Background
Many OLLI organizations throughout the country (including OLLI – Asheville) support longstanding community engagement initiatives for their members. In this tradition, the Community Engagement Special Interest Group (CE SIG), begun in Fall 2017 in collaboration with OLLI’s Board of Advisors and Administration, envisions creating vehicles for meaningful and sustained engagement in the Durham community for OLLI members. By doing so, we hope to address key needs and issues identified by the Durham community and facilitate a sense of connection and shared purpose for OLLI members.
This course on food insecurity in Durham is the first project of the CE-SIG. Course participants will learn about food insecurity by engaging directly with three community partners who are working to address it: East Durham Children's Initiative, Farmer Foodshare, and Meals on Wheels Durham. Following an orientation to Durham—its demographics, structures, and characteristics, community partners will share their work with us including delivery of food to citizens in need, education, agency-level coordination of services, and policy. Working with one of the partners in small groups, participants will work to plan a project that will improve that partner's capacity and effectiveness. Towards the end of the semester, the groups will present their projects to the class, facilitate discussion and solicit feedback. While it will not be required, groups and the community representatives may choose to implement their projects outside of the classroom structure with support and assistance of the CE-SIG.
This course on food insecurity in Durham is the first project of the CE-SIG. Course participants will learn about food insecurity by engaging directly with three community partners who are working to address it: East Durham Children's Initiative, Farmer Foodshare, and Meals on Wheels Durham. Following an orientation to Durham—its demographics, structures, and characteristics, community partners will share their work with us including delivery of food to citizens in need, education, agency-level coordination of services, and policy. Working with one of the partners in small groups, participants will work to plan a project that will improve that partner's capacity and effectiveness. Towards the end of the semester, the groups will present their projects to the class, facilitate discussion and solicit feedback. While it will not be required, groups and the community representatives may choose to implement their projects outside of the classroom structure with support and assistance of the CE-SIG.