CCB Exploring Living/Learning Community in Willimantic

[November 2008 - Creative Community Building Program] In July, the Creative Community Building (CCB) program hosted its first event, The Collaborence. About 20 community partners met to network with each other and to discuss aspects of the CCB program. Several of community members, including Peter DeBiasi of The Access Agency, stressed that our program go beyond offering students the opportunity to intern with or be mentored by community practitioners; that they learn by becoming members of the Willimantic community (or others communities in which they might be interning). The idea seemed to resonate with everyone at that workshop. Pressed by its community partners, CCB began to realize that by residing in the community, especially in a space open to community members for meetings or workshops, students would both learn at a deeper level and be able to engage more fully and collaboratively.

CCB is now committed to offering academic credit to students who participate in the development of such a Living/Living Center in Willimantic, through a General Studies Internship course that is already available in the University of Connecticut catalog. CCB will assist in other ways as well, e.g., by seeking funds from both public and private sources to to help acquire the right sort of space, and accessing information, working models, and advice from other campuses and organizations that have moved in a similar direction.

So far, representatives from multiple constituencies including The Access Agency, UConn, Eastern Connecticut State University, and the Town of Windham have met to discuss what would be needed to move the Living/Learning community forward.

For more information contact info@creativecommunitybuilding.org.