School of Human Ecology students and Civil Society & Community Studies Associate Professor Ben Fisher (far right), shown here at Milton City Hall, worked with Milton Youth Coalition Project Manager Megge Casique (fourth from right) to address the goals of Milton High School students involved in the Substance Prevention Society. Photo by Abigail Becker.
Over the past year, several School of Human Ecology faculty, staff and students have partnered with UniverCity Alliance, a network of people across Wisconsin working to improve local governments and foster innovation to make tangible impacts on local communities.
Lori DiPrete Brown, Civil Society & Community Studies distinguished teaching faculty and director of Global Health and Human Ecology, co-chairs the UniverCity Alliance Advisory Board.
“UniverCity Alliance builds on the excellent history of service-learning, extension and outreach education at UW–Madison. UniverCity is a trifecta of applied student work, work with local governments and work that is oriented toward sustainability, equity and economic thriving around the state,” DiPrete Brown says. “There’s this synergy where we are building something unique on the Wisconsin Idea.”
DiPrete Brown led the creation of a web-based visualization tool for the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, through which the UniverCity Alliance also frames its projects. The tool helps users relate their work to social equity, environmental care and economic prosperity, as well as identify best practices, solutions and innovations.
Students in DiPrete Brown’s course Global Health and Communities: From Research to Praxis partnered with five cities across the country to align their local strategic plans with global sustainability goals to advance well-being in their communities. These cities were Fitchburg, Wisconsin; Tigard, Oregon; Cleveland, Ohio; Maplewood, Missouri; and Jonesboro, Georgia.
As part of the course Mixed-Methods in Community-Based Research, Civil Society & Community Studies Associate Professor Ben Fisher led graduate students in developing a social media toolkit for the Milton Youth Coalition and Substance Prevention Society, both based at the Wisconsin city’s high school. The toolkit aims to help youth navigate the social media landscape as they promote their substance-free events to peers.
In the same course, graduate students used a qualitative research method called Photovoice to work with Milton youth and gather data about the effectiveness of the Substance Prevention Society student group. The data from this process, in the form of photos and conversations, can then be used by the Milton Youth Coalition to write reports and seek funding.
In her Design Programming course, Design Studies Assistant Professor Uchita Vaid led four groups of students in fostering a sense of belonging in Wausau, Wisconsin by creating plans for a community space. The plans included a recreation center, multicultural youth center, indoor market and “village hearth” community hub.
The Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies (CommNS) identifies, trains and manages students who are assisting small Wisconsin communities with grant-writing support. So far, students have provided this support in Almena, Marquette and Peshtigo.
CommNS’ associate director, Amy Washbush, heads Co-Create, a team of faculty, staff and students who conduct research, evaluation and facilitation for community organizations. Co-Create interviewed participants of Culture Collectives, a Madison pop-up shop program, to learn about its strengths and challenges and determine future recommendations and lessons learned for other communities. Culture Collectives was launched in 2021 to support small-scale businesses of entrepreneurs of color.
CommNS Executive Director Mary Beth Collins also serves on the UniverCity Alliance Advisory Board.
“UniverCity Alliance knows how talented and imaginative School of Human Ecology students, faculty and instructors are when it comes to working with community partners,” Managing Director Gavin Luter says. “They have done projects ranging from design plans to program evaluation and youth-led initiatives, and we appreciate their commitment to listening to our community partners. We are also grateful for the leadership of Lori DiPrete Brown and appreciate Mary Beth Collins serving on the UniverCity Alliance Advisory Board.”
More information about UniverCity Alliance, its partnerships and its impacts across Wisconsin can be found in the organization’s 2024 annual report.