The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) serves as UT Austin’s “front porch.” This center fosters mutually beneficial community-university collaborations that further the university’s mission to serve Texas and beyond.
The Community Classroom is a series of courses offered to community members and residents taught by UT faculty, staff and community partners. These classes are designed to marry theory and practice and to offer a specific skill, knowledge, or expertise to support the work of engaged community members.
Upcoming Community Classroom Courses
Spring 2024
February 29th, 2024, 6 – 7:30 PM, Windsor Park Branch Library
Emotional Intelligence Workshop: Enhancing Interpersonal Connection This workshop aims to delve into the intricacies of emotional intelligence and its impact on effective communication. The workshop will be led by Jasmine Lott, MSN, RN, a dedicated mental health professional. Participants will explore how emotional intelligence contributes to fostering understanding and creating strong connections among individuals, emphasizing its relevance in multiple settings.
RSVP for the upcoming event here.
Previous Community Classroom Courses
Fall 2023
The Art of Circling: A “How To.” Facilitated by The Institute for Restorative Justice: The “How to” of Circling is a community-based initiative that aims to bring community organizers together to strengthen their skills, knowledge, and experiences of circling in a supportive and collaborative environment, with the goal of fostering a restorative organization. Trained facilitators will provide step-by-step instructions, demonstrations, and resources to empower participants to apply restorative approaches in their respective.
Spring 2023
Community Connection Through Restorative Circles. In partnership with the UT Center for Community Engagement, the Center for Access and Restorative Justice and Step Up Texas will host a session as part of CCE’s Community Classroom Series. This event will provide participants with an overview of restorative practices and an opportunity to experience engaging community voices through restorative circles.
Fall 2022
Navigating Grief and Loss: Thriving with a Heavy Heart. The Amen Group in Partnership with the UT Center for Community Engagement Community Classroom Series held two sessions with Theresa Libios. These faith-based, interactive discussions on Grief and Loss reviewed the stages of grief, highlights from the book Grief is Love: Living with Loss, facilitate a small group discussion, and closing prayer. The goal of these sessions was to help participants explore their own experiences with grief and loss, learn new ways of understanding grief and how to respond to it, and the importance of connecting with others and their faith for needed support.
Instructor:
- Theresa Libios, licensed professional counselor, EDMR therapist, and CES doctoral candidate.
SPRING 2021
Human Centered Advocacy was a virtual 4-week course hosted by the Community Advocacy and Healing Project (CAHP). This course provided a framework on how community members can advocate for sustainable change through a cultural, mindful, healing, and human-centered lens. Participants learned to create, audit and adapt strategic plans for small businesses, creative projects, and community-oriented spaces.
Instructor:
- Fatima Mann, Founder of CAHP, Lawyer, Yoga Instructor
FALL 2020
Community Education Exchange was a virtual 4-week course hosted by UT Austin’s Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis (IUPRA). This course provided community members with policy tools and resources that can be used to communicate information to city leaders related to their concerns in the city’s K-12 public education. Participants learned about policymaking, specifically on how to write policy briefs and policy recommendations.
Instructors:
- Dr. Danielle Wright, Associate Director of IUPRA, UT Austin College of Education
- Dr. Tracie Lowe, Assistant Director of Assessment, IUPRA
- Annika Olson, Assistant Director of Policy, IUPRA
- Rickey Lowe, Research Associate, IUPRA