EDU 316 Racism and Sexism in Educational Institutions

As future educators and community changemakers, an understanding of philanthropy and the role it plays in strengthening the northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati community. Philanthropy is not just financial support but includes a dedication of time and talent in support of nonprofit organizations in the community. Our EDU 316 course focused on diversity issues in education and support of students from diverse backgrounds. For our Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project, we researched local nonprofits with a focus on literacy education. Students created profiles of local nonprofits and shared them with the class. From the original list of organizations, students worked collaboratively to select Learning through Art, Inc. to receive the award. We would like to thank the Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement for making this enriched learning experience possible.

Responses from various EDU 316 students:

"To me, knowing about nonprofits, how they work, and why they are important is for sure something that everyone needs to know." - Katie Aardema 

"I am grateful to have participated in the Mayerson Project. Non-profits sometimes confuse me, especially when it comes to funding. I did not realize all the different ways for nonprofits to get funding; scholarships, grants, individual donations, fundraising, and probably more that I am not aware of. It is, however, inspiring to see how many organizations are out there. More often Cincinnati's schools and communities’ problems are discussed, rather than the people and organizations helping address these needs. It is also overwhelming to take on an important responsibility, such as addressing the literacy levels. Nevertheless, looking at all these different non-profits it is encouraging. Especially the ones I could utilize as a teacher to help meet the students’ needs. It is comforting to know I am not alone. That there are many resources and people (in and outside of schools) to help my future students and their families. As an educator I would prioritize involvement with at least a couple nonprofits. It is important to know the resources to be able to connect them to people who could benefit." - Asma Aladimi 

"The Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project was an incredible idea, and I am so glad we chose to focus our donation on a literacy program for young students.  It was so fitting for a class focused on education and equity to help channel resources toward students who might not have the same access to literacy resources.  Our focus on literacy awakened my conviction that reading skills are fundamental to creating a spirit of creativity, curiosity, and individuality in a person. The Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project taught our class how to use discernment and collaboration to help find organizations that could use our donation to most directly address our area of concern: child literacy.  Having multiple people involved allowed us all to pull our resources and suggest nonprofits we think would effectively use our donation.  When we finally made a decision, I felt confident that we came up with a better prospect than I would have come up with on my own." - Cameron Cochran

"The Mayerson project was an enjoyable assignment and I appreciated that it helps students open their eyes to all the great organizations out there that are trying to help people in need. With a little time and research, I was able to learn about several organizations that help others and helping children learn is important to me. This project helped me see that there are social issues but there are people, communities, and organizations that are striving to help improve social problems. I also think that this assignment helped me recognize that I can make a difference, I have a responsibility to our community, and provided me with ideas of how we can get involved." - Cesily Colaluca

Mission

Learning Through Art’s driving mission is to provide quality performing arts programs in support of arts integrated education, literacy, community development and engagement- encouraging multi-cultural awareness & understanding.  

For more information, https://www.learningthroughart.com/