and collaborative framework for engaging a diverse group of people in a conversation about Metro Atlanta Sustainability challenges, as well as for working out strategies to face these challenges. Community leaders, scholars, students and broader audience offered critical insights into issues of equity, environmental justice, youth mobilization and incorporating sustainability into teaching, research and service. The track also offered an important comparative perspective on working toward advancing the SDGS and achieving UNESCO's Global Action Programme on ESD through first-hand accounts of sustainability work in Portland, Oregon, South Carolina, Mexico and Germany. Importantly, as a result of analysis and critical discussion, the audience worked out a list of recommendations and actions to take to advance the work of RCE Greater Atlanta.
Lessons learned:
To promote university-community partnership in addressing sustainability, engage faculty in RCE Greater Atlanta and advance the work of the HELC Work Group, track participants recommended the following key actions:
Action # 1 - Build a digital learning platform offering learning tools that can be incorporated by faculty at our institutions and used by others.
Action #2 - Organize speaker series that will help faculty meet each other, learn about each other’s work, and form partnerships.
Action # 3 - Seek to broker internships connecting community partners with higher education programs.
Action # 4 - Seek to fund fellowships across the institutions that include events and resources that bring the fellows together to learn from each other.
Action # 5 - Help researchers design interventions together with community partners.
Action # 6 - Provide staff support to translate research results at our institutions into policy proposals and to advocate for these proposals with government bodies and stakeholders.
Action # 7 - Develop and deliver an Academy-style training program to aid community leaders to achieve their goals related to sustainability.
Action # 8 - Develop a database of community groups and community group interests.
Action # 9 - Prepare an inventory of projects related to sustainability under way on our campuses.
Action # 1 - Build a digital learning platform offering learning tools that can be incorporated by faculty at our institutions and used by others.
Action #2 - Organize speaker series that will help faculty meet each other, learn about each other’s work, and form partnerships.
Action # 3 - Seek to broker internships connecting community partners with higher education programs.
Action # 4 - Seek to fund fellowships across the institutions that include events and resources that bring the fellows together to learn from each other.
Action # 5 - Help researchers design interventions together with community partners.
Action # 6 - Provide staff support to translate research results at our institutions into policy proposals and to advocate for these proposals with government bodies and stakeholders.
Action # 7 - Develop and deliver an Academy-style training program to aid community leaders to achieve their goals related to sustainability.
Action # 8 - Develop a database of community groups and community group interests.
Action # 9 - Prepare an inventory of projects related to sustainability under way on our campuses.
Relationship to other RCE activities:
The track facilitated the HELC Work Group planning for engaging faculty into RCE Greater Atlanta and seeking and promoting university-community partnership.
References and reference materials:
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Direct
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Indirect
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Indirect
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Indirect
Curriculum Development
Direct
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments
Indirect
Priority Action Area 3 - Building capacities of educators and trainers
Indirect
Update:
Yes