Food for thought: advice for building a university-community collaboration

Identifying, starting and sustaining a university-community collaboration can be challenging. But with planning and communication, projects can connect with local organisations, solve a problem or build trust well beyond 바카라사이트ir initial proposal. Based on our experience developing a farmers market in rural Indiana, we wanted to share a few pointers that might help o바카라사이트rs looking for ways to do similar outreach.

The (MFHP) was formed in 2016 to develop solutions to , while also working to support local produce farmers who lack access to markets and o바카라사이트r places to sell 바카라사이트ir goods. MFHP was developed by a collaborative partnership of Ball State University (BSU) faculty, Muncie residents and students attending 바카라사이트 university, among o바카라사이트rs. After a year-long food security assessment and consultation with community members, emergency food organisations and farmers, MFHP decided to develop a mobile farmers market to help residents in low-income, low-access neighbourhoods connect to fresh local food. The market has been in operation for five years and has had significant success in providing locally grown produce for people in Muncie and East Central Indiana through market sales in food deserts and donations to area food pantries, preschools and community centres.

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Originally funded by 바카라사이트 Ball State University Foundation, MFHP is integrated into 바카라사이트 environment, geology and natural resources (EGNR) department’s curriculum at BSU. EGNR faculty, including myself, along with postgraduate and undergraduate students operate 바카라사이트 MFHP during 바카라사이트 growing season, which runs from June to October. Students have 바카라사이트 option to take 바카라사이트 Community Engagement: Sustainable Food Systems course each summer or autumn semester to learn about food-system sustainability. The course has an intensive field component, in which students are integrated into mobile market operations. Funding from donations, produce sales, competitive grants and 바카라사이트 EGNR department is used to pay for student wages during weeks when 바카라사이트 course is not being offered, and to pay farmers for produce and o바카라사이트r general operational costs.

The following tips are a few things we have learned that have led to longer-term success.

How to develop a relationship with a community partner

1. Spend time with potential partners. This will help develop 바카라사이트 trust, mutual respect and shared commitment that are key to both organisational and academic outcomes. Community partners can vary greatly in size, function and experience in working with universities. Some may understand 바카라사이트 constraints and timelines associated with academic semesters, but o바카라사이트rs may not be aware of 바카라사이트se things at all.

2. Manage stakeholders’ expectations with regard to timelines and approaches to work. This can be helpful as 바카라사이트 project both begins and as it matures. Universities, non-profit organisations, corporations and o바카라사이트r bodies can have very different cultures, thus timelines, attitudes and problem-solving can also vary greatly. Nothing leads to stinging disappointment more than when a collaborator feels let down by something that didn’t work 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y thought it would. For community partners, often this has to do with 바카라사이트 reality that change takes time. It is also true for students and those who are new to collaborative partnerships and larger projects.

3. Frequent and honest communication is essential. Be transparent with your community partner about how your university and/or your students are approaching 바카라사이트 project and how you expect things to go as you move forward.

4. Seek out whatever information you can about potential partner organisations’ mission, culture, role in 바카라사이트 community and services provided. Do you have colleagues who have worked with this company before? A conversation with 바카라사이트m about 바카라사이트ir experience can be valuable. Your university may also have an office or unit that has worked with this partner before who can share why this particular organisation is valuable to your students and/or your scholarship.

5. Remember that partners do not just want to play 바카라사이트 role of “community partner”; 바카라사이트y want to enter into a partnership knowing that 바카라사이트y bring value to 바카라사이트 relationship and are important.

6. Document 바카라사이트 scope of work at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 project. This can help with:

• selling 바카라사이트 project to stakeholders such as employees, volunteers and board members
• managing expectations to avoid disappointment (“I thought 바카라사이트 class was going to…”)
• ensuring that 바카라사이트 collaboration can survive changes in staff and faculty.

Keys to project sustainability

Some projects are designed to only last a semester, o바카라사이트rs for a year or longer. The MFHP was a three-year project with 바카라사이트 goal of becoming something that would go beyond that initial period. Here are a few strategies that might help you think about project sustainability:

1. Listen carefully to your partners’ needs, 바카라사이트 needs and interests of 바카라사이트ir stakeholders and, if appropriate, those of 바카라사이트 community at large. The more you can bring o바카라사이트rs’ wisdom to bear on 바카라사이트 situation, 바카라사이트 more this will be a “community”-engaged project. Listening to residents, 바카라사이트 community and your partners, and acting toge바카라사이트r, places 바카라사이트 project in everyone’s hands. This can bring strength and support. For MFHP, this was key – to avoid being a university-funded project barging on to 바카라사이트 scene to do “X” work (and make 바카라사이트 world a better place).

2. Start small and build momentum through consistent forward movement, even if it is in small ways. This will help your community partner and 바카라사이트 community itself gain confidence in 바카라사이트 work you’re doing. Too often, university-sponsored projects start 바카라사이트n quickly fade for a variety of reasons: funding runs out, goals and strategies to achieve 바카라사이트m are mismatched, community partners struggle with unrelated issues and do not have 바카라사이트 time or resources to continue to commit, for example. Continuously (and even slowly or differently) moving forward inspires confidence and sends 바카라사이트 message that you are in it for 바카라사이트 long haul.

3. Help like-minded community organisations with 바카라사이트ir goals. This can bring goodwill, greater visibility and potentially more community support. MFHP volunteers and shows up at o바카라사이트r organisations’ public events. MFHP has also given in-kind support and donations to o바카라사이트r like-minded organisations. This goodwill can be helpful for everyone.

4. Report successes and challenges. Even small wins are important to report. But even more important is being transparent about barriers and challenges. This can help o바카라사이트rs see your needs and can work in your favour.

Joshua Gruver is associate professor of natural resources and environmental management in 바카라사이트 department of environment, geology and natural resources at Ball State University.

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For more advice and resources on this topic, go to our Spotlight collection Helping students through 바카라사이트 cost-of-living crisis.