Center for Social Impact - Supporting Community Partners Follow Up

Earlier this summer, the Center for Social Impact distributed a survey to community partners to learn how COVID-19 has impacted their operations and how the University could collaborate with them to address community needs.  Several themes emerged from the survey, including Healthcare/Social Work, Research/Project-based needs, and Education (youth and adult, ESL, technology, etc.).

The Center for Social Impact will be hosting three virtual sessions for those interested in exploring opportunities within these three categories.  These sessions are appropriate for faculty interested in connecting opportunities with course work or research, staff interested in integrating co-curricular experiential learning in their programming, or individuals wanting to brainstorm how they can connect their skills with community-identified needs. 

Other topics that emerged in the survey include, activism & advocacy, donation opportunities, Environmental Science, fundraising, food security, language translation, marketing, and return to operations planning.  

The searchable database can be accessed here:

If you see an opportunity that you’d like to explore further that does not fit into one of the above themes, please feel free to reach out and we would be happy to brainstorm with you and help facilitate a connection.

To join one of the themed discussion session, please RSVP here and use the following Zoom links:

Session I: Healthcare/Social Work Opportunities – Monday, July 27, 3-4 p.m.

https://Fairfield.zoom.us/j/96766979549

One tap mobile: +16468769923,,96766979549# US (New York)

Dial by your location:  +1 646 876 9923 US (New York); Meeting ID: 967 6697 9549

Session II: Research/Project-based Opportunities – ­Tuesday, July 28, 3-4 p.m.

https://Fairfield.zoom.us/j/94391656369

One tap mobile: +16468769923,,94391656369# US (New York)

Dial by your location:  +1 646 876 9923 US (New York); Meeting ID: 943 9165 6369

Session III: Education & Youth Opportunities – Tuesday, August 4, 1-2 p.m.

https://Fairfield.zoom.us/j/95203173112

One tap mobile: +16468769923,,95203173112# US (New York)

Dial by your location: +1 646 876 9923 US (New York); Meeting ID: 952 0317 3112

Finally, the Center for Social Impact has been collecting and organizing a variety of resources related to COVID-19, community engagement, and racial and social justice.  The collection includes information on transitioning Community-Engaged Learning to a virtual environment as well as resources for integrating topics and reflection questions related to COVID-19 into academic courses and discussions. 

The full COVID-19 and Social Impact resource guide can be found here.