Global Learning Through Community Partnerships
By Eli Konwest and Isaiah Green
The Center for the Study of Global Change is proud to offer programming for members of the public to help foster global engagement, understanding, and responsibility. Here are a few ways we were engaged in 2023.
IU Global Film Festival
Throughout the past year, the Global Center collaborated with IU Global, all of the IU Area Studies Centers, and IU Cinemas to curate a film festival that highlights the experiences of diasporic communities and how their narratives bring attention to issues of sustainable development worldwide. As part of this initiative, the Global Center organized a series of film screenings in rural areas across southern Indiana. In collaboration with the IU Center for Rural Engagement, we held a total of four screenings in Brown County and Owen County. Following each screening, both on campus and in rural communities, we hosted Q&A sessions with subject matter experts, fostering open discussions about the impact of unsustainable conditions on diasporic communities. Over the course of the year, our festival engaged more than 300 individuals across southern Indiana, and we look forward to continuing to showcase globally oriented films in the years ahead, extending beyond the festival itself.
Work with the International Studies Consortium of Georgia
In October, in collaboration with other IU National and Language Resource Centers, the Global Center led the Virtual Conference on Internationalizing the Teacher Education Curriculum for faculty and staff from Consortium schools. Speakers at that event included Dr. Dawn Whitehead from the AAC&U, and faculty from several IU campuses, the University of Central Arkansas, and the University of Missouri. 60% of attendees were from HBCUs and other schools with traditionally underrepresented populations. One participant said, “I appreciated the diversity of perspectives and ideas presented at the conference. It was truly enriching.” The Global Center also supported other virtual events with the Consortium including programs with International Consulates for students and professional development events for faculty.
Additional Programs
In collaboration with the IU Area Studies centers, the University Club, and Meadowood Retirement Home, and the Hamilton Lugar Schools new Public, Regional, Global Initiatives Manager, we continued our long standing support of the Great Decisions Series of lectures for Bloomington community members and retirees. In November, the Global Center collaborated with the Project School on their annual International Night for families. This year, we expanded our partnership with them to host programs with students during the school day including programs about specific areas of the world and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As is annual tradition, we supported two events with local Bloomington arts organization, The Lotus Education & Arts Foundation. The Global Center sponsored free art and music performances associated with Lotus’s annual festival in September and their Lotus Blossoms Bazaar event for children and families in April.