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Nazareth students learn from community social innovators and develop skills as changemakers Oct. 29

Media Welcome to come to any session | contact Rita Mannelli (314) 369-3811 - PR Officer Julie Long is off on Friday, Oct. 29

Rochester, NY (10/28/2021) — Nazareth College students are learning the power of changemaking in the community directly from social innovators in Rochester. Now in its fourth year, the Nazareth Social Innovation Hack-A-Thon is Friday, October 29, from 1:30-6:15 p.m., in the Shults Center Forum on campus.

The opening panel features:

Mubarak Bashir, who is working to remove barriers for employment that include past incarceration, addiction, and health issues

Natalie Banks, representing Rochester's Police Accountability Board (PAB), about bringing accountability and transparency to policing in Rochester and the board's vision to reimagine public safety

G. Peter Jemison, historic site manager for Ganondagan State Historic Site, on indigenous rights and how art and stewardship of the land and culture support justice

What is a social innovation hack-a-thon? This half-day mini-conference for students, faculty, and staff is an introduction on how to be an inclusive changemaker and social innovator by bringing social innovators to campus, sharing knowledge and skills of changemaking, and providing an experiential learning opportunity to brainstorm approaches to some pressing local and global challenges. Nazareth students have the opportunity to connect with other students from across the college, strengthen their understanding of local efforts to make a difference, and practice changemaking through the Social Innovation Hack-A-Thon competition.

SCHEDULE:

1:30-2:45 p.m. | Opening panel with social innovators: Beyond Good Intentions - Approaching Social Innovation (SI) with the Knowledge, Skills, and Humility Needed to Join a Community of Changemakers

  • Nazareth College President Beth Paul
  • Mubarak Bashir, Greyston Center for Open Hiring
  • Natalie Banks, Police Accountability Board
  • G. Peter Jamison, Ganondagan State Historic Site

2:55-3:45 p.m. | Breakout Session I & II: Social Innovator Workshops, Meet our Panel

3:55-4:45 p.m. | Breakout Session III-IV: Faculty Staff and Student Workshops

  • Chelsea Wahl, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology: The Promises and Pitfalls of Emerging Technologies for Racial and Economic Inequality
  • Ika Datig, Library's head of instruction and outreach: Using Data to Make a Difference
  • William Ball, Ph.D., Social Innovation through Public Dialog
  • Alexa Rossi and Tatianna Trojnor-Hill, Public Health and Social Innovation

4:45-6:15 p.m. | Hack-A-Thon! Break into Teams to Develop Proposals that Provide Solutions to a Current Challenge our Community Faces

More on the opening panel speakers:

MUBARAK BASHIR
Mubarak Bashir is the regional director for the Greyston Center for Open Hiring in Rochester. Greyston opens doors to those who ordinarily face rejection, providing those struggling to prosper an opportunity to thrive, replacing scrutiny with trust, transforming lives, and breaking the cycle of poverty - one person and one job at a time. Themes include economic justice and inclusion.

NATALIE BANKS
Natalie Banks is chief of public affairs & community engagement for the Police Accountability Board (PAB), an independent, community-led agency within the City of Rochester created in 2019. The PAB is tasked with bringing accountability and transparency to the Rochester Police Department, with a vision to reimagine public safety. Themes include creating safe, just, peaceful, and inclusive communities.

G. PETER JEMISON (Heron Clan, Seneca)
Jemison is the historic site manager for Ganondagan State Historic Site, the location of a 17th-century Seneca town in Victor, N.Y., a national historic landmark. He is the representative for the Seneca Nation on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) as well as an Indian tribe/Native Hawaiian representative of the Federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). Through his art, Jemison has explored a variety of topics, from creating political works that portray contemporary social commentary to those that reflect his relationship with the natural world.

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