Track: Social Justice & Community Engagement

A Healthy Smile

The Suitcase Clinic is a student-run organization that operates three drop-in centers for the homeless and low income community of the East Bay and Alameda County. This project will expand the Clinic’s services to include dental care. By addressing the dental care needs of underserved communities, A Healthy Smile will instill newfound confidence in clients. Dental Services to be provided include comprehensive and preventative care, cleanings and surgical extractions, dental x-rays, root platings, fillings, oral hygiene instruction and supplies, and 5 anterior root canals. The Dental Service is driven to provide more comprehensive services through the belief that adequate dental care is a right of all persons, regardless of their ability to pay.
(Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Social Justice & Community Engagement” category.)

Fruitful Minds

Fruitful Minds is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that aims to educate fourth through eighth graders in at-risk communities in making healthy decisions regarding diet and lifestyle. This is accomplished through nutrition education programs and activities that cater to the specific needs of each community. Fruitful Minds collaborates with local elementary and middle schools in Alameda County, in order to design a curriculum that complements existing programs. UC Berkeley students will work as Ambassadors to deliver the nutrition education program, which includes six one-hour lessons over the course of six weeks. The organization is run by UC Berkeley students and alums, who develop the website, write grants, develop marketing materials, conduct training programs, and review legal matters. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Social Justice & Community Engagement” category.)

Youth Creating Change

Youth Creating Change (YCC) is a program that connects inspired high school students with UCB student groups. The design of this program will includes high school students submitting proposals for projects they believe will positively benefit their community. UCB student groups will then pledge to serve as mentors, advocates, and partial funders for those projects. YCC believes community-led projects are most reflective of community needs and youth’s perspectives should be more valued. Organizing students and making them experts in their community helps youth see that they have agency and the possibilities of change. YCC gives students the financial support to work on these issues, as well as the logistical support to help them succeed. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Social Justice & Community Engagement” category.)

Building Three Sustainable Hogans in the Former Bennett Freeze Region of the Navajo Reservation

BI Filler Photo-01Project Pueblo is seeking to build a sustainable cordwood office Hogans and a 20’x40’ multipurpose warehouse in the former Bennett Freeze region of the Navajo reservation for Forgotten People, a grassroots nonprofit organization formed and based in the region. With only 24% of homes in the region habitable, these funds will provide a base that will enhance organizational capacity to house work crews, host meetings, and conduct distribution and storage of safe drinking water, produce, and other forms of aid. This project will also enable UC Berkeley students from various disciplines to engage in a unique and sustainable construction project while simultaneously learning and experiencing the Navajo culture. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Social Justice & Community Engagement” category.)

Students-Community Collaborative Design Challenge

This project will enhance community engagement on campus on three levels: practice, education, and research. A collaborative process between design students on campus, a nearby community, and CARES – a multidisciplinary team of designers and researchers – will be initiated through a design challenge, where students will offer design ideas to a real life design problem of an underserved community in need. The collaborative design process will provide ideas ready to be used by the community, real-life design experience, and a research platform for evaluating various methods for their ability to engage the community in the design process and produce more locally appropriate designs. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Social Justice & Community Engagement” category.)

CAL Community Kitchen

The goal of CAL Community Kitchen is to create a community-run kitchen which makes use of consumable leftover food goods from a network of local restaurants and small farms to creating healthy boxed meals for families in need. This work will be done by UCB undergraduate and graduate students and various community organizations dedicated to hunger alleviation and food justice. Ultimately, CAL Community Kitchen will offer a sense of community and a safe space to enjoy healthy meals. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Social Justice & Community Engagement” category.)

Social Resources for a Healthy Community

Social Resources for a Healthy Community aims to take available social services and fully maximize their effects on communities. The program is designed to engage Berkeley students in service learning and immerses them in real life issues. Students will be trained through DeCal classes on campus in social work approaches and methods with the assistance of the School of Social Welfare. The ultimate goal of this project is to establish a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site at Berkeley, establish a social resource consultant structure, and provide information regarding finance, health, education, and legal rights through workshops and educational outreaches.(Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Social Justice & Community Engagement” category.)

The Youth Empowerment Program

The Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) aims to provide a network of support and hope to immigrant children held in federal custody by connecting them to student role models from the University of California. YEP uses a five-month curriculum to help detained youth develop teamwork and leadership skills, reflect upon their past and make positive plans for their future while connecting with college student mentors. YEP provides an extensive leadership training program for volunteers by bringing in experts in diverse fields with the purpose of building future leaders for social justice. YEP volunteers utilize their leadership immediately by working with detained unaccompanied immigrant children every other week and engaging in direct community outreach. (Note: This project originally won in the Big Ideas “Social Justice & Community Engagement” category.)