SIUE Educational Outreach Spring 2021

Throughout the 2020-21 year, students and faculty have been engaged with community-led projects in the City of Highland via the SIUE Successful Communities Collaborative (SSCC).  Three collaborative projects include watershed education and community-engagement activities and program development with Highland’s new Senior Center and Holly’s House of Hope (HHH). 

The watershed project includes promoting the updated Silver Lake Watershed plan by developing materials highlighting the benefits of living near a wetland, as well as conservation and stewardship practices to protect water quality. Mass Communication students are designing educational materials such as kids’ placemats, traveling information displays, and a permanent, outdoor message center highlighting key watershed benefits. 
 
The second and third projects center on Highland’s new Senior Center and Holly’s House of Hope (HHH). HHH is a non-profit whose mission is to guide young adults with disabilities toward more purpose-filled lives through employment and community service. 

Students are exploring programming opportunities distinct to the Senior Center and HHH, as well as areas of potential collaboration between the two entities. Student researchers are exploring volunteer and mentorship opportunities to connect community members with time and expertise who can share with individuals who could benefit from their mentorship and experience. The project is also exploring workforce and on-the-job training models for individuals with developmental disabilities in areas such as food preparation, landscaping, and maintenance.

The SIUE Successful Communities Collaborative is now seeking their next community partner for work beginning in fall 2021.  Harnessing the energy of curious engaged students, our city leaders can look at challenges with fresh eyes as students offer new perspectives to solve  unique challenges facing the community. If you are interested in partnering with SSCC, please complete this brief questionnaire and SIUE will initiate an informational and exploratory meeting.   

Q & A With Cindy Cobetto 

While the global pandemic of COVID-19 has devasted many industries, they have also helped our society reimagine how we might continue to connect in a socially distanced manner. Cindy Cobetto, Coordinator for Continuing Education for Licensed Professions Conferences and Events, quickly adapted and found a way to meet the needs of conference facilitators and attendees. “Once COVID hit, I was notified to pack up my office, cancel all events and work remotely. I was worried about my clients and how I could service them.”

With the help of SIUE ITS department and Cindy’s coworkers she was able to present her clients with the opportunity to host their conferences virtually. “Transitioning to online was a bit unsettling, but after receiving positive evaluations and compliments from clients and attendees, I gained a new sense of pride knowing that I could still make an impact virtually and the attendees were still receiving quality knowledge. I appreciate all the support I received from ITS and support of SIUE.”

How many events did you host virtually during the global pandemic? 
I was able to successfully host 6 virtual conferences including Suicide Prevention, Annual Hospice Conference, a two-day Social Work Conference, the annual Immigrants in our Midst Conference and an Art Therapy Conference.

What pros and cons are there when hosting virtual conferences?
Hosting a virtual conference can be very cost effective as since items such as rental space, food and beverages and additional audio-visual equipment are not needed. Having a virtual conference allows many of my groups to expand their audience with extended and unlimited registrations as well as reaching attendees who typically would not attend due to the inability to travel.  In addition, we can use break out rooms that allow the participants to attend break out sessions or smaller group activities

We’ve found some attendees might not have access and experience with technology to attend the conference. Others face “Zoom Fatigue” so we have to find new ways to create community.  Pet parades, scavenger hunts and virtual yoga are some of the ways that we’ve tried to break up the conference content and get the attendees to better know one another.

What advice would you offer when hosting a virtual conference?
Remember to be flexible, open minded and proactive. Schedule a virtual walk through and offer your speakers time to practice and test their presentations. Be sure to provide links compatible with computer and phone access, which will allow your attendees multiple viewing options.

What is next for virtual conferences?
Many of the conference sessions have been recorded and the content can be shared after the conference is over.  We are exploring some “on demand” CEU offerings as we build up these resources.