Empowering
Women
Worldwide
ALLEGHENY COLLEGE GLOBAL CITIZEN SCHOLARS
2020-2022
The Allegheny College Global Citizen Scholars (GCS) Program [currently on hiatus] was designed for students who are interested in unpacking a complex global issue through interdisciplinary coursework and experiential fieldwork. Participants in the program commit to two academic years of work. During this time, they take a seminar on the cohort topic every semester. The coursework in the seminars prepares students to work in small groups on a capstone community-engaged learning (CEL) project. The program experience culminates in a showcasing of student research, and the outcomes from the CEL projects at a public venue.
This website captures the experiences of Cohort IV (2020-22) on the theme of "Empowering Women Worldwide" [linked to U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 5].
Cohort IV of the Allegheny College Global Citizen Scholars Program was co-directed by Dr. Ishita Sinha Roy (Professor, Media & Cultural Studies) and Dr. Caryl Waggett (Professor, Global Health).
Click here to discover why Empowering Women is a Global Priority
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about the "Empowering Women" Global Citizen Scholar Program Design
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Fall 2022 / Spring 2023: Sustainable Outcomes
Seated L-R: Annaliese Stone, Rutendo Mavunga, Katherine Perez
Standing L-R: Prof. Sinha Roy, Samantha Minor, & Michael Williams
Front Row L-R: Annaliese Stone, Emily Mullen, Rutendo Mavunga, Katherine Perez, and Samantha Minor
Back Row L-R: Prof. Doug Luman and Prof. Sinha Roy
During the 2021 COVID-19 lockdown, a small team from Cohort IV of the Global Citizen Scholars Program, pictured above, worked with Media Studies Professor Ishita Sinha Roy, their Teaching Assistant Nicolle Long ('22), and the local community partner -- Women's Services Inc. in Meadville -- to write a children's anti-domestic abuse resource book called You are Not Alone.
Illustrations for the book were by Annaliese Stone, an Art, Science, Innovation Major ('24).
Professor Doug Luman (Computer Science) helped with the layout design and publishing of the book.
Michael Williams Director of Community Engaged Learning, provided invaluable guidance, and funded the completion of the project through a community outreach grant.
In Spring 2023, trained members from this group will collaborate with the Meadville Rotary AM Club, the Allegheny College Rotaract Club, and Women's Services, to use the book in anti-domestic violence education workshops across schools and public libraries in Crawford County, PA. Copies of the book will be distributed at these workshops.
SPRING 2022
Students in Cohort IV of the Global Citizen Scholars (GCS) Program completed their last academic seminar INTDS 390 (Interdisciplinary Applications for Global Citizen Scholars) in Spring 2022. During the semester, they connected virtually with a number of global experts from community outreach organizations in countries -- India, Ghana, Costa Rica. These organizations work with local communities on issues of women’s empowerment, across various sectors. The case studies from these emerging economies provide powerful insights into how investing in women can uplift entire communities. This was also a unique opportunity to explore how cultural differences, and the intersectionality of factors such as class and caste, religion, age, etc. affect the success of gender equity initiatives, which, in turn, impacts the progress made on other U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, across different countries.
In the Students' Own Words ...
Our final newsletter from Spring 2022 is available HERE, or if you click on the image on the right. You will need Adobe Reader to access the file.
To view the program for the May 14, 2022 events, click here. The Program also lists the GCS Cohort IV students alongside their declared Major(s)/Minor(s), languages spoken and/or being studied, and study abroad plans.
To view the posters displayed at the Allegheny College Richard Cook-Terry Lahti Scholars' Symposium, please click here, or on the image above.
Download the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, for free, to open the file.
In FALL 2021, students in Cohort IV of the Global Citizen Scholars (GCS) Program registered for INTDS 290 (GCS and Globalization) where we discussed select academic readings and explorations unpacking colonizing discourses about women across cultures. Student teams also polished and submitted the Spring 2021 projects to the community partner (Women's Services Inc. in Meadville). Students have also started to showcase their work at conferences, publications, and through other public channels. We have shared some of the Fall 2021 highlights below.
Please click on the image on the left, or HERE, to access some snapshots of our Fall 2021 highlights.
Download the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, for free, to open the file.
Please click on the image on the left, or HERE, to access the Spring 2021 Newsletter.
In Spring 2021, we collaborated with Meadville Women's Services Inc. on virtual Community Engaged Learning projects.
Our Cohort IV students continued to explore the theme of promoting "Empowering Women Worldwide," with a focus on domestic violence which had escalated during COVID-19 lockdown. Those who were vulnerable to abuse found themselves confined with their abusers for long periods of time and high stress and pandemic-related crises became triggers for violence.
Students worked in small groups, under the supervision of the GCS faculty directors and the now retired, Allegheny College Chaplain Rev. Jane Ellen Nickell, and were mentored by experts from our community partner organization -- Women's Services Inc. in Meadville. They worked on four exciting initiatives that were remote community partnership projects. Through these, they explored what "empowerment" means in the case of vulnerable populations, and practiced active listening and learning, before moving to take action. The newsletter below briefly describes the Spring Semester learning through the e-community collaborations.
On the academic front, our students completed a 2-credit seminar, INTDS190 with Profs. Sinha Roy and Waggett. INTDS 190 was an introduction to the cohort-related theme of the global citizen scholars program. Students explored the theme through local e-community projects. The emphasis was on developing civic identity and a commitment to finding ways in which they might take action individually and collectively.
FALL 2020 RE-CAP
On September 20, 2020, the on-campus Global Citizenship Scholars from Cohort IV, along with their Teaching Assistants, and Faculty, picnicked in the sun in the rooftop garden outside the Vukovich Communication Center. With masks on, the group made tie-and-dye masks for themselves and as gifts for friends. It was a much-needed respite from COVID isolation, to come together, share some laughter, play name games, and get to know each other. Photo Credits: Aveet Desai
Fall 2020 Zoom Webinars:
AMBASSADOR EMERITUS
GINA ABERCROMBIE-WEATHERLY
“Too often, each of us has walked into the room and been the only woman at the table. Certainly, as a woman of color, I have that experience far too often. And what could we do to change that?”
The first woman diplomat to lead a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia, and former U.S. ambassador to Malta, Gina Abercrombie-Weatherly has held a series of senior positions that have included advising the Commander of U.S. cyber forces on our foreign policy priorities, expanding our counterterrorism partnerships and programs as Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, and coordinating the largest evacuation of American citizens from a war zone since World War ll.
Ambassador Weatherly gave a Zoom talk to Allegheny students how to pursue change through a career in foreign diplomacy
Please click on the image on the left, or HERE to read about the experiences of the Global Citizen Scholars' from Cohort IV, as they began their first semester -- Fall 2020 -- in a pandemic year.
Please click here to see a larger version of the poster
NATIONAL COUNCIL for UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH 2022 COMPETITION FINALIST:
"Virtual Community Engaged Learning and An Ethics of Care." Submitted by Katherine Perez
Profs. Sinha Roy and Waggett co-presented their paper at the WSDD-U conference described above.
Here is the abstract for that presentation:
Embodying the Ethics of Sustainable Development: An SDG-Themed Community-Engaged Learning Cohort for Future Leaders
Incorporating the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into higher education curriculum raises critical pedagogical questions regarding who is developing whom and the power dynamics inscribed in such relationships.
This case study showcases an undergraduate first-year cohort of Global Citizen Scholars centered on SDG 5 (Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment) at a liberal arts college. During the COVID lockdown, students participated in a virtual community-engaged learning initiative developed in collaboration with the community partner (Women’s Services Inc.). While most higher education initiatives use the SDGs in courses oriented towards global problem-solving, this case study explores how the SDGs can provide the foundation to build more inclusive partnerships, framed by an ethics of care, between academic institutions and community partners. The cohort gained a broader understanding of working with vulnerable populations towards empowerment, and not simply working on their behalf. Faculty and community partners collaborated in addressing the politics of development and practical ways in which investments in women yield sustainable community transformations. This grassroots approach for rethinking global sustainable development practices encourages future young leaders to adopt “thinking-from-the-margins” for community collaboration.
This paper targets educators interested in addressing the ethics of sustainable development through community-engaged learning courses.
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