June 2012 – CCBP | The University of Alabama

Third Annual 100 Lenses Creative/Leadership Camp Begins Sunday, June 10 on UA Campus.

June 9th, 2012
in Events, News

Contact: Dr. Heather Pleasants, heather.pleasants@ua.edu, 205-535-8073

Black Belt 100 Lenses Summer Camp Set For June 10"“14

TUSCALOOSA "” The third annual Black Belt 100 Lenses Summer Camp begins Sunday, June 10. The University of Alabama campus will host 50 public and private high school students from the 12 counties of Alabama's Black Belt region.

The campers will develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the history and people of the Black Belt region through photography, writing, performance, discussion, and multiple hands-on activities.

The project is one of the signature programs under the Office of Community Education in the Center for Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP). Community Education Director Dr. Heather Pleasants had this to say as the camp opened: “The camp’s legacy is the growth in knowledge, creativity and leadership that students experience. We look forward to seeing how these students will go on to create positive change in their communities and how the 100 Lenses experience affects their life's goals."

Key personnel for the camp are graduate students Meredith Randall, Kristin Law and Elliot Knight. Camp facilitators are undergraduate students Betsy Seymour, Greg Houser, Juan Carlos Rayes, Katy Gunn, Katie Berger, Ellie Isenhart and D’Anthony Jackson.

Selected by an advisory committee prior to the camp, participants are chosen based on creative submissions. The students were given cameras and asked to explore and document what was important in their lives and communities. Participants will share those photos with their peers to generate ideas to make their communities better. During camp, students will work together on creative photography activities, hear from community leaders, participate in creative writing workshops, and collaborate with local artists.

Black Belt 100 Lenses Camp will culminate with an exhibition of the students' photography and writing at a reception with their families and community leaders on Thursday, June 14 at The University of Alabama's Ferguson Center Gallery. The exhibit will continue until June 29. Following this initial exhibition, photographs will travel to venues in all 12 counties of the Black Belt region, each event organized with the help of the campers from their home county.

In conjunction with promoting skills in the art of photography and creative writing, the program also includes the goals of strengthening each students leadership skills, knowledge of Black Belt history, civic and community awareness, and critical thinking skills.

Doctoral Student Elliot Knight, the founder of 100 Lenses, is writing his dissertation about the history and impact of 100 Lenses.

Following is a sampling of his presentations and exhibitions based on his research: Fall 2008, Imagining America national conference. Los Angeles; fall 2009, Imagining America national conference, New Orleans; fall 2009, National Association of Graduate and Professional Students, Lincoln, Nebraska; spring 2010: Connecting the Dots: David Matthews Center for Civic Life national conference, Point Clear, Ala.; September 2010: Alabama Rural Health Conference in Tuscaloosa; spring 2011: Citizens Toolbox National Conference, Miami University; January 2012: Alabama Digital Humanities Center Luncheon in Tuscaloosa.

Future presentations: Proposals accepted at Scholarship in Action: Communities, Leaders and Citizens Conference, Auburn University, August 9-11, 2012 and NOSC 2012, September 30"“October 3, The Univesity of Alabama. Other submissions awaiting notification.

Black Belt 100 Lenses is a partnership between the Black Belt Community Foundation, The University of Alabama's Center for Community-Based Partnerships, the Alabama State Council on the Arts and both public and private high schools in Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Wilcox counties.

CCBP Summer Camp Helped Marengo County Student Choose Life's Direction

June 8th, 2012
in News, People

By Kirsten J. Barnes CCBP Graduate Assistant

What started out as a summer camp experience inspired 19-year-old D'Anthony Jackson to launch his own business, select a major in journalism and compete for a summer internship two years later at the UA Center for Community Based Partnerships (CCBP).

After spending two summers as a participant with the Black Belt 100 Lenses project, a photojournalism camp that prepares high school students in the art of photography by talking photos of people and places throughout Alabama's Black Belt Region, Jackson was hooked on the art form.

"I just loved it. My major is journalism and the program gave me a chance to express my love for journalism and photography," said Jackson, a rising sophomore at the University of West Alabama.

The program not only helped him decide on a career, but it also gave him the foundation to try his hand at professional photography by starting his own photography business.

"I started the business my senior year in high school," said Jackson, a Linden High School graduate and Marengo County native. "I do senior portraits and weddings and other events."

As a student participant in the program, Jackson focused on taking photos of Linden, Ala., in Marengo County.

"I took photos that explained what my community is to me," Jackson said, adding that it was easier to tell his story through photos. "I took pictures of railroads, buildings, people and stores. We had to have 50 black and white photos and 50 color photos. When I tried to explain my community with my mouth, it was different from taking and showing photos. You can see more perspectives about the community using photos."

This year, Jackson will attend the camp, not as a student, but as a facilitator, working as a CCBP intern. The camp is scheduled for Sunday"“Thursday, June 10"“14, 2012.

Dr. Heather Pleasants, CCBP director of Community Education, whose office oversees the program, is thrilled to have Jackson's participation.

"D'Anthony represents the best of what we hope students will be able to accomplish through and beyond their participation in the project," said Pleasants, who has worked with the program since joining CCBP in 2009. The project is a partnership between the Black Belt Community Foundation, CCBP and the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

"The program uses creative activity as a vehicle to help kids explore their potential," Pleasants said. "We use photography and writing to work with the students who come to the camp. It helps them see themselves and the communities around them differently and in a way that they hadn’t previously been able to articulate."

100 Lenses is the brainchild of Elliot Knight, a doctoral student who came up with the concept as a UA undergraduate and launched a similar project with UA students prior to launching the program for high school students. This year's program will involve 60 youth. "My favorite part of the program is the time I get to work with the students," said Knight, who for the past two years has been working more in a support role rather than a lead facilitator because of his dissertation research. He is using the program as a basis for his doctoral research and has interviewed participants extensively.

"A lot of them talk about getting out there and seeing the importance of interacting with people and being proactive," he said. "They see things in their communities differently. They learn to consciously think about what's important to them."

Like Jackson, Knight said students take away something life-changing from the program. Many of them start their own businesses or major in an area related to their interest, but all of them take photos and examine their surroundings more closely.

"The pictures help them to develop pride in where they are from," Knight said, adding that interacting with other students from small towns just like theirs throughout the state also increases their self-esteem and makes the state seem smaller. By interacting with other students with diverse perspectives, he said they come to realize that not having a place where young people can hang out together and share interests is not limited to their community. And they don't just rubber-stamp what they've heard in the past: They become critical examiners of their entire environment, Knight said, which leads them to embrace grassroots change, beginning with themselves.

Jackson is exited to be furthering his skills by working with the 100 Lenses directors and participants in the 2012 summer camp. The program has a mission to give youth a voice and a forum to raise and address issues that affect them and their community through analyzing and depicting the culture of the Black Belt region. Jackson will be helping to establish a network of citizens, who through cultural analysis and both visual and written expression, are committed to improving the quality of life in the Black Belt.

There will be the usual camp activities, but this year "I'll have more of a leadership role," continuing to develop skills he began in high school and is continuing in college. During his first year at UWA, Jackson was named Freshman of the Year after being nominated by Director of Student Support Services Vicki Spruiell.

Jackson was recognized because of his active college life and high grades. He made the Dean's List, is a Student Support Services Orientation Ambassador, Residence Hall Association President, and he is a member of the Scarlet Band from Tiger Land, the UWA choir, Phi Eta Sigma, the Student Government Association and the student newspaper MUSE. In addition, he was cast in a play in cooperation with the university and Pickens County.

"I just like to be involved," said Jackson, adding that was one of the reasons the program was a perfect fit for him. "I don't like to just sit in my room. I like to help people and stay involved. I guess they picked me as Freshman of the Year because while doing all of these things, I was still able to keep my grades up." He reports a GPA of 3.75.

Jackson said he is using skills honed in the 100 Lenses program to make connections and meet important people. Following one of the budding theater actor's performances of "The Face in the Courthouse Window," he got to meet Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and his wife Diane, who were in the audience as guests of UWA President Richard Holland.

Today the 100 Lenses archives has more than 7,000 images depicting the work of more than 200 high school students from 12 Black Belt counties in Alabama: Bullock, Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter and Wilcox counties.

"The past couple of camps we’ve had an emphasis on photography and writing, but now we have added performance," Pleasants said. "These creative areas come from the backgrounds of those who are participating in the camp. Videography and spoken word will be incorporated as well."

The Division of Community Affairs promotes engagement and outreach scholarship and major community events such as the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture and Concert. In fall 2012, the division will host the 13th annual National Outreach Scholarship Conference. Community Affairs subdivisions are the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, the Crossroads Community Center, and Equal Opportunity Programs, each with their own mission and objective.

The Center for Community-Based Partnerships (CCBP) provides leadership and operational assistance for hundreds of engaged scholarship projects locally, nationally and internationally, including publishing one of the leading research journals in the field, the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship. CCBP's motto is "Engaging Communities and Changing Lives."

Eighth Annual Open Arms Festival to Be Sunday at Riverside-Collins School

June 8th, 2012
in Events

The Hispanic Service Providers of Tuscaloosa announces the Eighth Annual Brazos Abiertos (Open Arms) Festival, Sunday, April 10, from 2-6 p.m. at Riverside-Collins Elementary School. The festival serves as both an informational fair and cultural exchange.

A Community Service Provider Information Booth Fair and a Health Fair, where local doctors and nurses will be conduct free health, vision and hearing screenings, will be available, and the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice will present a special panel on immigration reform.

Experts will present informative panel discussions on education, crime and safety, nutrition and strengthening family health and wellbeing from the Alabama Department of Public Health, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, and the Tuscaloosa Police Department. The festival will also feature a live remote courtesy of "La Nueva" radio program (WWPG-AM / WQZZ-FM), children's activities, food and fun.

The Hispanic Service Providers is an alliance of Tuscaloosa city and county social service agencies and various community partners that have united to meet the needs of the growing Hispanic/ Latino community. This group has begun working to address issues such as the language barrier, education, health, safety, social service deficits, legal issues, and housing, employment and community inclusion.

Brazos Abiertos is an annual event allowing the Hispanic/ Latino community access to information regarding important issues. Community representatives will be available to answer questions.

The event is free to the public and both children and adults are encouraged to attend. If you would like more information about this event, call Wanda Martin of Tuscaloosa's One Place (867 Redmont Drive, P.O. Box 40764, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 at (205) 462-1000, or e-mail her at wmartin@etfrc.org.

Hanninen First Came Up with the Idea for AERN

June 8th, 2012
in Co-directors of AERN

By Kirsten J. Barnes

After serving as director of The University of Alabama's Small Business Development Center for a number of years (he would never tell me how many) Paavo Hanninen was presented with an opportunity to take the work he was doing in Tuscaloosa at the Culverhouse College of Commerce's Center for Business and Economic Research to would-be entrepreneurs across rural Alabama.

Hanninen, along with Annette Watters, became co-director of the Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network, starting with four counties and growing that number to 17 more than 11 years ago.

"We were presented with an opportunity and we came up with an idea to take some resources and use them with some initial counties," said Hanninen, who holds a master's of business administration from the University of Mississippi. "People got very interested in it. It's gotten great support from the top down and it's just a pretty good idea that gained traction."

Over the years, the program has expanded into the following 17 counties: Bibb, Butler, Chambers, Choctaw, Dallas, Fayette, Greene, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Monroe, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Washington and Wilcox counties.

The concept was Hanninen's very own, pieced together through his many years of working with small business owners.

"It was based on the idea that we wanted to put the resources at the community level," Hanninen said. "We'd give them resources and tools to be able to help them in their own community rather than waiting for someone like me to come with a briefcase from 50 miles away. The idea is teaching folks to fish and not to just give them fish."

Most of the community agency partners are local Chambers of Commerce or libraries. Each partner agency is provided a toolkit of resources to encourage and assist potential and existing local entrepreneurs. The toolkit includes business reference materials, business planning software and computer technology.

The concept is not only popular across the UA campus; it is popular across rural Alabama.

"I just think that being an AERN partner agency is a plus in our area due to our population," said Sheryl Smedley, the director of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce. "Not every small city can have what we have here. We're very fortunate to have the resources provided by AERN."

It seems getting the word out about the program is the biggest challenge, but those who know about it are immediately interested.
"Everybody who comes in says they had no idea that we had anything like this in our community," Smedley said. "They go out and spread the word."

Smedley said not only has AERN helped several individual business owners in the Dallas County area, but that AERN also has helped her Chamber with training and business development programs.

"Paavo was like a support pillar," Smedley said. "If something needed to be done, he would see it through. If my board of directors needed a workshop, I could go to him. He helped me with a customer service workshop. I just told him what I needed and he put it all together."

Hanninen said this is the way the program is supposed to work. Business owners do not have to be members of the Chamber to qualify for the free resources. However, they do have to operate a business in one of the counties with an AERN partner.

"While I had been doing this, the schedule and resources were sporadic," Hanninen said. "I saw this as a way to create a permanent knowledge presence in the community injected at the community level in the chamber and other local entities we could identify."

AERN collects research on the companies it assists and the counties it operates in. Since 2006 it estimates 860 jobs have been saved or created at companies that used AERN resources.

Until a replacement is named AERN Outreach Coordinator Mary Patterson will coordinate the program.

"I have enjoyed working with Paavo and sharing his vision for AERN. He has helped me to make the connections and learn the needs of entrepreneurs in rural Alabama," Patterson said. "Paavo is a great communicator and always knew the territory and the people of rural Alabama, and they welcomed his expertise and assistance. He was very good at assessing the needs of the small business owner and getting the resources from the University of Alabama down to the ground level."

Hanninen placed emphasis on developing a network of community partners and said one of the challenges has been finding partners in every community who can take ownership of the project and discovering ways to tweak the concept to fit each and every rural community.

"Finding the correct partner locally is the key," Hanninen said. "It has to be someone who can take it and champion it and nurture it. We've got a lot of success in a lot of communities, but different things happen in different places."

But that's exactly what he likes most about AERN. It reaches people at the community level with the ability to offer immediate assistance.

"Through his vision and passion for AERN, the network has grown, and small business has prospered and added jobs to the local communities," Patterson said. "He has taught me well how to train the partners, and provide the seminars and workshops that are valued in areas where information is not as easily obtained as in a larger city."

Each location is in rural, middle-and-low income communities often left crippled by business closures.

His concept provides people with good information about launching or expanding a business enabling entrepreneurs to make meaningful economic decisions.

"I've always been kind of a guy who likes to get out in the community and meet folks and get to know them at the local level," said Hanninen, adding that AERN allowed him to get out into the community more than his previous position. "You get some satisfaction out of hearing the stories and it's just overall thoroughly interesting work."

Hanninen, who returned to AERN part-time after retiring in December of 2010 and stepped away again in January 2012, said he is not opposed to working with UA again or other agencies contractually as long as he can have the flexibility he needs for his teenage child.

"I have a 13-year-old child. I need flexibility," Hanninen said.

Watters' Vision of AERN Remained a Constant

June 8th, 2012
in Co-directors of AERN

By Kirsten J. Barnes

Annette Watters came to The University of Alabama as a freshman in the mid-1970s and until May 31, 2012, never left.

"I've been with the university since the late 1970s," said Watters who has earned a bachelor's and two master's degrees from The University.

Although she has worked in several areas of the university, since 1980 she has worked for the Culverhouse College of Commerce. The college runs the Center for Business and Economic Research, which operates the Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network, where Watters served as director in addition to her duties as director of the Alabama State Data Center, a federal partnership program with the United States Census Bureau.

AERN was started 11 years ago based on an idea by her then co-director Paavo Hanninen, who also worked for the College of Commerce.

"I was just in the right place at the right time to be a mother to this program," Watters said. "I think maybe it had something to do with my personality. I am extraverted enough that I like to meet people and do things outside of the campus and I'm also introverted enough to write the grants and do the paperwork and keep the accounts. It was the perfect mix for me."

The program targets entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs in 17 rural, economically challenged counties throughout Alabama. Until her replacement is named, Outreach Coordinator Mary Patterson will oversee the program.

Patterson said she is glad to have been able to work with Watters.

"It has been a rewarding experience to work with Annette for the past year and five months, and to help her accomplish the goals of AERN," Patterson said. "She is dedicated, detailed and prompt in her responses to the needs of the rural partners and entrepreneurs; and I was always impressed at the many hats she wore within the College of Commerce and Business Administration."

Today the program, which started in four counties, operates partner agencies in the following areas: Bibb, Butler, Chambers, Choctaw, Dallas, Fayette, Greene, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Monroe, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Washington and Wilcox counties.

"My favorite part has been getting to know people in rural Alabama," Watters said. "The interactions I've had with people who are tying real hard to make their communities a better place has been very rewarding."

Recently, Watters gave a presentation at the AERN Annual Meeting where she noted the recent accomplishments of the program. Having a background in collecting data for research, Watters' presentation focused on specialized information afforded those who take advantage of AERN. She cited nearly 900 jobs that had been created or saved using resources provided by AERN and the availability of more than 700 reports on industries, markets, economic trends, and other areas.

"There have been new jobs that have been created and there has been documentation of jobs that have been saved which has a discernible economic impact in the rural areas," Watters said. "There's been a lot of education that has gone into that. I think a good many more people in rural Alabama are now smarter about what it takes to run a successful small business in Alabama because of this program."

Allison Tucker is the director of the Sumter County Alabama Chamber of Commerce, which houses one of the newest partner agencies that Watters assisted in establishing.

"She's been very easy to work with," Tucker said of Watters. "If I had any questions, I would just call Annette and she was really quick to respond. I haven't had any problems."

Sheryl Smedley, director of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce, feels the same way about Watters and her efforts to assist the directors in finding resources and providing local business owners with options.

"I can't say enough about Annette," Smedley said. "If I got in a pinch or if somebody called and said they needed something, I could always go to Annette."

It's assisting the chamber directors and the individual business owners that Watters said she would miss the most.

"I will miss the interaction I have with our partner agencies in the different counties," Watters said. "I really like the people I have met in rural Alabama."

Watters can be sure her mark will be felt on the program for years to come.

"Her heart was truly in AERN, and she worked tirelessly to find funding for the program and to assist rural business owners with information and research to help them be successful." Patterson said. "Annette is a great leader and always enjoyed mentoring the success of rural businesses by bringing the University of Alabama's expertise to the community level. As she retires, we realize the contributions she has made to the University of Alabama and to the quality of life in distressed rural counties."

In fact, before she retired one of her last tasks was securing a grant that will add two new partner agencies.

"We have a grant that will enable Lamar and Hale counties to come in," Watters said. "I'm glad to be leaving, knowing that this has been accomplished."

Although leaving the program, Watters knows she and Hanninen have laid a strong foundation for others to build upon.

"I hope that AERN can expand in a couple of different ways. I hope we can continue to add counties that are interested and that want to belong to this network, but I also hope we can integrate into the engaged scholarship of the University of Alabama in a permanent and deep way," said Watters, referring to a scholarship philosophy, which connects the development of sustainable community programs to research. "I think there are a lot of cross campus partnerships that we can forge if we get the momentum right. I think there are a lot of possibilities."

For now, Watters said she is looking forward to retirement and the chance to catch up on projects long neglected because of a busy work schedule.

"I think I might learn to cook three nutritious meals a day," Watters said. "Whatever I do it will be here in Tuscaloosa. My husband's not retiring."

Watters has been married to John Watters, who also works for UA, for 42 years. The couple has one daughter, Allison Watters, who is a UA graduate and works as a public relations practitioner in New York.

AERN Annual Meeting: Farewell to Annette Watters and Paavo Hanninen, Who are Retiring

June 1st, 2012
in AERN, News

By Kirsten J. Barnes
CCBP Graduate Assistant

Editor’s Note: AERN is a long-time CCBP partner, cooperating in such matters as communication, research and seed fund operation. Annette Watters has been an active member of the CCBP Council since it was formed in 2008.

The 2012 Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network partners met on May 22 for a day-long meeting providing partners from the 17 counties an opportunity to learn about new resources, two new centers, and to say farewell to co-directors Paavo Hanninen and Annette Watters, who retired during the service year. The meeting was held at the AIME Building on the campus of The University of Alabama.

During the morning the partners learned about ways they can develop websites for their local sites, as well as ways they can help other businesses in their area learn about developing websites.

"I thought that it was great, especially the segment about the Website that Reata (Strickland) did," said Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce Director Sheryl Smedley, who has worked with AERN for the past three years. "That's what I struggle with because I don't have the money to build a website and get someone who can keep my site up the way it needs to be."

AERN Outreach Coordinator Mary Patterson selected the website training because it was something that members had requested more information about.

"At our workshops, we usually have a round-table discussion and some of the members said that they need more information about websites and marketing on the Internet," said Patterson, who will be coordinating the program until a new director is named.

During the presentation, UA Graphic Designer and Multimedia Artist Reata Strickland explained to the group low-cost ways in which they could develop, host and update their websites, enabling them to expand their reach.

"Seventy-eight percent of North Americans are Internet users," Strickland said. "So, if you need to know why you need to be online, that's the reason. It's an essential tool for small businesses."

Because most of the AERN satellite locations are housed in local Chambers of Commerce, the information provided to the partners can be redistributed throughout 18 counties and potentially impact thousands of business owners.

"I really more than anything enjoyed the demonstration on how to create your own website," said Jenn-Tate, director of the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce. "I could do so much more at the chamber with a website."

After lunch, Watters gave a presentation on the specialized services offered by AERN to its clients, including county-by-county economic breakdowns by industry.

"More than 700 different industry reports are available," Watters said.

In addition, to her presentation, Watters announced that there will be two new partners added to 18 existing counties of: Bibb, Butler, Chambers, Choctaw, Dallas, Fayette, Greene, Macon, Marengo, Marion, Monroe, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Tallapoosa, Washington and Wilcox.

"We have a grant that will enable Lamar and Hale counties to come in," Watters said. "I'm glad to be leaving, knowing that this has been accomplished."

One of the emphasis at the University of Alabama is to engage more community members though research conducted by students, faculty and staff members.

AERN is operated through the College of Business Administration and Dean Michael Hardin believes AERN is a great example of engaged scholarship.

Hardin said too often universities conduct "parachute" experiments where the come in, conduct research and leave.

"This is really what community engagement research is. This could serve as a model," Hardin said, praising Hanninen and Watters for their tireless efforts. "It has a great impact on the community. We come in and make the lives of the people in the community better."

AERN provides entrepreneurial tools and training to 18 rural counties, working in partnership with local agencies to provide entrepreneurs with research and business planning resources.

Each partner agency is provided a toolkit of resources to encourage and assist potential and existing local entrepreneurs. The package of resources includes business reference materials, business planning software, and computer technology.

Financial support for AERN has been provided by the Alabama State Legislature, University of Alabama Provost's Office, U.S. Small Business Administration, Delta Regional Authority, Appalachian Regional Authority, as well as in-kind contributions from our local partners.

Watters and Hanninen are credited with building AERN to its current national recognition as one of the best examples of engaged scholarship in rural America. They have been the co-directors since the program began in 2001 with four counties. An article about the program by Watters, Hanninen and C&BA Dean Mike Hardin appears in the Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, Vol. 4, No. 2. Members at the annual meeting were given a copy of the journal containing the article, entitled "Developing a Community-Based Research Network for Interdisciplinary Science: The Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network."

Month: June 2012