What Missoula community challenge could a group of college students work on next summer?

We will have a team of about 7-8 students on hand next summer from the University of North Carolina to focus on a community challenge or problem. I am trying to source a list of these challenges so they can pick one to focus on.

Please feel free to share out with your networks and to invite others to throw some questions or problems out. Ideally I would love to have a list by end of year.

THANKS for considering.

Dawn McGee

CEO

Goodworks Ventures

406.370.2590 – cell

[email protected]

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CIVIC COLLABORATION SUMMER PROGRAM

What emerging dilemma is your city or organization facing? How could a team of curious, resourceful college students contribute to the work being done on this dilemma—at no cost to you?
The Civic Collaboration Summer is an opportunity for a small group of Morehead-Cain scholars from UNC-Chapel Hill to engage in a “deep dive” into your city while partnering with a host organization of changemakers. Their job is to learn as much as possible about an emerging dilemma, issue, or problem, shed new light on the possible options, and contribute to the work being done. Through this process, they will gain an understanding of the complex connections among a city’s economic, cultural, political, and historical systems, and wrestle with a city’s ambiguous challenges. In the end, the scholars will have an unmatched opportunity to become better self-starters, collaborators, and citizens. We challenge the scholars to:

EMBED THEMSELVES IN YOUR CITY
A team of five fully-funded scholars will spend eight weeks in your city, getting to know it intimately. We encourage scholars to talk to people, get to know insiders, and experience the riches the city has to offer.

INVESTIGATE AND GAIN INSIGHT
What are the major, unique issues of your city? Who are the leaders and influencers? How do things get done? Each team will address a major dilemma, an open-ended question that is relevant to your organization’s work.

COLLABORATE
The scholar team experience is the crux of the summer. They will learn how to collaborate with each other, the host organization, and stakeholders of all kinds. Collectively, they will determine the scope of their work, how they spend their time, and their ultimate deliverable.

CONTRIBUTE
The best experts on creating change already exist in your city, many within your organization. We encourage scholars to join the effort: partner up, learn from locals, and contribute to your work in their own way.

This is not an internship program. Internships tend to be project-based with concrete outcomes. By nature of working on a dilemma, the scholars’ work is open-ended, student-driven, and research-based. We are looking for hosts that value the learning opportunity that comes with tackling ambiguous problems. In this process, the scholars will bring energy and focus to a dilemma of your choosing, providing both research and active engagement. By the end of the summer, we hope that our scholars will become some of the most engaged “citizens” of your city.

How do we work with host organizations?

We are looking for host organizations at the epicenter of knowledge and change in their cities. Your expertise—about the history and current landscape of your city, about its personality and players—will be the lynchpin in the scholars’ success. Naturally, we want this experience to be as beneficial to your organization as it will be to the scholars’ growth as young professionals.

WHAT WE ASK FROM HOSTS:

• Suggest an emerging dilemma, question, or theme for the scholars to investigate.
• Provide guidance and mentorship rather than supervision. Unlike a traditional internship, we want the scholars to manage their schedule and workplan. They will need input, regular check-ins, and collaboration.
• Openly share information and resources, and sometimes make introductions, but let the scholars create their own opportunities.
• If available, provide a physical space for the team in your office.
• The host organization is not expected to provide any financial assistance.

MOREHEAD-CAIN WILL PROVIDE:

• Eight weeks of full-time work from a team of undergraduate scholars.
• Research on a relevant dilemma of your choice. An ideal project will be focused enough to give them direction in a short timeline, but open-ended enough to allow them to make choices in their research. The scholars will deliver a written report, but we hope and intend for them to contribute in other, more tangible ways.
• Cost-of-living stipend and transportation to the host city for each scholar participant. We can also provide support for coworking spaces or small project costs, if needed.

CURRENT AND PREVIOUS CIVIC COLLABORATION PROJECTS
• How can the City of Albuquerque, NM, leverage technology, data, and key partnerships to improve public safety through community policing? Hosted by the Office of Mayor Tim Keller
• How can the City of Memphis, TN, work with regional partners to deliver local solutions for recyclables? Hosted by Innovate Memphis
• How do you increase a sense of belonging among new residents, young people, local employers, and grassroots community members in Seattle, WA? Hosted by You Belong Here, The Seattle Foundation
• What are the success metrics for a newly established Innovation District in Chattanooga, TN? Hosted by The Enterprise Center
Interested in learning more or hosting a team? Please contact Julie DeVoe at [email protected]

The Morehead-Cain Foundation | Post Office Box 690 | Chapel Hill, NC 27514-0690 | (919) 962-1201 | moreheadcain.org