UVA Community Engagement Preparation Video Series

Goals of User Guides

  • Provide an overview of the content and goals of individual videos 
  • Highlight the scenarios in which faculty, staff, and student leaders may use these videos  
  • Advise faculty, staff, and student leaders on how to stimulate discussion around the video topics both before and after viewing 
  • Provide viewers and facilitators additional resources pertaining to the topics introduced in the videos 

Video Series Overview

This series includes 10 videos: two addressing the history of UVA and the Charlottesville community; a pair of videos addressing, respectively, the mindset for engaging in public service for students and faculty/staff; and 6 case-study videos providing more in-depth information on the topics of education, employment, housing, immigration, healthcare, and incarceration/criminal justice reform. The case study topics are the issues identified by the University-Community Workgroup as part of UVA’s strategic planning efforts in 2019. In addition to providing information about the respective issues, the case study videos highlight best practices in community engagement being practiced by the focal community partners featured in the video.   

Guidance for Using Videos

These videos are designed to be used in the context of a course or training in which there is both framing prior to the viewing and time for reflection and/or discussion after viewing. Links to the videos should not be distributed to students. The community members, faculty, and students featured in the videos shared their views of the respective issues with the understanding that they would not be used for any other purpose than educating UVA students, faculty, and staff on the historical and current issues of concern in the community.  

We have compiled a brief summary of each video, along with discussion questions and additional resources. If you would like to share additional questions or resources, please email them to Ellen Blackmon at [email protected].

Videos

Embracing a Service Mindset [Student]

Overview: 

Public service is a major part of the student experience at UVA. Not only do UVA students volunteer at high rates, they also report that they personally value social and political engagement.  

In this video, community members, alumni, and students highlight that public service is not only a way for students to share their time, energy, and passion, but that it is also an opportunity to broaden their learning experience.  

Just as in the classroom, students who volunteer in the community should carry with them a learning mindset that leaves them open to new information, to new directions, and open to challenging their previously held beliefs and biases about the community.  

In this video: Maggie Thornton (former Charlottesville City School Teacher; B.A. ‘08, M. Ed. ‘11, Ph.D. ‘21); Pat Edwards (Resident, Starr Hill Neighborhood; Former Charlottesville City School Teacher); Nathan Walton (Executive Director, Abundant Life Ministries; B.A. ‘09, Ph.D. ‘19); Tamara Wilkerson Dias (Executive Director, African American Teaching Fellows; B.A. ‘12, M.Ed. ‘12); Apostle Sarah A. Kelley (Pastor and Founder, Faith, Hope and Love Church of Deliverance); Teresa Price (Resident, Starr Hill Neighborhood; Former Charlottesville City School Teacher); Vikram Seshadri (B.A. ‘20); Maggie Hirshland (B.A. ‘20)  

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • What, specifically, would it look like for deep, collaborative relationship with the community to be an end in and of itself for the University and its students, staff and faculty?  
  • “If I’m stepping into a context to serve, there are already folks doing the work” – what are some strategies to make sure you know what’s already happening around the issues you are interested in helping with?  
  • Who are all the different stakeholders who benefit from community service and volunteering?  
    • Why do you volunteer? Why do you want to volunteer?  
    • What services are community partners providing to the University by hosting students, faculty and staff? 
  • Think about places you have lived, if you’ve lived somewhere other than Charlottesville – does anything in this video remind you of your previous experiences?  
  • Think about your academic life: have you had any classes, readings, or discussions that remind you of some of the things in the video?  

Additional Resources:

Asset-Based Thinking 

  • Kretzmann, J. & McKnight, J. (1993). Introduction. In J. Kretzmann & J. McKnight, Building Communities from the inside out: A path toward finding and mobilizing a community’s assets (pp., 1-8). Chicago: ACTA Publications. 
  • McKnight, J. (1989). When helping hurts: Why servanthood is bad. The Other Side.  

Community Cultural Wealth and Holders of Knowledge 

  • Yosso, T. (2005). Whose culture has capital? Race, Ethnicity and Education, 8(1): 69-91.  

View Embracing a Service Mindset [Student] Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)

Faculty Mindset

Overview:

Faculty have been on the forefront of community-based research and teaching at UVA, recognizing its threefold power to benefit community partners, deepen scholarship, and enhance student learning. In this video, community members and faculty share observations stemming from their experience within community-university partnerships and their insight on what makes for a particularly successful collaboration. As the interviewees detail, faculty are in a prime position to bridge the community-classroom gap through authentic, asset-based relationship-building with their neighbors near and far.  

In this video: Pat Edwards (Resident, Starr Hill Neighborhood; Former Charlottesville City School Teacher); Nathan Walton (Executive Director, Abundant Life Ministries; B.A. ‘09, Ph.D. ‘19); Patrice Grimes (Associate Professor of Education, Curry School of Education; Associate Dean, Office of African-American Affairs); Tamara Wilkerson Dias (Executive Director, African American Teaching Fellows; B.A. ‘12, M.Ed. ‘12); Apostle Sarah A. Kelley (Pastor and Founder, Faith, Hope and Love Church of Deliverance) 

Pre-Viewing Discussion Questions:

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • How could your course(s) address the issues raised in the video? 
  • What are the implications for structuring courses with embedded service?  
  • What, specifically, would it look like for deep, collaborative relationship with the community to be an end in and of itself for the University and its students, staff and faculty?  
  • What are some strategies to make sure you know what’s already happening around the issues you are interested researching or doing service in?  

Additional Resources:

View Faculty Mindset Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)

History I - Resilience Through Education

Overview: 

Histories of Thomas Jefferson depict a person of many faces, many dimensions, and profound contradictions. The same is true for the university he founded. Not only is the history of UVA more complex than is often portrayed, that history is also very much alive within the Charlottesville community today in the form of the divides that persist between the university and members of Charlottesville's African American community. For the first 50 years of its existence, UVA was a landscape of slavery and violence. Over the next 100 years, UVA embraced at turns Jim Crow rule, eugenics, and continued segregation. In this video, community members warn against taking any positive strides for granted and argue for continued consideration of the university's historical legacy [final sentence added 12/11 EDB]. 

In this video: John Gaines III (Retired Charlottesville City Schools Administrator and Teacher), Apostle Sarah Kelley (Pastor and Founder, Faith, Hope and Love Church of Deliverance; Retired ), Patrice Grimes (Associate Professor of Education, Curry School of Education; Associate Dean, Office of African-American Affairs), Andrea Douglas, Ph.D. (Executive Director, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center), Patricia Edwards (Resident, Starr Hill Neighborhood; Retired Charlottesville City School Teacher), Louis Nelson (Vice Provost for Academic Outreach; Architectural History Faculty).  

Pre-viewing activities: 

Think-Pair-Share: Have learners think about the video topic for a minute, then have them pair up and share what they know. After the video, a whole group discussion about what they learned, and how it was potentially different from what they thought prior to the screening.  

Reflection: Have learners write for 2 minutes before the video, either saying what they know or responding to a prompt related to the video. After the video, lead a discussion about what they wrote and they might change it as a result of what they learned.  

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • Have you had any experiences, read and/or viewed media that remind you of some of the things in the video?  
  • What do you think would be an appropriate way for the university to address or commemorate its history? 

Additional Resources:

View History I Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)

History II - Implications of Space and Access

Overview: 

This video explores the physical history of UVA and Charlottesville, examining how access to housing and services have been shaped by embedded racist beliefs and attitudes. The story of Vinegar Hill is used as a case study to highlight how urban renewal was used to undermine a thriving black commercial district. Issues introduced include: C’ville’s evolution from plantations to housing developments between 1865-1940; “Caucasian only” housing covenants; rise of zoning; denial of water, sewer, and other city services to black neighborhoods; and UVA’s current role in displacing low-income communities as it expands down west Main Street. 

In this video: Karenne Wood (1960-2019)(Member of the Monacan Indian Nation; Founder of the Virginia Indian Heritage Program at the Virginia Humanities Council; Ph.D. Anthropology from UVA); Patricia Edwards (Resident, Starr Hill Neighborhood; Retired Charlottesville City School Teacher), Jordy Yager (Journalist), Apostle Sarah Kelley (Pastor and Founder, Faith, Hope and Love Church of Deliverance), Teresa Price (Resident, Starr Hill Neighborhood; retired Charlottesville City School Librarian), Louis Nelson (Vice Provost for Academic Outreach; Architectural History Faculty); ), Angela Ciolfi (Executive Director, Legal Aid Justice Center), Joy Johnson (Public Housing Association of Residents). 

Pre-viewing activities: 

Think-Pair-Share: Have learners think about the video topic for a minute, then have them pair up and share what they know. After the video, a whole group discussion about what they learned, and how it was potentially different from what they thought prior to the screening.  

Reflection: Have learners write for 2 minutes before the video, either saying what they know or responding to a prompt related to the video. After the video, lead a discussion about what they wrote and they might change it as a result of what they learned.  

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • Have you had any experiences, read and/or viewed media that remind you of some of the things in the video?  
  • What in the video would you like to know more about? 
  • UVA and the Charlottesville area are frequently praised for their scenic qualities. Do these community voices and histories change how you look at UVA and Charlottesville? In what way? 
  • What direct and indirect impacts do make as a UVA student on Charlottesville?  
  • What sort of responsibility does UVA have to Charlottesville and its residents? What role should students, faculty and staff have in fulfilling that responsibility?  

Additional Resources:

View History II Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)

Education

Overview: 

This video examines K-12 education issues, with a focus on Abundant Life Ministries as an example of a community organization deploying best practices in engaging with its neighborhoods. The viewer will be introduced to the concept of the “opportunity gap” versus “achievement gap” in thinking about students needing tutoring and other enrichment. The ideas of valuing community engagement outside of fulfilling a class requirement or research need, as well as the importance of exploring the community and having authentic conversations with community members, are also discussed.  

In this video: Nathan Walton (Executive Director, Abundant Life Ministries; B.A. ‘09, Ph.D. ‘19); Tamara Wilkerson Dias (Executive Director, African American Teaching Fellows; B.A. ‘12, M.Ed. ‘12); Patrice Grimes (Associate Professor of Education, Curry School of Education; Associate Dean, Office of African-American Affairs). 

Pre-viewing activities: 

Think-Pair-Share: Have students think about the video topic for a minute, then have them pair up and share what they know. After the video, a whole group discussion about what they learned, and how it was potentially different from what they thought prior to the screening.  

Reflection: Have students write for 2 minutes before the video, either saying what they know or responding to a prompt related to the video. After the video, lead a discussion about what they wrote and they might change it as a result of what they learned.

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • Have you had any classes, readings, or discussions that remind you of some of the things in the video?  

Additional Resources:

View Education Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)

Employment

Overview: 

This is a case study of Network2Work that provides an introduction to the challenges faced by about 20% of C’ville’s population in finding employment. It also highlights the importance of listening and communication in working with community members. Issues discussed include: aligning the networks of employers, job seekers, and service providers; income self-sufficiency; income mobility challenges; and barriers to employment. 

In this video: Ridge Schuyler (Dean, Community Self-Sufficiency Programs, PVCC), Frank Squillace (Director, Network2Work), Victoria Maxey (Administrative Assistant, Network2Work). 

Pre-viewing activities: 

Think-Pair-Share: Have students think about the video topic for a minute, then have them pair up and share what they know. After the video, a whole group discussion about what they learned, and how it was potentially different from what they thought prior to the screening.  

Reflection: Have students write for 2 minutes before the video, either saying what they know or responding to a prompt related to the video. After the video, lead a discussion about what they wrote and they might change it as a result of what they learned.  

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
    • Did hearing about this organization’s work change or contribute to your knowledge of Charlottesville’s economy?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • Have you had any classes, readings, or discussions that remind you of some of the things in the video?  
  • College towns like Charlottesville, whose economies are dominated by the university, tend to rank poorly on measures of economic mobility and income inequality. How might this impact the way the different residents view and interact with the university? Does it change the way you view your role in Charlottesville? 
  • Network2Work has been effective in helping job seekers secure well-paying work. What do you think are distinguishing features of their approach?  

Additional Resources:

View Employment Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)

Immigration

Overview: 

This case study video examines issues faced by immigrants through the work of Sin Barreras. While immigrants from central and south America compose more than half the immigrants in the Charlottesville area, they remain “hidden” out of fear and not understanding how to navigate majority US culture. Issues discussed include: legal and medical needs; police profiling and criminalization of immigrants; advocacy vs. activist approaches; and daily living challenges.   

In this video: Fannie Smedile (President, Sin Barreras), Edgar Lara (Director of Community Engagement, Sin Barreras), Angela Ciolfi (Executive Director, Legal Aid Justice Center), Sara Garcia-Pretelt (Madison House Leader, B.A. ’20).  

Pre-viewing activities: 

Think-Pair-Share: Have students think about the video topic for a minute, then have them pair up and share what they know. After the video, a whole group discussion about what they learned, and how it was potentially different from what they thought prior to the screening.  

Reflection: Have students write for 2 minutes before the video, either saying what they know or responding to a prompt related to the video. After the video, lead a discussion about what they wrote and they might change it as a result of what they learned.  

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • Have you had any classes, readings, or discussions that remind you of some of the things in the video?  
  • Based on your viewing of this case study with Sin Barreras, what characteristics (of its mission, programming, leadership, etc.) do you think an effective immigrant aid and advocacy organization must have? 

Additional Resources:

View Immigration Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)

Incarceration and Criminal Justice Reform

Overview: 

This video provides an overview of criminal justice and reintegration issues, as they relate to Charlottesville. The focal organization is Resilience Education, which provides college-level business and financial literacy education at Dillwyn and Fluvanna state prison facilities using Darden students and the Socratic case approach used in the MBA program. Topics introduced include: mass incarceration, recidivism challenges, barriers to employment, racial disparities in incarceration rates, and the power of education in reducing recidivism.  

In this video: Harold Foley (Community Organizer, Legal Aid Justice Center); Angela Ciolfi (Executive Director, Legal Aid Justice Center), Joy Johnson (Public Housing Association of Residents); Tierney Fairchild (Executive Director, Resilience Education), Whitney Johnson (Director of Programs, Resilience Education); Dr. Wendy Lyle-Jones (Principal, Buckingham and Dillwyn Correctional Centers and Rustburg Field Unit). 

Pre-viewing activities: 

Think-Pair-Share: Have students think about the video topic for a minute, then have them pair up and share what they know. After the video, a whole group discussion about what they learned, and how it was potentially different from what they thought prior to the screening.  

Reflection: Have students write for 2 minutes before the video, either saying what they know or responding to a prompt related to the video. After the video, lead a discussion about what they wrote and they might change it as a result of what they learned. 

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • Have you had any classes, readings, or discussions that remind you of some of the things in the video?  

Additional Resources:

Statistics:

Discussion of criminal justice reform issues:

View Incarceration and Criminal Justice Reform Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)

Housing

Overview:

This video looks at the issue of low-income housing availability in Charlottesville through the work of Legal Aid and PHAR (Public Housing Association of Residents). It also introduces the issue of differential health outcomes associated with segregated neighborhoods and UVA’s role in denying clean water and other services to these neighborhoods. Legal Aid highlights its efforts to ensure it does not substitute its voice for that of its clients in its housing advocacy. Joy Johnson (Westhaven resident) gives an example of how a community garden project was changed into a research project on water flow after a student took the time solicit community concerns. Other issues introduced include: zoning and redlining; home ownership’s role in wealth accumulation; and the importance of having a critical lens in assessing the intentions of the establishment. 

In this video: Jordy Yager (Journalist); Dayna Matthew (Faculty, School of Law, UVA; Director, The Equity Center), Angela Ciolfi (Executive Director, Legal Aid Justice Center), Joy Johnson (Public Housing Association of Residents). 

Pre-viewing activities: 

Think-Pair-Share: Have students think about the video topic for a minute, then have them pair up and share what they know. After the video, a whole group discussion about what they learned, and how it was potentially different from what they thought prior to the screening.  

Reflection: Have students write for 2 minutes before the video, either saying what they know or responding to a prompt related to the video. After the video, lead a discussion about what they wrote and they might change it as a result of what they learned.  

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • Have you had any classes, readings, or discussions that remind you of some of the things in the video?  
  • This video presents a partnership between the Public Housing Association of Residents (PHAR) and Legal Aid Justice Center. What assets does each partner bring to the table to address housing security and quality? 
  • What can UVA “bring to the table” to help address Charlottesville’s affordable housing crisis? 

Additional Resources:

View Housing Video (Netbadge authentication required)

Healthcare

Overview: 

This video provides an introduction to mindset students, faculty, and staff should adopt before engaging with the community. It also describes some of the challenges faced by black community in accessing quality care.  

In this video:  Dayna Matthew (Faculty, School of Law, UVA; Director, The Equity Center), Apostle Sarah Kelley (Pastor and Founder, Faith, Hope and Love Church of Deliverance), Joy Johnson (Public Housing Association of Residents), Elizabeth Beasley (Director Community Partnerships, UVAHealth) 

Pre-viewing activities: 

Think-Pair-Share: Have students think about the video topic for a minute, then have them pair up and share what they know. After the video, a whole group discussion about what they learned, and how it was potentially different from what they thought prior to the screening.  

Reflection: Have students write for 2 minutes before the video, either saying what they know or responding to a prompt related to the video. After the video, lead a discussion about what they wrote and they might change it as a result of what they learned.  

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions:

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • Have you had any classes, readings, or discussions that remind you of some of the things in the video?  

Additional Resources:

View Healthcare Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)

A Brief History of Eugenics  

Overview: This video is based on an interview with physician-historian P. Preston Reynolds, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care and Associate Director of the Center for Health Disparities. Dr. Reynolds outlines the genesis and history of eugenics in the United States and how key early leaders at UVA embraced and promulgated its ideas. She then discusses some of the long-term impacts on healthcare in Charlottesville for the African American community.  

Pre-viewing activities: 

Think-Pair-Share: Have learners think about the video topic for a minute, then have them pair up and share what they know. After the video, a whole group discussion about what they learned, and how it was the potentially different from what they thought prior to the screening.  

Reflection: Have learners write for 2 minutes before the video, either saying what they know or responding to a prompt related to the video. After the video, lead a discussion about what they wrote and they might change it as a result of what they learned.  

Post-Viewing Discussion Questions: 

  • What surprised you? What did you already know?  
  • What would you say are the main takeaways from the video?  
  • What three things will stick with you from this video? What three things will you remember?  
  • Have you had any experiences, read and/or viewed media that remind you of some of the things in the video?    

Additional Resources:

View Eugenics Video (Netbadge Authentication Required)