This report shows the various collaborative projects between UNO and the community. Various filters are provided to gain a better understanding of how different UNO units collaborate with the community.
| Project | Project Focus Areas | Community Partners | Campus Partners | Engagement Type: | Activity Type: | Other Activity Type: | Start Semester: | Start Academic Year: | End Semester: | End Academic Year: | Total UNO Students: | UNO Students Hours: | UNO Faculty/Staff Hours: | Total K-12 Students: | K-12 Student Hours: | Total Number of Other Participants: | Topics: | Other Topics: | Description: | Subtags: |
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| Metro Omaha Urban Thinkscapes: 2019-20 (1922) | Educational Support | Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium (MOEc) | Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center (CEC), Teacher Education | Knowledge and Resource Sharing | Community-oriented lecture/event | None | Spring | 2019-20 | None | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | "Vision: To create Urban Thinkspace sites for the Omaha Metropolitan Area. Throughout the world, city leaders are recognizing the need for development of community spaces to improve the lives of young children and their families. Organizations such as Playful Planet https://www.playfulplanet.org.uk/ and Child in the City https://www.childinthecity.org/ are coordinating and supporting efforts of city planning that include children’s rights and well-being. Beginning in early 2020, a small group of Omaha leaders have begun to meet and plan to begin a project that will help create playful public spaces for children and residents. The leaders include Stephen Osberg, Director of Transportation Development of the Omaha Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Debora Wisneski, a UNO Associate Professor of Teacher Education; and Kate Knudsen, Facilitator of Metro-Omaha Raise Me to Read. (Metropolitan Omaha Education Consortium [MOEC] is the RMtR backbone). Other community partners who have committed to collaborate on the project are the Union of Contemporary Art, Amplify Arts, and Omaha By Design. Each partner or collaborator of the project will contribute their own expertise and funding for different aspects of the project. Drawing from the Urban Thinkscape project originating in Philadelphia, PA, the OUT project “brings the benefits of playful learning, which combines the enjoyable nature of play with a learning goal, to a community setting. Examples include puzzles at bus stops that stimulate spatial skills; movable parts on park benches that become opportunities for exploring language, color, and numbers while on-site signage and resources connect families to additional information and resources about the links between play and learning” (see http://urbanthinkscape.com/ and https://developingchild.harvard.edu/innovation-application/innovation-in-action/urban-thinkscape/) Goals for Omaha Urban Thinkspaces: • Create a playful sense of place in Omaha public spaces that showcases the art and culture of Omaha neighborhoods • Engage children and families with playful learning experiences will using public spaces • Increase the language and cognitive development of Omaha children and citizens Project Phases: PHASE 1: Design and Planning A. Identify Partners: Funders, Designers, Community and Education Leaders, Researchers, Artists a. Amplify Arts, Union of Contemporary Arts, Omaha By Design (Met 2.11.2021) b. Metro Area Transit & MAPA are being scheduled c. Application to UNO’s Strategic Investment: Social Justice, Inequality, Race & Class i. Research and Research Personnel d. Application to UNO Civic Participation CEC Mini-Grant i. Creation of Community Engagement Gameboard B. Invite Consultants from original Urban Thinkscape Project a. Invitation pending response (3.2021) C. Designate Planning Team D. Develop Budget and Confirm Funding Sources E. Identify Initial Sites F. Hold Community, Artists, and Education Focus Groups to guide design of Thinkspaces PHASE 2: Site and Study Preparation G. Design and Construct Sites H. Develop Research Study Plan I. Marketing and informational Plan PHASE 3: Implementation and Data Gathering J. Opening of sites K. Community informational and feedback sessions L. Research team gathers data PHASE 4: Community Reporting M. Research Report Analysis and Publication Shari-Hersh.pdf (playfullearninglandscapes.com) http://www.raisemetoread.org" 2022 This is an UPDATE to our first report about Omaha Urban Thinkscapes, a community engagement/collective impact initiative working to build learning-rich spaces and places in underdeveloped communities in the metro. At the Learning Happens Everywhere webpage, there are embedded links to an introductory video, and a Campaign for Grade Level Reading presentation. Additionally, one can discover project goals, advisors, community engagement events, and related projects, books, and research. The Spring & Summer of 2022 found us in the community with family playdates held at the North and South Omaha Learning Community Centers, and an Advisors play date at UNO. We learned that families fully understand the importance of play and engagement with their children, and that they have definite ideas about features they would love to see at Thinkscapes. We worked with Maverick PR to create an introductory video about this project, and with a UNO Strategic Writing Class which created informational pieces and products for future use. We also worked with the Office of Research and Creativity to submit a National Endowment for the Humanities grant application to create Historical Markers at two Thinkscapes sites in North and South Omaha. The team secured additional partners/advisors including Matt Orand, Omaha Children's Museum; Silva Raker, Kiewit Luminarium; Adam Fletcher Sasse, Author and curator of North Omaha Website; Sara Vanek, Mulhall's Landscaping & Garden Center; Julie Dierberger & Olajide Cooper at UNO Service Learning Academy; Claire Brown, Child & Family Wellbeing Coordinator at The Well Being Partners; and Jade Rodgers from the House of Afro Capes and Curls. This effort was featured in the All-America City application (see that information in another submission) as it met one of the major strands of enriching non-school spaces with learning opportunities. | ||||
| MOEC Virtual Screening and Discussion Resilience: 2020-21 (2635) | Health and Wellness | Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium (MOEc), The Wellbeing Partners | Communication, Fine Arts | Knowledge and Resource Sharing | Community-oriented lecture/event | None | Spring | 2020-21 | None | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | "Metro-Omaha Raise Me to Read hosted its second virtual screening of Resilience The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope, partnering with The Wellbeing Partners and featuring their Mental Health/ACEs Call to Action report. A child reared in adversity experiences toxic stress, which affects brain architecture, behavior, current and future health, and readiness to learn. Of course, then, this subject is important to both of our organizations. It is important to (in words from the film) “weave the understanding†about adversity and resilience throughout our community so that it can make “wise choices†and move from reacting to problems to responding. Maverick|PR assisted in outreach and pitches to local news and school entities. The March screening had 76 individuals whose affiliation includes 36 entities in 14 different cities, three states, and two countries. The entities include (noting the cities of those who are not from Omaha) : Diocese of San Hose (Los Altos, CA), EDGE (Nebraska City, NE), Buffett Early Childhood Institute, University of Nebraska Omaha, Juvenile Justice Institute, University of East Anglia (Suffolk & Lincolnshire, United Kingdom), St. Lucy’s Catholic Church (Campbell & Los Gatos, CA), One World Health, Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance, Lincoln Public Schools (Lincoln, NE), Douglas County Health and Human Services, Omaha Public Schools, Learning Center of South Omaha, Educare/Indian Hill, Papillion LaVista Public Schools (Papillion, NE), Citylight Church, Omaha Street School, Galvin Nonprofit Consulting Service, Beaufort Hyde Partnership for Children (Greenville, NC), International Council for Refugees & Immigrants/Americorps, College of St. Mary, Wake County Public Library [WCPL] (Raleigh, NC), Roots & Shoots Learning (Milton Keynes, United Kingdom), Immigrant Legal Center, Lutheran Family Services, Wholeheartedly LLC, UNL Trauma Informed Educators (Lincoln, NE), Nebraska Extension (Grand Island, NE), UNL Extension (O’Neil, NE), UNL Extension, Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln, Metropolitan Omaha Planning Agency, First Presbyterian Church, Independent/Non-Affiliated (Lincoln & Omaha). Attachment: Metro-Omaha Discussion Questions & Resources Links: Follow-up conversation slides https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gLEJkV3CKBem0DGIP7m5Yrm8KxydApv2gGizH3QeiU0/edit?usp=sharing; The Wellbeing Partners Mental Health Aces Report: ACEs_Call_to_Action_for_Web_1.pdf (douglascountyhealth.com) The Wellbeing Partners: The Wellbeing Partners “ Building wellbeing into the way communities grow and do business. Metro-Omaha Raise Me to Read: Raise Me to Read |" | ||||
| MavPR FAFSA Education: 2020-21 (2636) | Economic Impact | Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium (MOEc) | Communication, Fine Arts | Knowledge and Resource Sharing | Access to Higher Education | None | Spring | 2020-21 | None | 12 | 1,200 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Education | "MOEC has worked with MAV PR students and advisor Karen Weber for several years. Students have now produced two different videos encouraging students to complete the FAFSA. The latest version is here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/je5o72f4csjfqbi/FAFSA%20PSA%20-%20Revised.mov?dl=0 " Video was shared broadly with MOEC schools and other entities. | |||
| Video Series for UNO MOEC: 2021-22 (2414) | Arts, Culture and Humanities, Educational Support, Social Justice | International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium (MOEc), Raise me to Read | Communication | Knowledge and Resource Sharing | Specialized service contract | None | Fall | 2021-22 | Fall | 2021-22 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Education, Disadvantaged Populations, Literacy, Youth Programming | In this project Maverick PR produced a series of videos for UNO MOEC (Metropolitan Omaha Education Consortium) and Raise me to Read. The videos were produced in English and Spanish and encouraged child literacy. |