Two proposals win SSW Social Innovation Challenge

The School of Social Work Social Innovation Challenge has awarded winning proposals in two categories: The Community Partnership Award for service innovation in a community organization, and the School of Social Work Award for innovation within the School of Social Work.

Congratulations to the winners

Community Partnership Award ($1000):

Caitlin Bordeaux, (MEd, Youth Development Leadership) in partnership with Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) at Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.
The Youth Leadership Institute supports ethnically diverse St. Paul high school youth to become leaders and contributors in their community. Bordeaux will create processes and partnerships to increase the involvement of Native Youth in the YLI program.

School of Social Work Award ($500):

Malaika Hankins, Marci Exsted, & Julia Wilber, (MSW) in partnership with Cary Waubanascum, SSW adjunct faculty member and doctoral student.
Master’s of Social Work students designed a toolkit for their peers to operationalize vital conversations on race with an intentional trajectory toward collective liberation and justice.  With the Social Innovation Challenge award, they will facilitate a series of “train-the-trainer” seminars on the toolkit and organize follow-up sessions for fellow students in the School of Social Work.

James Toole, Compass Institute CEO and School of Social Work fellow, generously sponsored the School of Social Work Innovation Challenge effort and offered applicants a design workshop to improve and expand on their initial proposals.

Judges who reviewed the exceptional pool of entries were Professor Mark Umbreit; Assistant Professor Cindy Vang; CASCW Outreach Coordinator Denise Cooper, and Academic Support Services Professional Peggy Pond.