Promoted by CUBT /outreach/paces/ en Words of Hope: Revitalizing the Zapotec Language /outreach/paces/2025/02/25/words-hope-revitalizing-zapotec-language <span>Words of Hope: Revitalizing the Zapotec Language </span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-02-25T12:40:53-07:00" title="Tuesday, February 25, 2025 - 12:40">Tue, 02/25/2025 - 12:40</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-02/Materials%20Design%20Collaboration-2%20Large.jpeg?h=29234840&amp;itok=08u3Yr_4" width="1200" height="800" alt="Community-Engaged Language Revitalization"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/160"> Grantee Stories </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/211" hreflang="en">Featured</a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/212" hreflang="en">Promoted by CUBT</a> </div> <span>Elaina Caywood</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default 3"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>There are currently 7,164 languages worldwide; however, this number is decreasing each year. According to <a href="https://www.ethnologue.com/insights/how-many-languages-endangered/" rel="nofollow">Ethnologue,</a> a research center for language intelligence, about 44% of languages are endangered, and more than 90% of current languages will be extinct by 2050. &nbsp;</p><p>But, there is an effort to fight against language extinction. One of these efforts is based at the 黑料社区网 (黑料社区网).</p><p>With a grant from the <a href="http://colorado.edu/outreach/paces" rel="nofollow">Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES)</a>, Associate Teaching Professor Rai Farrelly and Assistant Professor Ambrocio Guti茅rrez Lorenzo are working together with community members and 黑料社区网 students to support and sustain efforts to revitalize the use of the variety of Zapotec within Teotitl谩n del Valle, Mexico.</p> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2025-03/azul%20Large.jpeg?itok=_0dsplmb" width="750" height="1159" alt="poster of blue items with Zapotec translations"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><span>Designed for elementary students, this poster illustrates the Zapotec translation for the English word 鈥渂lue鈥 in the center, surrounded by other Zapotec translations for places and things that are also blue, such as the sky and a butterfly. The places and things were selected based on what students would recognize in their communities.</span></p> </span> </div> <p>Beginning with her graduate studies in Utah, Farrelly was involved in efforts to revitalize Shoshone and Goshute through developing materials and training teachers. &nbsp; Farrelly realized not only the importance of language documentation and revitalizations, but also the difficulties involved with such an endeavor. &nbsp;For example, due to the oral tradition of most Indigenous languages, there is often a lack of a written form鈥攁nd therefore, a lack of written teaching materials. 鈥淭he pedagogy piece is important,鈥 said Farrelly. 鈥淵ou have to document the language, write the grammar, write the dictionary. And, without a way to teach it and materials through which to deliver it, it鈥檚 kind of just a place for linguists to learn about the language.鈥 &nbsp;</p><p>Farrelly and Guti茅rrez Lorenzo, a Zapotec speaker and community member, are colleagues in the Department of Linguistics at 黑料社区网. They joined forces to develop a Global Seminar based in Teotitl谩n del Valle, where 黑料社区网 students had a chance to not only learn the variety of Zapotec in the community, but also assist teachers of Zapotec in assembling and creating materials. &nbsp;</p><p>Isabelle Altman is one of the master鈥檚 students at 黑料社区网 who attended the 2024 Global Seminar, gaining not only valuable insight into language revitalization in practice but also the importance of collaboration on such a project. 鈥淚 consider myself to be a documentary and revitalization linguist,鈥 said Altman. 鈥淗owever, I didn鈥檛 realize the importance of language learning, pedagogy and curriculum design in a revitalization endeavor. I got to collaborate with students with a variety of specialties, including Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), linguistics and documentation. I believe that this collaboration between different areas allowed this project to be especially strong and effective in our creation of materials and connection with the community around us.鈥 &nbsp;</p><p>As a prior research collaborator with Guti茅rrez Lorenzo, Altman joined the Global Seminar to expand upon her academic career but found she appreciated the community-engaged approach of the project, stating that not only is it 鈥渦nique鈥 but also 鈥渆xtremely valuable.鈥 Altman reflected, 鈥淏y connecting and collaborating with the community in question, decisions can be made that involve everyone, but more importantly the community and its speakers. At the end of the day, the language belongs to its speakers.鈥</p><p>This Global Seminar provided Farrelly with another rich opportunity for community-engaged scholarship, an approach she has long appreciated. 鈥淭he most important thing about community-engaged scholarship is that it鈥檚 driven by the community,鈥 Farrelly explained. 鈥淎 lot of academics come in with an idea of what they want to do, plow into communities and make decisions, then say 鈥楾hanks!鈥 and leave. PACES puts a lot of emphasis on mutual exchange, mutual benefit.鈥&nbsp;</p><p>Language Revitalization, especially the approach taken by Farrelly and Guti茅rrez Lorenzo, relies heavily on input from the Teotitl谩n del Valle community. The community determines its needs and goals, guiding the direction of the project while collaborating with 黑料社区网 students to create much-needed materials and strategies for teaching the language. The students, in turn, gain valuable skills and a new level of empathy and understanding of Mexico that 鈥渇eeds into their awareness and understanding of what鈥檚 happening right now鈥 in the U.S.</p><p>鈥淲ith the PACES grant, what we鈥檙e able to do is hire two graduate students in linguistics to build this online Zapotec resources hub where we鈥檙e having three entrance points: one for linguists or people interested in the language, one for the teachers of the language and one for students,鈥 said Farrelly. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 going to be this really cool repository of materials and language, hopefully audio files and just different resources for Zapotec.鈥&nbsp;</p><p>The online hub has been a great source of collaborative work, both between 黑料社区网 students from different disciplines and community members within Teotitl谩n del Valle. Angelica, a collaborator within the Teotitl谩n community, uses the PACES stipend to continue teaching the Teotitl谩n variety of Zapotec year-round using the resources within the online hub. &nbsp;</p><p>Along with creating colorful posters and books to teach Zapotec, Farrelly, Guti茅rrez Lorenzo and their team hope to expand their Zapotec Learning Hub and generate some excitement about the language. &nbsp;On a larger scale, she hopes that the team will create 鈥渟ome model or mechanism that really works with Zapotec鈥 and can encourage other linguists and communities to apply what she has learned for revitalizing other endangered languages around the world. &nbsp;</p><p>But why does it matter if some languages are lost?&nbsp;</p><p>鈥淟anguage is such a big part of our identity,鈥 said Farrelly. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 encoded in all of those languages is a lot of information鈥攁bout nature, animals, cures, the history of the world鈥攖hat will all get lost if we lose the language. We lose the essence of a lot of cultures, of ways of being.鈥</p><p>This summer, Farrelly and Guti茅rrez Lorenzo will again lead their Language Revitalization Global Seminar to Teotitl谩n del Valle, where they will continue to develop materials and teaching approaches to revitalize this specific variety of Zapotec within the community. For more information, visit the <a href="https://abroad.colorado.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&amp;id=10409" rel="nofollow">Global Seminar page</a>.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>As many languages face endangerment or extinction in the coming years, Associate Teaching Professor Rai Farrelly and Assistant Professor Ambrocio Guti茅rrez Lorenzo are working together with community members and 黑料社区网 students to support and sustain efforts to revitalize the use of the Zapotec languages within Teotitl谩n del Valle, Mexico.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/Materials%20Design%20Collaboration-2%20Large.jpeg?itok=HTwStgPh" width="1500" height="1125" alt="Community-Engaged Language Revitalization"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><span>As many languages face endangerment or extinction in the coming years, Associate Teaching Professor Rai Farrelly and Assistant Professor Ambrocio Guti茅rrez Lorenzo are working together with community members and 黑料社区网 students to support and sustain efforts to revitalize the use of the Zapotec languages within Teotitl谩n del Valle, Mexico.</span></p> </span> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Photo Credit: Rai Farrelly</div> Tue, 25 Feb 2025 19:40:53 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 343 at /outreach/paces Graduate Students Benefit as Engaged Arts and Humanities Scholars /outreach/paces/2025/02/21/graduate-students-benefit-engaged-arts-and-humanities-scholars <span>Graduate Students Benefit as Engaged Arts and Humanities Scholars</span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2025-02-21T13:20:59-07:00" title="Friday, February 21, 2025 - 13:20">Fri, 02/21/2025 - 13:20</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-02/PACES_CHA_EAH_R%26IWeekEvent2024-6%20Large.jpeg?h=1c9b88c9&amp;itok=oEyZ_4zH" width="1200" height="800" alt="A female college student stands at the front of a room with her arms raised above her head. All other attendees i the room do the same."> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/176"> Art + Science + Community </a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/175"> Engaged Arts and Humanities </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/220" hreflang="en">Featured II</a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/217" hreflang="en">PACES original content</a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/212" hreflang="en">Promoted by CUBT</a> </div> <span>Alexandra Wilson</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Since its launch in 2018, the Engaged Arts and Humanities (EAH) Graduate Student Scholars Program at CU has given 40 students the opportunity and resources to combine their academic disciplines, the tools of the arts and humanities, and their unique individual interests and apply them to public and community-engaged scholarship projects.&nbsp;</p><p>鈥淚 believe the program鈥檚 focus on lived experience, equity-oriented partnerships and mutually beneficial community-engaged scholarship has been key in creating an inclusive community of learners,鈥 said Lisa Schwartz, Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship Program Manager and EAH founder.</p><p>The two-year fellowship, now co-administered by the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) and the Center for the Humanities &amp; the Arts (CHA), encourages students to work collaboratively with communities to create meaningful, lasting change and allows students to broaden their networks on and off campus. Students co-design mutually beneficial projects with community partners, receiving a $5,000 stipend over two years and up to $1,000 in project funding.</p><p>Professor Jennifer Ho, CHA鈥檚 faculty director, works with the CHA team and Schwartz to oversee and implement the program. 鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled that the CHA is partnering with PACES on this program. When Lisa Schwartz first told me about the program, I could see the vitality and mutual intellectual and creative aims of having graduate students use their expertise in service to community-engaged projects. Lisa鈥檚 leadership of the program is part of the secret sauce to its success, as is the passion of the EAH scholars for work outside the traditional walls of academia.鈥</p><p>EAH Fellow Amy Hoagland鈥檚 2021-22 project with CU Science Discovery and Cal-Wood Education Center serves as a prime example of the program鈥檚 impact on the surrounding community and her future as an artist and advocate for environmental justice. Combining her passions for art and science, Hoagland initiated a series of outdoor events with youth and families, providing opportunities for the 鈥渕ourning, celebration and collective recognition of the impact of climate change.鈥</p><p>Hoagland creates artwork to 鈥減rovoke thought and change in people鈥檚 relationship with the surrounding landscape.鈥 While continuing her work inspired by EAH Scholars, Hoagland received a 2022 Windgate Fellowship for sustainable art presented by Honoring the Future.&nbsp;</p><p>鈥淚 cannot express my gratitude for EAH Scholars and Lisa Schwartz鈥檚 mentorship. It has all been incredibly impactful on my practice. It will positively impact my future projects, too,鈥 said Hoagland.&nbsp;</p><p>A key aspect of EAH Scholars is the experience of selecting, interviewing and developing a relationship with a mentor who is a community-engaged scholar within the university or broader community (<a href="/outreach/paces/initiatives-and-programs/our-programs/engaged-arts-and-humanities-scholars/interviews-mentors" rel="nofollow">Read the EAH scholar mentor interviews here</a>). PhD student Idowu Odeyemi shared his experience working with Professor Briana Toole, founder and director of the Corrupt the Youth program.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>鈥淧rofessor Toole鈥檚 community greatly intersects with mine; it was very easy to form a connection with her. She was helpful in terms of how I can develop my ideas for the sort of community work that I want my project to be about,鈥 said Idowu.&nbsp;</p><p>A number of scholars have incorporated their work with EAH into their MFA thesis and PhD research. Brenda Aguirre Ortega is one such student. Through sharing and developing her ideas with members of the EAH cohort, as well as securing additional funding, Aguirre-Ortega鈥檚 multitude of interests evolved into her establishing and co-facilitating an after-school program at Columbine Elementary School, combining her passions of teaching, music composition and mathematics. In an interview discussing her experience with community-engaged scholarship, Aguirre-Ortega emphasized the program鈥檚 impact on her.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>鈥淎t first, I only knew that I wanted to create a project in a school and that it would have something to do with music production,鈥 said Aguirre-Ortega. 鈥淭he idea became more tangible when I started sharing it with the EAH cohort. We were all beginning projects, and we helped each other develop ideas.鈥</p><p>EAH Scholars is now welcoming new graduate students for the 2025-2027 cohort. <a href="/cha/funding-and-resources/grad-student-opportunities/engaged-arts-and-humanities-scholars" rel="nofollow">Visit the program鈥檚 webpage to learn more about deadlines, eligibility and the application process.</a>&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Since 2018, the Engaged Arts and Humanities Graduate Student Scholars program has given 40 students the opportunity and resources to apply tools of the arts and humanities to public and community-engaged scholarship projects. <br> <br> The program is now welcoming new graduate students for the 2025-2027 cohort. Visit the program webpage.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Related Articles</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-02/PACES_CHA_EAH_R%26IWeekEvent2024-6%20Large.jpeg?itok=WfKzqUdw" width="1500" height="1000" alt="A female college student stands at the front of a room with her arms raised above her head. All other attendees i the room do the same."> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><span>Harveen Gill leads a group meditation during a presentation on her work as an Engaged Arts and Humanities Scholar at Research and Innovation Week.</span></p> </span> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> <div>Harveen Gill leads a group meditation during a presentation on her work as an Engaged Arts and Humanities Scholar at Research and Innovation Week. (Photo Credit: Arielle Wiedenbeck)</div> Fri, 21 Feb 2025 20:20:59 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 346 at /outreach/paces PACES Reading Group Kicks Off Jan. 30 /outreach/paces/2024/12/17/paces-reading-group-kicks-jan-30 <span>PACES Reading Group Kicks Off Jan. 30</span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-12-17T12:18:32-07:00" title="Tuesday, December 17, 2024 - 12:18">Tue, 12/17/2024 - 12:18</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2025-01/AdobeStock_645771220.jpeg?h=caf26d13&amp;itok=G8ShU6Rj" width="1200" height="800" alt="A group of coworkers gather around each other and discuss a book"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/217" hreflang="en">PACES original content</a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/212" hreflang="en">Promoted by CUBT</a> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/gretchen-minekime">Gretchen Minekime</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>Start off the new year by joining the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) for the inaugural meeting of our monthly reading group.&nbsp;</p><p>Connect with colleagues for an in-person kick-off with food, drink and good company.</p><p>Our first article will be 鈥<a href="https://click.com.cu.edu/?qs=6d62f0993690fdcbd5096037edd684572e5c227f464aabb54ef8843d41500d659692f8114d410edec07dcf5aa516b6ba944763fc89db73fe" rel="nofollow">Re(building) Trust with Indigenous Communities: Reflections From Cultural Brokers</a>鈥 (Riley &amp; Kaneakua), from&nbsp;<em>The Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (JHEOE)</em>, Special Issue 鈥 Volume 28, Number 3, 2024. We will discuss how boundary spanner identity and intersectionality impact research collaborations with community partners. Our own Associate Director Jeanne McDonald was among the guest editors for this special edition of&nbsp;<em>JHEOE</em>.&nbsp;</p><p>Subsequent readings related to the themes of boundary spanning, reciprocity and mutual benefit鈥攌ey concepts in community-engaged scholarship鈥攚ill be selected by group members. &nbsp;<br>&nbsp;<br>We鈥檒l meet from noon to 1 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month.</p><p>Please respond before Jan. 23.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://pacesreadinggroup.rsvpify.com/" rel="nofollow">Sign up or let us know you鈥檙e interested in hearing about future dates.</a></p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>Start off the new year by joining the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) for the inaugural meeting of our monthly reading group. </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2025-01/AdobeStock_645771220.jpeg?itok=hg5QtdgX" width="1500" height="1000" alt="A group of coworkers gather around each other and discuss a book"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Tue, 17 Dec 2024 19:18:32 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 354 at /outreach/paces Community-Engaged Scholarship: A Pillar of the School of Education /outreach/paces/2024/11/14/community-engaged-scholarship-pillar-school-education <span>Community-Engaged Scholarship: A Pillar of the School of Education </span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-11-14T12:26:38-07:00" title="Thursday, November 14, 2024 - 12:26">Thu, 11/14/2024 - 12:26</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/2024-11/image-2.jpeg?h=d7d255da&amp;itok=FtQH-RYI" width="1200" height="800" alt="School of Ed opening"> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/160"> Grantee Stories </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/217" hreflang="en">PACES original content</a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/212" hreflang="en">Promoted by CUBT</a> </div> <span>Alexandra Wilson</span> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>On the afternoon of Oct. 4, 黑料社区网鈥檚 School of Education鈥檚 building dedication and open house brought together over 300 people to honor the school鈥檚 research, student work, donor support and community impact. Alumni, donors and K-12 partners joined university faculty, staff and students to celebrate the achievements and future goals of the school with an afternoon of dedications, building tours, activities and a showcase displaying the school鈥檚 community-engaged research.</p><p>鈥淚n an applied field like education, we can鈥檛 build knowledge in the abstract or in an isolated ivory tower,鈥 said Joseph Polman, associate dean for research at the School of Education. 鈥淲e need to be working with and in communities and sites where powerful educational practices and policies are being developed, tested and refined, to serve the needs of actual people.鈥</p> <div class="align-right image_style-medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <div class="imageMediaStyle medium_750px_50_display_size_"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/medium_750px_50_display_size_/public/2025-03/image-3.jpeg?itok=3S8KJzBQ" width="750" height="500" alt="A student explains a project to an elderly attendee at the 黑料社区网 School of Education opening"> </div> <span class="media-image-caption"> <p><span>Faculty and students present their projects at the community engagement showcase in the new Ofelia Miramontes and Leonard Baca Education Building, Oct. 4, 2024.</span></p><p><span>Patrick Campbell Photography</span></p> </span> </div> <p>The school鈥檚 devotion to supporting its students, and its commitment to advancing public understanding of education, shone through at the open house poster session where faculty members and graduate students showed their community-engaged research. The showcase highlighted how community-engaged scholarship not only enriches the educational experience of 黑料社区网 students but also bridges the gap between the university鈥檚 academic research and community education needs.&nbsp;</p><p>鈥淭hroughout history and even to the present day, far too much research based out of universities has been extractive, and only of benefit to the academic researchers. To work toward a more just and humane world, university-based scholars must seek to build equitable partnerships with stakeholders that serve the needs of communities, not the needs of researchers,鈥 said Polman.</p><p>The faculty and students鈥 commitment to social justice is evident throughout their research, which strongly reflects the school鈥檚 values in promoting and facilitating equal opportunity for all students throughout the country. Their research explores and confronts a range of systematic issues present in the education system, such as language barriers within classrooms, ethnic and racial discrimination within school systems, economic disparities leading to a lesser quality of education, and the rights of LGBTQ+ students.&nbsp;</p><p>The research of faculty members and graduate students continues to lead to an array of impressive project outcomes, including a documentary by A Queer Endeavor, 黑料社区网鈥檚 nationally recognized center for gender and sexual diversity in education. Created in partnership with Denver Public Schools, <em>Reclaiming the Narrative</em> focuses on LGBTQ+ students鈥 intersectional experiences within schools, giving queer students a platform upon which to share their experiences and thus promote social change. You can <a href="/center/a-queer-endeavor/" rel="nofollow">discover more about their work.&nbsp;&nbsp;</a></p><p>Undergraduate members of Puksta Scholars, a scholarship program focused on civic engagement and facilitating positive change on campus and within external communities, presented their community-engaged project that tackles systematic barriers in education. Through a partnership with the Longmont Latino Chamber of Commerce, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) K-12 students, along with their guardians, are invited to participate in workshops that provide the necessary tools to assist them in their journey to college. Puksta Scholars intend to provide a 鈥榝irst-generation scholar guide鈥 to help high school students reach their potential and fulfill their dreams of a high-quality college education. <a href="/puksta/" rel="nofollow">Visit their website</a> for more details on this project and the continuing work of the Puksta Scholars.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The School of Education and University Hill Elementary School presented the outcome of their five-year-old weekly after-school mentoring program. The Cultural Mentoring Program joins together Education and Ethnic Studies majors with 5<sup>th</sup> graders belonging to the Latinx community. The program strengthens cultural identity among underrepresented students and fosters relationships between 黑料社区网 and University Hill students.&nbsp;</p><p>These projects are just a few examples of the School of Education鈥檚 collective humanitarian approach towards community engagement. Through striving to build equitable partnerships that prioritize the needs of the community, and with the help of funding from the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship, the School of Education continues to raise awareness and inspire change on a national level.&nbsp;</p><p>鈥淭he School of Education has a shared鈥痗ommitment to democracy, diversity, equity and鈥痡ustice. To live this out, we absolutely need to be doing community-engaged scholarship,鈥 said Polman.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div>黑料社区网鈥檚 School of Education鈥檚 building dedication and open house brought together over 300 people to honor the school鈥檚 research, student work, donor support and community impact.</div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/2024-11/image-2.jpeg?itok=nLimFirr" width="1500" height="998" alt="School of Ed opening"> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 14 Nov 2024 19:26:38 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 357 at /outreach/paces The Impact of Playback Theatre: A Unique Opportunity to Connect With Yourself and Your Community /outreach/paces/2024/06/26/impact-playback-theatre-unique-opportunity-connect-yourself-and-your-community <span>The Impact of Playback Theatre: A Unique Opportunity to Connect With Yourself and Your Community</span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-06-26T11:25:52-06:00" title="Wednesday, June 26, 2024 - 11:25">Wed, 06/26/2024 - 11:25</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/callout/%2ACU%20Playback%20at%20JCC%202023-1%20Large.jpeg?h=e6add7dc&amp;itok=BuLv9rjv" width="1200" height="800" alt> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/160"> Grantee Stories </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/217" hreflang="en">PACES original content</a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/212" hreflang="en">Promoted by CUBT</a> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/arielle-wiedenbeck">Arielle Wiedenbeck</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>鈥淚 want you to write a story about 黑料社区网鈥檚 Impact Playback<em> </em>Theatre Ensemble (Playback) from the perspective of an audience member,鈥 my supervisor exclaimed to me one day during work.</p><p>She went&nbsp;on to explain that, in short, it鈥檚 an interactive, improvised theatre production where performers 鈥減lay back鈥 emotions, experiences and stories shared by audience members.</p><p>Interactive? Sharing emotions? As an introvert, those can be words that warrant an automatic decline when describing a social event. Despite this, I accepted the assignment. What was I getting myself into?</p><p>Oftentimes, getting out of your comfort zone can lead to amazing things. I had a feeling this was going to be one of those things.</p><p>Walking into the performance space the first thing that struck me was the noise: a bundle of musicians picked and prodded at their instruments, and across the room performers stretched their bodies while exchanging chit-chat. It was a delightful hum that, despite all happening separately, felt cohesive. A bit of foreshadowing.</p><p>As I took my seat alongside other audience members, the performance moderator, James Walker, thanked us for coming and opened up the program. To break the ice, the performers did an introductory exercise. Each said their name and something on their mind, and&nbsp; the next performer began acting out the experience just described&nbsp; before finishing with their own name and something that鈥檚 been on their mind. So on, so forth. There was a comical grandiosity to the performances, an exaggeration of facial expressions and movement. With introductions made and everyone present warmed up, the performance began.</p><p><strong>Part I: Fluid Sculptures</strong></p><p>James started by asking audience members to share a current and prominent feeling in their life. I and the rest of the audience exchange the classic 鈥渁re you going to talk first?鈥 raised-eyebrow, darting glances. To my surprise, I found myself responding first.</p><p>Me: I鈥檝e been struggling with a bad bout of insomnia. I鈥檓 exhausted during the day, but when I try to fall asleep at night, I鈥檓 wide awake.</p><p><em>James: Where in your body are you holding that emotion?</em></p><p>Hmm. Where is it? Everywhere? I let my focus leave my brain and float down my spine, out into my arms, searching for the abnormality.</p><p><em>Me: In my chest and behind my eyes.</em></p><p>I don鈥檛 really know if I mean it, but the simple question forces&nbsp;me to dig deeper into the feeling, look directly at it rather than glance from the safety of my periphery.</p><p>James then asked me to describe the emotion.</p><p>It feels bad, I think. But what does 鈥渂ad鈥 really mean? Again, I let my focus travel inward. I discover my sleepiness feels fuzzy, scratchy. Like I鈥檓 swimming in television static. I share this with everyone<em>.</em></p><p>James took a step back, and a group of performers positioned themselves in a cluster. All at once, they were twisting and contorting. The musicians erupted into a cacophony.&nbsp; A performer held their eyelids open to mimic my drowsiness. Another,close to the ground, mimed a tossing and turning motion. Each performer narrated their chosen piece of my experience, in what appeared to be a growing breathing glob.</p><p>James asked how I felt about the sculpture.</p><p><em>Me: Honestly, it was kind of haunting</em>.</p><p>We all shared a laugh. I realized that, for the first time that day, I was making light of something that felt like a burden.</p><p>As other audience members shared their own experiences and the performers played those emotions back tenfold, I started to feel us all relaxing into a sort of ridiculousness.</p><p>Was it all a little weird? Sure? But was it fun? Yes!</p><p><strong>Part II: Pairs</strong></p><p>In this section, audience members were asked to reflect on an experience that inflicted opposing feelings. Performers then split into pairs, one emotion per person, and acted out the feelings.</p><p>An audience member shared that while he was deeply proud of a huge project about to launch, he also felt like it wasn鈥檛 good enough. Another person, a professor, described how they were so proud to work with most of their students but felt consumed by anger and disappointment brought about by the few students who weren鈥檛 putting in the effort they should.</p><p>Although the performances of each emotion were silly and over-the-top, I sensed the process was validating for people. It wasn鈥檛 about which emotion was right or wrong; it was about how they both existed together, despite their contradictions. As someone who鈥檚 fallen into black-and-white thinking patterns for much of my life, I especially&nbsp;appreciated this part of the evening.</p><p><strong>Part III: Stories</strong></p><p>The final section of the performance was the heart. Members of the audience were asked to think of an important story in their life, give it an interesting title and share it with a fellow audience member. Then, James asked if anyone wanted to share the name of their story or the name of the story they heard from their partner. Finally, one audience member agreed to share their story in full.</p><p>The story was titled 鈥淚 Love My Best Friend, But She Has To Go.鈥 It chronicled the lifelong friendship of two women鈥攖he audience member, who we鈥檒l call Erin, and her best friend, who we鈥檒l call Jamie. Their friendship, spanning many years and a host to experiences and challenges, found the friends at last living in the same state. However, living so far away from her husband took a toll on Jamie; although it pained her, Erin realized she had to tell Jamie she should move back with him.</p><p>During the performance, I noticed that the comical grandiosity I mentioned earlier was no longer present. The actors took a more serious, restrained approach. Again, I&nbsp; was in awe that this was accomplished through improvisation. It was as if an invisible string tied the actors together, and each performer and musician could feel the pull and respond accordingly. Bright, shining tones amplified the happy parts of Jamie and Erin鈥檚 friendship, while moodier, duller notes pulled you into the weight of their somber moments. Everything operated as a seamless unit. I felt sure that a connection so strong could only come from a commitment to the craft鈥攈ours of practice forming genuine relationships with fellow cast members.</p><p>I found myself sneaking glimpses at Erin鈥檚 reactions, studying how her features moved as she watched years of friendship collapse into mere minutes. Emotion washed over her, and it washed over me. I was reminded of my own best friend. As the performance scene closed&nbsp; and the two characters&nbsp; embraced on stage, heartbroken but knowing their separation was for the best, I teared up. It was in that moment that <em>I</em> felt it鈥攖he tug of the invisible string that connected me to Erin, and Erin to another audience member and so on and so forth.</p><p>When our stories were played back, it wasn鈥檛 just to us. It was to everyone. Something that felt so individual became shared. The weight of it, the importance of it, the meaning of it all was held and known by everyone in the room鈥攆rom the smallest things, like a bout of insomnia, to the big things, like the heartbreak of letting something you love go.</p><p>After the dress rehearsal concluded, I stopped James on my way out to tell them how much the performance affected me, especially Erin鈥檚 story, and how I felt connected to the people in the room.</p><p>James told me something I will never forget: 鈥淭he closest distance between two people is a story.鈥</p><p><a href="https://outreach.colorado.edu/program/critical-conversations-project-playback-theatre-in-rural-colorado/" rel="nofollow">The Critical Conversations Project: Playback Theatre in Rural Colorado</a> is funded in part by <a href="/outreach/paces" rel="nofollow">the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship</a>.</p><p><em>Note: All quotations are paraphrased based on written notes and memory. These are used to capture the flow of the experience and create narrative. Any misrepresentations are not intentional.</em></p><p>Photo credit: Michael Ensminger</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/callout/%2ACU%20Playback%20at%20JCC%202023-1%20Large.jpeg?itok=V4Jp_Njb" width="1500" height="1001" alt> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Wed, 26 Jun 2024 17:25:52 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 374 at /outreach/paces SCENIC and Pueblo鈥檚 East High School: A New Approach to Science Class /outreach/paces/2024/05/30/scenic-and-pueblos-east-high-school-new-approach-science-class <span>SCENIC and Pueblo鈥檚 East High School: A New Approach to Science Class</span> <span><span>Arielle Wiedenbeck</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-05-30T11:29:59-06:00" title="Thursday, May 30, 2024 - 11:29">Thu, 05/30/2024 - 11:29</time> </span> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle focal_image_wide"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/focal_image_wide/public/callout/scenicsymposium_2024-4%20Large.jpeg?h=d55dad6c&amp;itok=r1IbJtXP" width="1200" height="800" alt> </div> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-categories" itemprop="about"> <span class="visually-hidden">Categories:</span> <div class="ucb-article-category-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-folder-open"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/160"> Grantee Stories </a> </div> <div role="contentinfo" class="container ucb-article-tags" itemprop="keywords"> <span class="visually-hidden">Tags:</span> <div class="ucb-article-tag-icon" aria-hidden="true"> <i class="fa-solid fa-tags"></i> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/217" hreflang="en">PACES original content</a> <a href="/outreach/paces/taxonomy/term/212" hreflang="en">Promoted by CUBT</a> </div> <a href="/outreach/paces/arielle-wiedenbeck">Arielle Wiedenbeck</a> <div class="ucb-article-content ucb-striped-content"> <div class="container"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--article-content paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="ucb-article-text" itemprop="articleBody"> <div><p>What is a regular Tuesday for many students at Pueblo East High School is a special day for students in Ms. Turner鈥檚 chemistry class. This group of students has been working for the entire semester with 黑料社区网 graduate students on projects about air quality, and today they get to present their months of hard work to their peers and 黑料社区网 representatives at a symposium.</p><p>The projects stem from a partnership between Pueblo East High School and the Science-Engineering Inquiry Collaborative in Rural Colorado, otherwise known as SCENIC. Developed by Daniel Knight and Michael Hannigan, both professors in 黑料社区网鈥檚 College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the SCENIC program aims to provide STEM education resources to underserved, rural K-12 schools. This is achieved with collaborations between the schools and 黑料社区网 graduate students to create projects that are 鈥渟tudent-driven鈥 and 鈥渋nquiry-based,鈥 per the program鈥檚 webpage.</p><p>This is the first year the program has partnered with Pueblo East.</p><p>鈥淚t is always nice to see a school execute a successful first symposium,鈥 said Knight. 鈥淧ueblo East pulled it off by conducting well organized, original posters and preparing their students for the presentation.鈥</p><p>This year, students utilized air quality monitoring technology called Pods developed at 黑料社区网 to investigate air quality in particular areas of interest related to their lives. Some of the areas students measured were the cafeteria kitchen, the gym and even inside wind instrument. Aunalise Sandoval and Aryonna Pineda decided to measure the air quality at their local zoo.</p><p>鈥淲e went to different animal exhibits鈥oth indoor and outdoor,鈥 said Aunalise. 鈥淭he indoor enclosures picked up way more data than the outdoor enclosures did. I really liked this project.鈥</p><p>Both Aunalise and Aryonna said that they had never been to the zoo before this project, and they appreciated the opportunity to explore a new place in their community.</p><p>Another valuable aspect of the project was the hands-on experience students had with the Pod.</p><p>鈥淚t was fun to set it [the Pod] up and see how it collects stuff. I鈥檓 kinda used to just doing on-paper stuff. The fact that we got to compare air quality鈥鈥檝e never really done a project like that,鈥 said Ricardo Garcia, who chose to measure the air quality in the school鈥檚 cafeteria kitchen. 鈥淚 found it really fun to do and more interesting than just writing stuff down.鈥</p><p>Students in the class learned how to operate the Pod and received guidance on their projects from Patrick Weicko and Mateo Ramis, both 黑料社区网 graduate students.</p><p>鈥淚 was really excited to see these pretty shy and reserved students share my excitement in their projects,鈥 Weicko said. 鈥淎ll their ideas had come from personal questions about air quality in their lives, and the questions they had for me really reflected how invested in their projects they were.鈥</p><p>The students shared a similar appreciation for their 黑料社区网 collaborators.</p><p>鈥淭hey really put a lot of time and effort into the project and helping us,鈥 said Pineda.</p><p>Ramis hopes that the program has a lasting impact on the students and their community.</p><p>鈥淚 come from a really big city, there鈥檚 a lot of pollution there, and I don鈥檛 think we do much [about it],鈥 said Ramos. 鈥淚f [the students] get to help people in the future, and it could help air quality wherever they are, I think that would be great.鈥</p><p>Weicko also expressed how essential Emma Turner, the teacher whose classroom the SCENIC project worked with, was to the success of the project. Outside of the times Weicko and Ramis could meet with students, Turner went over the materials and content with the students.</p><p>SCENIC wants to integrate high school teachers into the program even more.</p><p>鈥淲e are looking forward to providing a workshop for our K-12 teachers next year,鈥 said Knight.</p><p>For Weicko, SCENIC has also helped shape the future of his professional goals.</p><p>鈥淭his program has taught me how important these kinds of outreach initiatives are,鈥 said Weicko. 鈥淚n high school, college was not optional for me, and hearing how many students did not see college as a path they were interested in was eye-opening. I want to continue this sort of outreach through my PhD and onwards, to at least give students an idea of what an engineer/scientist is and hopefully encourage them to go to college.鈥</p><p><br><a href="https://outreach.colorado.edu/program/scenic-science-engineering-inquiry-collaborative-in-rural-colorado/" rel="nofollow">The SCENIC program</a> is funded in part by the <a href="/outreach/paces" rel="nofollow">Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship</a>.</p></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <h2> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--ucb-related-articles-block paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div>Off</div> </div> </h2> <div>Traditional</div> <div>0</div> <div> <div class="imageMediaStyle large_image_style"> <img loading="lazy" src="/outreach/paces/sites/default/files/styles/large_image_style/public/callout/scenicsymposium_2024-4%20Large.jpeg?itok=qC0a3Q52" width="1500" height="1000" alt> </div> </div> <div>On</div> <div>White</div> Thu, 30 May 2024 17:29:59 +0000 Arielle Wiedenbeck 375 at /outreach/paces