Category: Articles.

GW Students Help D.C. Children Learn Social Justice

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Through the SummerTrek Changemakers program, 10 GW students helped D.C. middle school students turn the issues they are passionate about into virtual advocacy campaigns.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted most activities to the virtual space, and for many George Washington University students, that includes volunteer work with children.

Nikki Vivekanandan, a junior studying nutrition science in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, previously volunteered with GWTeach, a STEM education program. When she learned about an opportunity to safely continue volunteering with kids this summer, Ms. Vivekanandan said she was excited to take advantage of it.

Through a partnership with Alice Deal Middle School, the Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service was able to offer GW students the opportunity to support D.C. children interested in addressing community issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, racism and climate change. In the SummerTrek Changemakers Program, students like Ms. Vivekanandan were able to facilitate the middle schoolers’ research and advocacy projects throughout July with virtual Zoom sessions twice a week.

Ms. Vivekanandan said that because the pandemic has hit everyone in different ways, she wanted to work with kids who were interested in social changemaking around the pandemic.

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GW Black Community Finds Solidarity through Virtual Support Sessions

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The #GWInSolidarity program series offers the safest space possible for the community to heal amid global unrest.

Black members of the George Washington University community shared feelings of exhaustion and distress around dealing with racism in their lives during a virtual session scheduled in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

Black faculty and staff discussed the pain and frustration they felt as parents having to explain continuing acts of police violence and racial profiling of black people to their children through difficult conversations. Conversations on racial inequality are particularly “frustrating” and “exhausting” when talking with white colleagues, many participants shared, because the work to educate others about the endless ways that racism manifests should not be black people’s burden.

Some participants said they felt that their white colleagues perceived them as a threat despite their personal achievements or accolades. So, they said, advocating for themselves has been met with resistance and a lack of empathy.

Other participants said that white students often express difficulty in understanding them as black faculty members, and those sentiments are reflected in the evaluations they receive.

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Q & A: How Does COVID-19 Highlight Health Disparities?

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Milken Institute SPH researcher Wendy Ellis discussed how the coronavirus pandemic impacts people differently along race and poverty lines.

About one third of people hospitalized from COVID-19 in March were African American, according to recent data from the Centers from Disease Control, despite making up only 18 percent of the population in the U.S. areas studied.

While the available data offers only a glimpse at the developing situation, the apparent racial and economic disparities are significant. Wendy Ellis, Dr.P.H. ’19, director of the Building Community Resilience Collaborative and Networks at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, has designed and implemented a strategic approach aimed at understanding and addressing these disparities.

The disparities that the COVID-19 pandemic have brought to light are not a result of the virus but a reflection of systemic issues in the United States, Dr. Ellis said. She spoke with GW Today to explain how these health disparities have come to light:

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Q & A: Talking to Kids about COVID-19

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CCAS Professor of Psychology Cynthia Rohrbeck shared some tips on the best approaches to discussing the global pandemic with children.

In times of uncertainty, it can be difficult to discuss some topics with children, and the coronavirus pandemic is more than uncertainty—the public health crisis is one that children and their parents have not seen before.

Children and teens may struggle with making sense of everything happening in the world, especially as their lives have to adjust to social distancing guidelines such as school closures and transitions to online learning.

That is why it is important for parents, caretakers and those with younger siblings to be prepared to initiate discussions about the virus and its impact in a way that reassures the children in their lives, said Cynthia Rohrbeck, a professor of psychology in the George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

Dr. Rohrbeck, whose research focuses on child stress and coping, spoke with GW Today about the best way to approach discussions with children about COVID-19:

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GW in the Community: Building Pipelines to Success for D.C. Youth

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Promising Futures engages D.C. middle and high school students as ambassadors and peer educators with a focus on everything from health to leadership skills.

When she was still in high school, Maranda Ward, Ed.D. ’17, wished that there was an outlet for her to meet other like-minded teens interested in engaging with their community.

It wasn’t until she started attending Spelman College that she was able to feel the power of peer education firsthand and see exactly what she had been missing. Once she had the opportunity to develop a youth program of her own, she knew peer education had to be a big part because of the benefits for the audiences as well as the peer educators. The benefits can be especially powerful for youth with marginalized identities because of the group-identity developed through these programs.

“I knew that I wanted to be part of creating that type of community for youth because I feel called to lead and serve youth,” Dr. Ward said.

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New Endowment to Support Student-Run Food Pantry

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The fund will allow the Store to continue bridging gaps toward a more food-secure community.

For as long as he can remember, hunger and nutrition programs have been at the top of Steven V. Roberts’ list for philanthropic endeavors.

Mr. Roberts has had a long philanthropic journey in his personal life and with George Washington University. He serves on the board of directors for Bread for the City, and the J.B. and M.C. Shapiro Professor of Media and Public Affairs, and his late wife, Cokie Roberts, dedicated their Christmas gift money toward hunger and feeding programs in the Washington, D.C., area.

“We always felt that hunger and nutrition was one of the best ways that you could tangibly intervene and make people’s lives better,” Mr. Roberts said. “I’ve been very blessed and fortunate in my life, and I have resources that I want to use to help student life at GW.”

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GW Community Offers Perspectives on Colonial Moniker

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During a King Week event, the “Decolonial Dialogue” panel shared how their diverse experiences have been impacted by the moniker as well as ways the university can decolonize education.

There are many ways that colonialism affects Georgie Britcher on campus, she said, and the most impactful is that there is no space for her to be herself.

“I often find myself hiding my Indigeneity and also recognizing I have the privilege to do that in many spaces,” said Ms. Britcher, who is president of GW Students for Indigenous and Native American Rights. “People should not have to hide who they are on this campus.”

She also described firsthand experiences where students and faculty joked around with the term “savage,” even after expressing the harm that the word has caused.

“Culture is not a joke, and I think that especially rich white students think that it is and are allowed to think that it is because they’re not going to face the repercussions,” Ms. Britcher said.

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Campus Life 101: Let’s Talk about Self Care

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While “self-care” has a reputation for indulgence, the practice is actually about simple activities that nurture overall health.

Self-care is much more than candles and bubble baths.

While these things can be helpful for some, it is not something that will help everyone meet their needs, which is why it is important for everyone to develop their own personalized self-care routine.

While George Washington University students balance a myriad of responsibilities, and as the semester wraps up and finals commence, it is critical to incorporate self-care into their schedules.

In the spirit of self-care, the Residential Education team this week will be helping students focus on their own self-care by providing access to tools and information for students to use to build their own personalized self-care kit. Area Coordinators will be distributing information in the coming days through activities customized to each hall.

To help students understand more about why self-care is important and how GW students can get started on their self-care journey, Chris Davis, assistant director of clinical services at the Colonial Health Center, offers some helpful tools and tips:

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Mayor Muriel Bowser Discusses D.C.’s Future

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During a George Talks Business Event, the mayor shared plans she has to attract businesses to D.C. and solve some of the problems the District is facing with affordability.

For anyone interested in public service, being the mayor of your hometown is “the best job you can have,” Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said.

There is a rhythm to the job, she said, and in her second term leading the District, she has learned a great deal about having the courage to make tough decisions to the benefit of the people she serves.

“Being a local government official puts you in front of your constituents each and every day—and in your day-to-day life,” Ms. Bowser said. “Being able to understand their vision for how our city will go into the next generation is critical to winning their trust and keeping their trust.”

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Actress MJ Rodriguez Shares How to Live Boldly

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During the fifth annual Diversity Summit, keynote speaker MJ Rodriguez, who stars in Pose on FX, discussed how she learned to be proud of her identity.

For her keynote address at George Washington University’s fifth annual Diversity Summit, Pose actress MJ Rodriguez said her main goal was to share love.

The GW community crowded Lisner Auditorium to see Ms. Rodriguez share her insights on fearlessly being yourself when the world can be harsh to those with differing identities. As an Afro-Latina transgender woman who struggled with her identity growing up after being bullied by her peers as a child, Ms. Rodriguez said she never imagined life would grant her opportunities to inspire young adults who may identify with her story.

“It’s kind of beautiful to see all these faces in a Diversity Summit, talking to every single last beautiful color of the rainbow in here,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “I didn’t think I was qualified for this, but there was this moment that I felt like I could finally take hold of me and feel truly bold.”

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GW Today.