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Barry Student Leaders Attend International Conference in Washington, DC
Barry University student leaders Paola Montenegro and Alberto Liriano participated in the 8th annual Millennium Campus Conference in Washington, D.C., recently.
Organized by the Millennium Campus Network, the five-day international conference featured a forum, debates, plenary sessions, and a lobbying day. The conference, which was held at Howard
Montenegro and Boston
Speakers at the forum included Hugh Williams, senior foreign service officer at the U.S. Department of State; Alexis Bonnell, division chief of applied innovation and acceleration in the U.S. Global Development Lab at the U.S. Agency for International Development; and Nate Hurst, chief sustainability and social impact officer at HP. Also among the speakers were Jennifer Fraser, director of college organizing at ONE Campus, and Emily Conron, coordinator of student outreach at END7, a campaign of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases at the Sabin Vaccine Institute.
Montenegro and Sabuhi were selected to meet with government officials, as well as university and college executives, at the White House. Along with MCN Executive Director Sam Vaghar and Managing Director Abigail Kelble, they made a presentation on the Millennium Fellowship, a semester-long program for student leaders.
Government officials at the meeting were Tina Tchen, assistant to the president and executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls; Kyle Lierman, associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; and Elias Alcantara, associate director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Montenegro and Sabuhi were Millennium Fellows last year. They completed the fellowship aimed at improving student organizations, developing strategic partnerships, and creating community impact.
For his part, Liriano joined Montenegro and other conference delegates at the forefront of lobbying day activities on Capitol Hill. They supported ONE, an advocacy organization that campaigns to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases, particularly in
The delegates met with staff of their state senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Liriano and Montenegro met with Sen. Marco Rubio’s foreign policy legislative aide, Bethany Poulos. They requested continued support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
For Montenegro, a junior majoring in political science,the conference reinforced how she can make a difference in the world.
“It was so rewarding to meet with like-minded students who have great aspirations to change the world and bring about social justice in different areas such as gender equality, the environment, health, and youth development,” Montenegro said.
For Liriano, a junior majoring in chemistry, the conference provided “a unique and fresh experience,” encouraging him “to be a part of the conversation, challenge new ideas, and to listen, while being open-minded to different perspectives.”
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Students Get Set for Civic Leadership and Social Justice Roles
Students enrolled in the Barry Service Corps Fellows Program will provide opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to support social justice initiatives through direct and indirect service with nine community partners this academic year. In preparation for their roles, the 21 students participated in a 40-hour civic learning and leadership orientation last month.
The orientation included a historical tour of Miami, an exploration of pathways to social change, education on specific social issues, and visits to community agencies. The students also received training in facilitation skills, community organizing, urban farming, and diversity and cultural competency.
The BSC fellows have been assigned to four social justice teams through which they will work with community partners. The teams will focus on global citizenship, issues addressed by PACT (People Acting for Community Together), urban health, and youth development.
The global citizenship team will concentrate on consumer behavior and the related issue of globalization, as well as immigration and refugee concerns. Team members Naif Alkhathran, Hailee Jefferys, Presler Maxius, Paris Razor, and Quayneshia Smith will collaborate with Church World Service, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and the Student/Farmworker Alliance.
Smith, a senior BSC fellow, facilitated a Skype discussion with Immokalee-based CIW member Julia De la Cruz and SFA member Natali Rodriguez. The discussion focused on ways the fellows will support the coalition’s boycott of the Wendy’s fast-food chain.
Wendy’s has refused to participate in the Fair Food Program, Cruz said. She was referring to a CIW program designed to eradicate decades of farmworker exploitation, including modern-day slavery and sexual harassment.
During the orientation, Church World Service Resource Developer Phillip Rincon met with the global citizenship team. Rincon, a Barry alumnus, made a presentation on refugee issues in Miami.
Together with Maxius, a BSC fellow beginning his second year on the global citizenship team, Rincon led a brainstorming discussion about ways in which Barry students could support CWS work with refugees who will be resettled near Barry’s Miami
The PACT justice team will focus on juvenile justice and affordable housing issues in Miami-Dade
Fellows on the PACT team will assist in preparing service-learning students to support that organization’s initiatives. PACT organizes and trains leaders from diverse congregations, schools, and community groups to build a powerful community voice. The organization holds public officials accountable, promotes justice and democracy, and seeks social change in Miami-Dade
The urban health team will deal with food access, air quality, sustainability, green jobs, and neighborhood development issues. Through a partnership with Urban GreenWorks and EcoTech Visions, team members Jessica Darring, Althea Hylton, Alberto Liriano, Paola Montenegro, Efrem Scott, and Sha’novia Warren will contribute to a recently launched initiative to provide affordable access to fresh fruits and vegetables and to build a culture of healthy living in Little Haiti and
The initiative will include the development of a community-supported agriculture program as well as a school and community nutrition education program. It will also include a festival focused on healthy living and community revitalization. Called EcoFest, the three-day festival is scheduled for mid-November in Liberty
During their visit to EcoTech Visions, urban health team members and other BSC fellows learned about market-driven solutions to environmental challenges and job creation in low-income communities.
Members of the youth development team will lead service trips to the Little Haiti Optimist Club’s community site on Tuesday afternoons, to Lillie C. Evans K–8 Center on Wednesday afternoons, and to the Gang Alternative site on Thursday afternoons. Autumn Baker Peat, Seretse Davis, Sydney Ingram, Victor Oriscar, and Rajon Wright also will assist in developing and implementing the community partners’ health curricula.
Asha Starks, a senior BSC fellow, has been given a special assignment with the Carnival Arts program. She will work closely with the program director, Dr. Celeste Fraser Delgado, a professor in Barry’s School
Alejandro Tobon, also a senior BSC fellow, will gather information for proposed guidelines and procedures to assist communities, locally and abroad, in the event of a natural disaster. The Center for Community Service Initiatives will develop the guidelines and procedures.
The CCSI coordinates the BSC Fellows Program. It is a subprogram of the Barry Service Corps, composed mainly of students currently registered for federal work-study community service.
Throughout the academic year, the student leaders will assist the CCSI with recruiting students for community engagement activities and facilitating service trips. In addition, each fellow will design and implement a project that addresses a local community need.
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Park Beautification Project Set for Saturday
Barry will mark the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance by participating in a community service project on Saturday (Sept. 10) at
Represented by the CCSI, the university is partnering with Miami-Dade
“The day of service is expected to draw 200 volunteers from the Greater Miami community,” said CCSI Program Coordinator Ashton Spangler. “Approximately 30 Barry
The Corporation for National and Community Service, or CNCS, is a major sponsor of the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance.
For further information, contact Ashton Spangler at aspangler@barry.edu or 305-899-5465.
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Deliberative Dialogue to Focus on Political Discourse
This academic year’s Deliberative Series will begin on Wednesday,Sept. 21, with a forum focused on current political discourse.
Titled “Political Discourse in this Election Season: Rhetoric, Rights, and Responsibilities,” the 90-minute forum will be held in Room 112 of the Andreas Building on Barry’s Miami Shores campus, beginning at 4 p.m.
For further information, contact CCSI Associate Director Courtney Berrien at cberrien@barry.edu or 305-899-4017.
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Community Engagement Fair Takes Place on September 20
This year’s Community Engagement Fair will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the events room and atrium of the Landon Student Union.
The first segment of the event, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., will be a workshop for community partners. During the second segment, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., community partners will showcase their programs, services, and opportunities for collaborative service.
Faculty and staff members are encouraged to join students attending the fair.
Additional information on the fair is available from the CCSI at service@barry.edu or 305-899-3696.
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Faculty Learning Community Meets Next Tuesday
The Faculty Learning Community for Engaged Scholarship will have its first meeting for the academic year next Tuesday, September 13, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. The CCSI will host the meeting in Adrian 208.
The FLC is a cross-disciplinary group of faculty members who engage in an active, collaborative program focused on the scholarship of engagement. Also known as community-engaged scholarship (CES), the scholarship of engagement integrates work in the areas of teaching, research, and service that addresses community issues.
The FLC is open to all faculty members. Prospective members are urged to attend the meeting.
For further information, contact Dr. Laura Finley, FLC facilitator, at lfinley@barry.edu, or the CCSI.
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United Way of Miami-Dade Seeks Volunteers for Reading Program
United Way of Miami-Dade is seeking volunteers for its ReadingPals program. Volunteers read to young children in pre-kindergarten classrooms in neighborhoods throughout Miami-Dade county.
According to the program organizers, volunteers help to enhance literacy and instill a love of reading.
“Research shows that children who learn to read well at an early age will not only read more independently, but also achieve more in math, social studies and science, and are more likely to graduate high school and pursue higher education,” United Way of Miami-Dade said in a statement. “Early literacy is a key strategy to success.”
The next ReadingPals session will begin the week of September 12 and will run weekly through May 12 next year. Volunteers are required to devote at least 30 minutes a week for 25 weeks (sessions). A level 1 background check is required.
For more information on the ReadingPals program, email readingpals@unitedwaymiami.org or call 305-646-7021.
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CCSI Newsletter
Posted On : September 06, 2016
