University/Community Partnerships in Action at RIT

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A. Sue Weisler

RIT alumnus and current graduate student Cameron Hebda takes pride in educating Rochester’s youngsters about healthy eating. During the Imagine RIT festival on May 4, Hebda and other members of RIT’s University/Community Partnership will talk about how the program plays a role in economic revitalization and promoting sustainable community change in Rochester’s neighborhoods.

In partnering with Rochester’s neighborhoods, RIT students, faculty and staff have worked together to encourage economic revitalization. The result of this unique partnership is RIT University/Community Partnerships, sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts, which will share its successes and upcoming initiatives during Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival on May 4.

During the Imagine RIT festival, exhibitors at “RIT University/Community Partnerships in Action!” will engage visitors in their plans to promote sustainable community change in Rochester’s neighborhoods. The “all-ages” exhibit on the first floor of the Gordon Field House offers visitors the chance to contribute to a community art “graffiti mural” representing community connections and play games demonstrating how we are connected to our environment. Visitors will also be able to test their nutrition knowledge, make percussion instruments using recycled materials, and even participate in a live jam session.

“Some of our community partners will be joining us at our exhibit this year to share a few of the projects we are currently working on in the community,” says Jane Amstey, coordinator of RIT University/Community Partnerships. “Everyone who visits our booth will have a lot of fun.”

Since its inception in 1999, RIT University/Community Partnerships has created opportunities for more than 20 RIT faculty members and 700 students from across a variety of disciplines to work with neighborhood leaders and participate in projects such as developing business plans, creating asset maps for community planning, leadership development and action planning, and supporting community health initiatives.