ALIVE Center’s annual Campus and Community Network meeting Oct. 18

A few years ago, the WKU ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships started the Campus and Community Network (CCN) to create partnerships to address community needs. The result has been more than 50 campus and community members working together. More are invited to join those efforts on Thursday (Oct. 18) at the annual Campus and Community Network meeting.

Anyone interested in participating in the Campus and Community Network is invited to attend from 9 a.m. to noon at the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce.

“Participants can expect an active morning with discussion. Groups will be formed around issues, and facilitators will guide them through the first steps for each workgroup, including defining the issue, group goals, existing resources and next steps,” said Nadia De Leon, Community Engagement Coordinator.

Six work groups emerged from last year’s Campus and Community Network. The groups meet throughout the year and then join together for the annual meeting in the fall. During the upcoming meeting, the existing work groups will report on their activities, and new groups may be formed to address additional topics identified through the survey and registration process. Discussions will take place regarding ways to work together to build community in these identified areas of concern.

“It’s important to get together at least once a year so we can stay abreast of pressing community needs and work together to address them in collaborative and efficient ways. There is definitely power in numbers,” De Leon said.

Those who participate in the Campus and Community Network are expected to share ideas and input via online communication and in person at a biannual network meeting, as well as participate in the work group identified in your respective area of interest or expertise, as needed, to address the ongoing community challenges identified through the network. The CCN is essentially a group of individuals who work together to better the community.

The ALIVE Center created the Campus and Community Network after participants in a partnership workshop requested a way to apply the knowledge they have gained to collaborate in the community. Now, the role of the ALIVE Center for the Campus and Community Network is to gather input from network participants, identify recurring areas of concern, research existing organizations and efforts to include in future discussions, and invite all who wish to participate to an open venue to analyze the issues, take an inventory of existing resources, and develop work groups to address specific challenges and ongoing areas of community need.

For information about the Campus and Community Network, contact Nadia De Leon at the ALIVE Center at (270) 782-0082. To attend the fall workshop, call the ALIVE Center or register online at www.wku.edu/alive.

Contact: Aurelia Spaulding, (270) 782-0082.