Of all the major challenges facing society, issues regarding mental health are perhaps the most overlooked and least understood. Community members gathered for the season’s last Front Porch Gathering on Tuesday, April 18th to discuss health disparities in Austin and the impacts on mental wellness, particularly in local communities of… read more
February 2017 Recap: The Impact of Gentrification on Longstanding Residents in East Austin
It is no question that Austin is changing fast. Amidst foreboding promises of “redevelopment” and “urban renewal,” the gentrification of East Austin’s neighborhoods and businesses has brought displacement, disconnection, and disappointment for longstanding residents. To create a space for dialogue and story sharing, The University of Texas at Austin’s (UT)… read more
February 2017 Recap: The Impact of Gentrification on Longstanding Residents in East Austin
It is no question that Austin is changing fast. Amidst foreboding promises of “redevelopment” and “urban renewal,” the gentrification of East Austin’s neighborhoods and businesses has brought displacement, disconnection, and disappointment for longstanding residents. To create a space for dialogue and story sharing, The University of Texas at Austin’s (UT)… read more
Building Bridges Recap (2/10): Investing in Education
Three representatives from Huston-Tillotson University (HT) led the Building Bridges conversation on February 10th, a Second Friday which always spotlights the “school to profession pipeline”. Autumn Caviness, Director of the Center of Academic Excellence, Rachel Kunz, Assistant Vice President – Adult Degree Program, and Dr. Dominique Bowman Vining, Director of… read more
Building Bridges Recap (2/3): Leadership on Immigration
This week’s Building Bridges conversation explored a topic whose that is at the forefront of political debate both locally and nationally–immigration. Shubhada Saxena, Board President of SAIVA (South Asian’s International Volunteer Association), chronicled the history of a nation founded by immigrants which now suppresses the citizenship of people of color… read more
Building Bridges Recap (1/27): Inequality in Austin’s Economy
On Friday morning, January 27th, the NAACP-Austin branch office was the setting for an eye-opening conversation between a diverse crowd of community organizers, longtime residents, graduate students, police officers, and educators. Garrett Groves, Director of Economic Opportunity at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, walked the group through his recent… read more
November 2016 Recap: Affordability & Re-Entry
The process of reentering mainstream society from the prison system takes a great toll, both financially and emotionally on the individual and those connected to them. Citizens reentering society after incarceration, who have fulfilled their sentences and seek to restart their lives, are given little to no tools to do… read more
November 15: Affordability and Re-entry
ABOUT THE FRONT PORCH GATHERING The CEC’s Front Porch Gathering represents UT’s open door to the Austin community, providing time and space for community collaboration. The monthly gathering works to address issues of equity, disparity, and access through active engagement and connects UT research and resources with community organizations and… read more
October 2016 Recap: Law Enforcement and Community Engagement
On a warm October evening, Austin’s Dobie Middle School opened its doors to welcome the second UT-Austin Community Engagement Center Front Porch Gathering—a community convening regarding law enforcement and community engagement. Dobie is located in the heart of the Rundberg neighborhood area, which has been the focus of the Restore… read more
September 2016 Recap: The Role of the Black Church in East Austin
As the “front porch” of The University of Texas at Austin (UT), the Community Engagement Center (CEC) initiates and stewards successful community-university partnerships that connect the resources of the university with individuals, groups, and institutions in historically and current underserved Austin communities. CEC’s Front Porch Gathering represents UT’s open door to the Austin… read more