Community Innovation Challenge
Background:
In a post COVID era, students are finding it difficult to engage with local Kentucky communities in an effective manner. This is especially true for individuals attending from others states and countries. Students often live their academic lives within a “Big Blue Bubble” or a limited radius surrounding the University of Kentucky. As such, members of the CIL designed and implemented the inaugural U.K. Community Innovation Challenge to assist students in positively engaging Kentucky communities through innovative initiatives.
Innovation:
2022 Theme: community beautification
In student teams, participants identify and propose innovative community leadership/engagement initiatives in which they can engage in an effective and mindful manner. Through this initiative, students network with faculty and community leaders, develop community leadership knowledge and skills, and ultimately learn and demonstrate innovative community engagement techniques within communities across the Commonwealth.
To accomplish this students engage with leaders from their chosen communities of place, practice or interest and “brainstorm” opportunities for innovative initiatives. Collectively, they then develop a proposal and budget for the community initiative. Finally, they present their proposals in the form of a lightning talk to a panel of community judges. If chosen, student teams are given a cash award and budget to complete their initiatives with their community partners.
We believe that CIL’s Community Innovation Challenge not only deepens students’ knowledge of community leadership and development but assists them in applying their knowledge into real world applications, seeing their contributions come to life with communities in a mutualistic fashion.
Results:
Congratulations to Ms. Adeyimika Desmennu, Adeola Oladeji and Olukemi Kolawole on winning the inaugural Community Innovation Challenge. Their community beautification project titled: “Beautifying, Fostering Communality, and integration in a Diverse Community of International Graduate Students at the University of Kentucky” has been selected and funded. Their project, focusing on international gaming and engagement, is intended to enhance solidarity and quality of life among residents of graduate student housing at the University of Kentucky - which includes students and families from 14 different countries. This collaborative initiative will be completed over the next few months and we are excited to learn from their innovative adventure.
This initiative was further highlighted at the 2013 International Society for Quality of Life Studies in Rotterdam Netherlands.
