Tulane Students, Professor, Banneker Principal, Ashoka Fellow in Residence and Director of the Birthing Project Present at Ashoka 2012 in Tempe, AZ

Thanks to the presenters from Tulane and Banneker and the Birthing Project for the presentation at the Ashoka U Exchange, in Tempe, Arizona on February 11, 2012

From left to right: Laura White, Melanie Barlow, Colette Bolton, Cheryllyn Branche, Carol Whelan, Reina David, 
Anoop Jain, Katie Smalley, and Kathryn Hall-Truhillo. Photo by Albert Truhillo

From the point of view of a social entrepreneur, two students, a professor, and two community partners, this workshop show how a social venture can be a catalyst for university engagement with the surrounding community. This workshop asked: How can students become engaged in meaningful community service or internships? Can partnerships with universities serve as a conduit for community development? What obstacles prevent successful engagement of universities in their surrounding communities? We had a participatory discussion with leaders from two community partnerships with Tulane University, including the Birthing Project USA to improve birth outcomes for women of color, and a local elementary/middle school partnership to engage youth in social venture creation, to share best practices and to plan a new or improved community collaborations based on these examples.