When I first interviewed with the Ginsberg Center, I knew it had something to do with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Ginsberg had provided a session about respectfully entering, engaging, and exiting communities for one of my classes, and they had also provided workshops for my sorority...
Ginsberg's Community Technical Assistance Collaborative (CTAC ) is an exemplar of partnership between U-M and the community as well as among units across U-M. The program provides experienced faculty and staff guidance to draw on the skills of graduate students across multiple disciplines to design, coordinate, and implement data and evaluation projects for community partners seeking to improve quality of life for residents. Here's a little background on how we got started.
Anne Mondro, Associate Professor, Stamps School of Art & Design. Anne and Joe Trumpey, co-taught Social Spacess which explored the ways in which artists and designers work within the public sphere. Students explored the practice of socially engaged art and design while building skills essential to engagement work including how to observe, interview, and collaborate through a partnership with Growing Hope, in Ypsilanti.
Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County approached CTAC to help them with an ongoing problem: the cost of appointment no-shows in their Behavioral Health Department (BHD). “We serve lots of people who don’t have many resources but have chronic mental health issues,” explains Senior Director Jill Kind. “We struggle with the cost of people not showing up for appointments. Staff and psychiatrists have to be paid even when people don’t show up.”
Our goal is to recognize students at graduation that have through direct service, activism and advocacy, or other forms of civic engagement, helped address or make positive change around a specific social issue within under-resourced communities or other groups.
