October 2019 Newsletter

October 24, 2019October 24, 2019 Erica Crowley

Welcome to the CHER October Newsletter! At the Center for Hartford Engagement & Research at Trinity College our mission is to strengthen educational partnerships with students, faculty, staff, and Hartford. Over the past few months we’ve knocked doors in the surrounding neighborhood, hosted student-led community events, engaged in community-based research with Hartford partners, and worked with faculty as they teach and develop community learning courses. If you are interested in getting involved or partnering with CHER programs, be sure to contact us.

Trinity’s Relationship with Hartford:
Results from a Community Resident Survey

In the summer of 2019, Trinity College undertook a door-to-door canvas survey of residents in the 15 square blocks around the campus. The purpose of this survey was to listen to and learn from the neighbors who live near the Trinity campus. Teams of student and community interviewers spoke with 114 neighborhood residents about their perceptions of their neighborhood, their knowledge and perception of Trinity College and its community-facing programming, and their direct experiences with the campus. See the full report on our blog and attend a presentation & feedback session: Friday October 25th at 12 noon at McCook Conference Room at Trinity College; Tuesday Nov 12th at 6pm at Southwest/Behind the Rocks NRZ meeting; and Thursday Nov 14th at 6pm at Maple Ave NRZ meeting.

Students and Faculty: Apply to Join a Liberal Arts Action Lab Research team by Thursday 10/31

In the Liberal Arts Action Lab, teams of students and faculty from Capital Community College and Trinity College work together on research projects proposed by Hartford community partners. Capital and Trinity students and faculty should apply for any of the 6 project options by October 31st at http://action-lab.org/apply. Contact Megan.Brown@trincoll.edu with any questions.

Trinfo.Café Students Lead Community Events: TrinfoBringo, Yoga, LGBTQ+ Movie Night, Paint Night, Moonlit Movies

These days, there’s always something happening at Trinfo.Café! This semester, Trinfo.Café continued its student leadership initiative– Trinfo student workers are teaching computer literacy, offering drop-in tech help, and taking on the task of independently organizing free public events for the Trinity and Hartford community. Mary Meza Celis ’22 aid, “I think Trinfo’s effort of having students organize events where students and people from the community can participate is a positive of the campus…Sometimes the campus can feel very exclusive, and for me the [events like this] are like a stress relief because you don’t feel like you’re always in a bubble. I like seeing other people and knowing there are more people I can talk to and more people I can connect with in Hartford.” Click here for details about the upcoming Halloween Moonlit Movies, Community Paint Night, and more!

Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy and La Voz Latina Celebrate
Hispanic Heritage Month

Last week, Trinity College La Voz Latina students and Compass Youth Collaborative joined HMTCA students, families, and educators for a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. Major highlights of the celebration included a dance performance by HMTCA students (directed by Ms. Carmen Rivera) and La Voz Latina’s demonstration of “papel picado” which is a form of Mexican folk art that uses tissue paper and repetitive designs to create wall hangings. This small collaboration complements the focus on multiculturalism and multilingualism in the renewed partnership agreement between HMTCA and Trinity College. Read more on our blog here.

Trinity’s Project PACKS is Largest Contributor to Hands on Hartford
Backpack Nutrition Program

This week, we caught up with Project PACKS leaders Alison Cofranceso ‘20 and Hadley Santana Queiroz ‘20 to hear about their work organizing the campus to contribute to Project PACKS, a student group that donates food filled backpacks to the Hands on Hartford Backpack Nutrition Program every week. “There’s something really tangible about packing 40 backpacks full of food that are going directly to kids in Hartford. We’re the largest outside contributor to the Backpack Nutrition Program, and I think it’s really important not only to be giving back to the community that we’re in, but giving back in a way where we’re relied upon.” – Hadley Santana Queiroz ’20. Read more on our blog here.

Trinity Joins YWCA Hartford Panel for Week Without Violence: Know the Facts, Hear the Stories of Survivors, Take Action

“You are not alone, you’re not to blame, and there’s a way out.” – In case you missed it, Trinity College Women & Gender Resource Action Center’s Laura Lockwood and Samantha McCarthy ’21 joined YWCA Hartford Region and University of Saint Joseph’s Title IX Coordinator and Diversity Director Rayna Dyton-White for a “Week Without Violence” panel discussion on how to take action in your community. Take a look at our blog for the highlights. Thank you Melinda Johnson and Terry Fitzgerald at YWCA Hartford for the invitation to partner!

Community Learning Faculty Fellows Begin Building Relationships in Hartford

The 2019-20 Community Learning Faculty Fellows are delving into their work developing teaching connections with a diversity of Hartford community partners. Their courses range from writing & rhetoric to public policy, economics, and studio arts. Congratulations again to Leah Cassorla, Elise Castillo, Rachel Moskowitz, Ibrahim Shikaki, and Lynn Sullivan. Read more about their courses here.

Join us for Halloween on Vernon Street Sunday Oct. 27th 1-3:30pm

This event is free and open to the public from 1-3:30pm at 114 Vernon Street.

Additional upcoming dates:

10/25- Halloween Moonlit Movie Night at Trinfo.Café, 1300 Broad St. at 6pm
10/28- “The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption” featuring Prof. Susan Masino and climate change author and journalist Dahr Jamail, Mark Twain House, 351 Farmington Ave, at 7:30pm
10/29- “From Civil Rights to Human Rights: Housing Struggles in Hartford” Panel Discussion at Hartford Public LibraryDowntown, 5:30-8pm (shoutout to community partner Dr. Fiona Vernal and Esther Appiah ‘20 and Ali Kara ‘20!)
11/4- Community Paint Night at Trinfo.Café, 1300 Broad St. on November 4th at 6pm
11/8- Community Open Mic Night at Trinfo.Café with the Mill, 1300 Broad St., at 5:30 pm
11/12- CHER Presentation on Community Resident Survey at Southwest/Behind the Rocks NRZ, Free Center, 460 New Britain Ave, at 6pm
11/14 CHER Presentation on Community Resident Survey at Maple Ave NRZ, St. Augustine Church, 10 Campfield Ave, at 6pm.
11/15- Cafe Con Leche at Trinfo.Café with La Voz Latina, 1300 Broad St., time TBA
12/9 Action Lab Research Project Presentations, 4-6pm, 10 Constitution Plaza.
12/10 Community Learning Research Fellows Presentations, 5:30-6:30pm, Dangremond Family Commons, Hallden Hall, Trinity College.

CHER Director: Jack Dougherty
CHER Communications & Data Assistant: Erica Crowley
Community Learning Director: Megan Faver Hartline
Community Service and Civic Engagement Director: Joe Barber
Community Service and Civic Engagement Assistant Director: Beatrice Alicea
Liberal Arts Action Lab Director: Megan Brown
Communications and Program Assistant: Morgan Finn
Trinfo.Cafe and Office of Community Relations Director: Carlos Espinosa
Program Manager: Arianna Basche
Urban Educational Initiatives Director: Robert Cotto Jr.

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