Through DukeEngage, students and faculty collaborate with communities – locally and globally – to address critical social issues.
Typically, planning for DukeEngage summer programming starts the previous fall, with open houses, "DE Week," and a flurry of activity in November as the first round of applications are due. This year was a little different. The uncertainty around coronavirus-related travel restrictions meant that our busy fall was a bit quieter than usual. But things changed quickly in January 2021, when we committed to running 19 programs virtually. In a matter of weeks, program descriptions were added to the website, training preceptors were recruited, and the application portal opened--and students responded!
Exceeding Applications
Despite knowing that all programs would be conducted remotely, nearly 350 students applied to DukeEngage for summer 2021. Of those, 177 students were selected to participate in 19 programs and 5 students were approved to conduct independent projects. And for the first time in DukeEngage's 14-year history, applications to US-focused programs far outweighed those to internationally-focused programs, with Detroit and Washington, DC proving the most popular.
Fortin Foundation DukeEngage Academy
A dozen DukeEngage alumni were hired and trained to serve as preceptors for the Fortin Foundation DukeEngage Academy. These experts spent a month helping to prepare the 2021 participants for their summer experiences. All DukeEngagers were required to participate in three 90-minute virtual training sessions: DukeEngage and Purpose, which included a mind-mapping exercise, a video on "voluntourism," and critiques of social engagement models; Virtual Community and Engagement, which included discussions about community and tips to stay engaged and productive while working remotely; and Identity and Social Change, which focused on various social change identities and roles.
"I really, really liked the activity about social identity and styles of engagement. It made me think about my role in the world beyond DukeEngage and the kind of work that my DukeEngage program fits into when talking about social change. I also found that the Virtual DukeEngage discussion was very useful as it offered concrete tips and resources on how to pull off a successful virtual program, since that was something I was a bit worried about." - Fortin Foundation DukeEngage Academy participant
Summer 2021 Programs
So what did summer 2021 look like? Program directors and site coordinators led 19 virtual programs with partners based in more than a dozen US cities and eight countries--all remotely!
DukeEngage-Cape Town students worked on programs for refugees, migrants and displaced persons in South Africa. Some students developed an app that aggregates resources for refugees while others helped compile work histories, review resumes, and create marketing campaigns. DukeEngage-Kenya students worked with longtime partner WISER and its Girls Secondary School. They formed an engineering club to help Kenyan students create a solar power system, designed culturally anchored posters and messaging that could be used for community education about sexual and reproductive health and rights, and compiled a report for USAID and community leaders on clean water utilization using data collected by the 2019 cohort.
"After working on a passive solar water heater, a WISER student said now 'we really feel like engineers.' As a woman in STEM, I’m really rethinking what [that] means now. This comment drove it home for me and I have a more meaningful sense of why women in STEM is important." - DukeEngage-Kenya WISER participant
At Duke's Marine Lab, DukeEngage students researched the impact of sea-level rise on communities in Coastal North Carolina, created an archival website for the Down East community, assessed outcome data for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plains and developed and led activities for BGCCP participants, created info-graphics for the North Carolina Marine Debris Action Plan, and worked with the Marine Lab's Community Science Initiative. One project team even had their blog about how kids are sparking environmental change published on the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration website!
"The data booklet Ryan and Finnie created will help us prioritize where we're going over the next 12 months—from programming and staff training to our dialogue with the community. It also shows us how we stack up to other state and national programs and will be a great resource for fundraising." - Kimberly Boyd '88, President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plains
DukeEngage-Detroit participants worked on a variety of projects designed to rebuild and strengthen community in the Motor City. One team created a 38-page Community Resource Guide for coaches and clients at ProsperUs, a place-based economic development initiative that builds and sustains neighborhood entrepreneurs and small businesses. Other teams worked with partners to create asset maps, assess accessibility of entrepreneurial services to immigrant communities, and develop marketing and fundraising plans. Many programs worked on education-based projects, from creating lesson plans for K-12 Bahamian students to teaching HTML coding at an all-girls summer camp in California--all remotely!
Faculty directors creatively incorporated enrichment activities into their programs so that students could learn more about local culture and communities. Several programs hosted virtual cooking classes so students could learn about--and taste!--regional cuisines, while other programs hosted speakers, read location-based novels, or listened to local music during their programs.
This summer also saw the introduction of two new programs: one in North Carolina that supported organizations working to address environmental injustices and enhance their organizational diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs; and a multi-state program that paired students with organizations addressing the dynamics and drivers of domestic minor sex trafficking.
Racial Equity Training
This summer, several DukeEngage programs participated in racial equity workshops led by Bryana Clover of 1619 Consulting. Prior to the workshops, DukeEngage students participated in a race-affinity dialogue to prepare their hearts and minds for the multi-racial workshops. Each workshop included historical context, key terminology and language, break-outs for small group discussion and sharing, and activities for students to practice what they learned. Clover also shared supplemental materials and discussion prompts via a private Facebook group and hosted a weekly optional 'office hour' where students could discuss key concepts, ask questions, and share concerns.
"We spent a good amount of time talking about the characteristics of white supremacy culture, which I realized were deeply embedded into many aspects of my everyday life, including school and my work with my community partner. Through that discussion, I was able to better understand the ways in which my behavior and habits played into that culture. I was also able to see the ways my community partner organization was pushing back against white supremacy culture, and how I could contribute to those goals." - Christina, DukeEngage-NC Environmental Justice and 1619 training participant
DukeEngage Gateway
In the midst of our second virtual summer, the DukeEngage team also launched a new community engagement program for incoming Duke students. DukeEngage Gateway offered rising first-years the chance to collaborate with community partners in their hometowns during the summer prior to their arrival at Duke, while joining a virtual community of engaged peers, faculty, and alumni to consider the responsibilities of citizenship, best practices in community-based collaboration, and their own sense of purpose in the world. In addition to their community projects, 29 participants engaged virtually in reflection workshops led by Duke faculty and in weekly “community conversations” about citizenship with leaders in public service fields.
“DukeEngage Gateway is so exciting, since it allows me to make an impact in my community before I leave, while still looking forward to my future at Duke by connecting with like-minded peers, passionate faculty, and amazing speakers – all of whom offer insightful new perspectives on the work we do.” - Ishaan, a DukeEngage Gateway participant who worked on a tele-medicine project to help reduce barriers to healthcare
Making a Difference
We are incredibly grateful to the 145 donors—including 20 DukeEngage alumni—who contributed more than $1 million in gifts and new commitments to DukeEngage in fiscal year 2021. These gifts, particularly unrestricted gifts to the DukeEngage Opportunity Fund, make everything we do possible.
"My summer was not without its flaws and trials, but at the end of every road was a takeaway which strengthened my resolve. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to engage in intellectual conversations with peers, build relationships with students from an astonishing variety of backgrounds, and work for an institution which I hold in such high esteem...I would also like to express my deep gratitude for the funders of DukeEngage who have enabled me to immerse myself so completely in science policy, and I am sure that this program will benefit many hundreds of students after myself." - Rosa, a DukeEngage-DC participant who worked on science policy issues at the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Visit dukeengage.duke.edu to learn more about DukeEngage, read student blogs, or make a gift to support this transformative program.
Credits:
DukeEngage Participants, Program Leaders, Site Coordinators, and Staff