Wilmington Partnership announces new round of mini-grant awardees
The Wilmington Partnership has awarded five mini-grants for the 2024-2025 academic year to support research by University of Delaware faculty, staff and students in collaboration with Wilmington community organizations.
Selected projects address concerns identified by Wilmington residents, are committed to a mutually beneficial relationship with the community partner, and advance equity for historically marginalized communities.
Awarded up to $5,000, projects represent a range of issues, from mobility justice and violence prevention to natural play environments for city Head Start centers.
“We are excited to support scholars working to thoughtfully, responsibly and respectfully engage with local community partners to meet their research and practice needs,” said Ann Aviles, associate professor of Human Development and Family Services, who leads the Wilmington Partnership. “Scholarship conducted with purpose and meaning that is driven by community needs results in rigorous, impactful, mutually beneficial processes and outcomes for both the University and community.”
The projects
Roger Hesketh, associate policy scientist at UD’s Center for Community Research and Service, is partnering with the Jefferson Street Center (JSC) to develop and pilot a community advisory panel that will help guide the community organization’s plans to influence the revitalization of northwest Wilmington.
David Kim, assistant professor of English and associate director of UD’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Research Center, will work with the Urban Bike Project on a digital storytelling project that captures the lived experience of bicyclists in Wilmington.
Chanele Moore, associate professor of Sociology in the University’s Associate in Arts Program, will work with Striving to Reach Our Next Generation, Inc. to implement a summer program for youth ages 12 to 17 from low-income, high-crime neighborhoods that provides life skills, mentorship and leadership opportunities.
The Community Violence Prevention Initiative is a partnership between Whitney Polk, assistant professor of Human Development and Family Sciences, and the Center for Structural Equity (CFSE), a community organization dedicated to empowering and supporting youth navigating and coping with structural violence. Mini-grant funding will support youth violence prevention training for CFSE staff and 10-15 Community Engagement Ambassadors (CEAs). CEAs will then each work with multiple youth in need of intensive academic and social-emotional support.
UD’s Living Lab Research Group and Wilmington Head Start have partnered to introduce natural play and environmental learning concepts into long-term playground enhancements at Wilmington Head Start centers. The project is informed by the expertise of primary investigators, Anna Wik, associate professor of landscape architecture and Nina David, associate professor in the Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, and co-primary investigator Katie Pollock, master teacher at UD’s Lab School.