We will be giving a presentation based on our experiences with the migrant community in Rochester and beyond. We have had the opportunity to participate in many Community Engagement initiatives and would like to share our experiences serving and learning. We have served migrant communities in Rochester throughout the duration of our academic careers at Nazareth University and want to present a slideshow sharing our knowledge and insights. Our research will be done through interviews and quantitative data. The majority of our research is derived from personal experiences. We decided to do this project due to the privilege of having gained invaluable knowledge from our personal experiences, time serving the community, and learning opportunities we have received. Additionally, we aim to educate others and share our experiences that have deepened our commitment to advocating for a group whose voices are frequently unheard, as well as a subject that holds significant relevance in today’s society considering the new laws that have recently been implemented.

keywords:  Migration, Refugees, Immigrants, Community Engagement

AARP formed a network of “Age-Friendly (AF) Communities” to help communities prepare for a growing population of older adults. Already, more than 1,100 villages, towns, cities, and counties have committed to the characteristics of AF Communities. Monroe County Executive, Adam Bello, has committed to this movement “to create an inclusive, age-friendly community for all its citizens.”

For our Current Topics in Gerontology and Geriatrics Education course in the Fall of 2024, we worked with the Monroe County Aging Alliance to explore Age Friendly (AF) Communities. AF Communities are livable communities for people of all ages. A livable community is one that is safe and secure. It offers choices in where to live and how to get around. It equitably serves residents of all ages, ability levels, incomes, races, ethnicities, and other backgrounds. Students and elders at St. John’s Meadows worked directly with municipalities in Monroe County to help them better understand their progress toward becoming an AF Community. Students and elders organized community listening sessions to measure AF resources and to then take that information directly to those tasked with ensuring livable communities exist for their residents.

keywords:  Age-Friendly Communities, Community-Engaged Learning, Multi-Generational Learning

Throughout this semester, the French Translation and Interpretation II class (FRN335) collaborated with local refugee families at the Rochester Refugee Resettlement Services center (RRRS). Our goals were to facilitate cultural exchange between our class and the families, practice the translation and interpretation theory we have learned in this course, and provide the families with opportunities to practice speaking and be exposed to the English language and American culture. We achieved these objectives through various activities planned with the input of our partner at the center who visited our classroom. Our group primarily used presentations and games to familiarize the refugees with aspects of American culture, while also practicing the consecutive interpretation of English (source language) to French (target language). Additionally, we were also able to facilitate cultural exchange through learning about the traditions of the family members we met at the center, the majority of whom come from Western and Central African countries, as well as from Brazil. Our presentation will explore the community-engaged learning component of our class, emphasizing the importance of clear communication through translation and interpretation in cultural exchange. We will discuss next steps and reflect on how these experiences taught us the value of effective communication in fostering meaningful cultural connections.

keywords:  Translation and Interpretation, Cultural exchange, Community Engagement

This panel discussion will outline different experiences with dance and politics. Dance and politics, while often not put together or thought of as two things that fit together smoothly, are very much closely intertwined. Especially in today's political climate, it is important to recognize the role that dance plays in politics and how dance can express protests and different communities' views. This panel is meant to educate and inform viewers as well as panel members on why dance is so important in communities and how this intertwines with politics. Each panel speaker will be asked questions about how dance and politics have intertwined for them as well as how dance has fit into their community. I will assign 2 questions per panel member, that will allow them to discuss their personal experiences. This might be how dance showed up in their community regarding politics, or how politics inspired their works or how dance gave them a political voice. Viewers can listen in on the panel as well as ask questions. I chose to have this panel discussion because I think there are not enough discussions about dance in marginalized communities as well as why dance is important regarding politics. Dance has been used as forms of protest. There are also politics within dance, with members of certain dance communities not having equal opportunities as others. Dance can be used as people's voices, especially those whose voices are not often heard. These are all important issues that I think need to be shown to viewers as well as sharing others experiences.

keywords:  Dance, Politics, Law, Community

Students will share their final projects from LST 301 that weave together aspects of language, literacy, and culture, with the lived experiences of interviewees. This year's interviewees were English Education students from the Universidad Católica de Valencia. Students worked in small groups to synthesize their findings to create video projects.

keywords:  Language, Literacy, Culture

The Community Youth Development Scholars in Collaboration with YVOV Mayor's Youth Council will deliver a project on the Theme: “Emotional Intelligence”. This project aims to explore and enhance the emotional intelligence (EI) of our Nazareth community. The collaboration will involve the design and implementation of a series of activities aimed at promoting emotional literacy among participants. This project will provide the Nazareth Community with the tools to enhance their emotional awareness, empathy, and communication skills. These activities will be rooted in experiential learning, encouraging youth to reflect on their emotional experiences, practice mindfulness, and develop strategies for conflict resolution and resilience.

keywords:  Community Youth Development, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Community Building

Our presentation aims to educate our community on the realities of reentry after incarceration. We will explore the current standard reentry procedures and opportunities available to the formerly incarcerated in New York and Colorado. Additionally, we will investigate factors that reduce recidivism and incentivize rehabilitation. We will be co-presenting with a group of currently incarcerated students from Colorado who will join us on Zoom.

keywords:  Community Engaged Learning, Recidivism, Reentry, Incarceration