IMAGINE ENGLEWOOD IF OPENS “COMMUNIVERSITY" FOR A DAY
Jo Anna Brown-El
Published: September 7, 2011
Community Engagement Trio Share Knowledge with Stakeholders. Pictured (top row, left to right) are Jean Carter-Hill, Co-founder & Executive Director, Imagine Englewood if; Monika Black, Community Engagement Institute; and Chad Williams, Assistant Director, Community Engagement Institute.
Photos by Hurley Green III and J. Brown-El
On Thursday, August 25, 2011, Imagine Englewood if, in collaboration with the Irwin W. Steans Center at DePaul University, hosted their first annual Community Engagement Institute. The day-long “communiversity”, attended by DePaul students and faculty, as well as Englewood residents, focused on leadership, community engagement, cultural competency, and critical reflection.
Imagine Englewood if… is a non-profit organization serving Englewood, a community on Chicago’s south side that struggles with drugs, poverty, gang violence and other socio-economic issues on a daily basis. IEi has partnered with the Community Engagement Institute (CEI) for several years to improve the quality of life of Englewood residents through training and capacity development. In exchange, CEI prepares DePaul university students and faculty for learning from and with the communities DePaul works in. “We feel that it is important to interface with residents of this community in which we do so much of our work,” stated Chad Williams, CEI’s assistant director.
The workshop was attended by more than 50 people. “We were gratified to see so many people engaged. Englewood turned out!” Williams concluded.
Presenters included Williams, and other Institute staff, including Monika Black, Marisol Morales, and Charlotte Phillips. For more information on CEI, contact Chad Williams at 773.325.4113. To learn more about Imagine Englewood if, call 773.488.6704, Fax: 773.488.6705; email: info@imagineenglewoodif.org; website: www.imagineenglewoodif.org.