NESSBE2019

Common Ground -- a community organization that operates an environmentally themed charter high school, urban farm, and environmental education center -- is located on 20 acres of park land at the base of West Rock State Park. From our roots and throughout our history, we’ve worked to engage community members as co-creators of just, equitable, sustainable learning environments, both built and cultural. This is a work in progress -- sometimes genuinely engaging people, sometimes replicating systemic patterns of oppression.

This interactive problem-solving workshop will invite participants to grapple with a series of case studies -- exploring the processes we have used to engage community as co-constructors, and seeking ways forward that more fully embody our commitment to justice and sustainability. Case studies include:

The co-creation of Common Ground’s 20-acre site -- including how high school students have stepped up as designers and builders, and the struggles we’ve faced. Partnering with public school communities across New Haven to develop equitable and evolving outdoor learning spaces. How we’ve engaged students and community members as co-creators of Common Ground’s curriculum.

The workshop will start with a gallery walk of artifacts from Common Ground’s design work, followed by presentations by members of the Common Ground community, including students and staff. The workshop will then shift into interactive problem-solving groups. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with two different case studies.

Because we are educators, we are focused as much (and sometimes more) on the cultural aspects of learning environments as on the physical aspects of these environments.

Learning Objectives:
1. Engage students/young people, educators, and community members in the design and construction of learning environments in ways that genuinely build equity and justice, and that reflects a commitment to power-sharing and co-creation. Explore specific ways that these stakeholders can engage in master planning, building design, construction, and adaptive reuse/ongoing modification of these learning environments.
2. Partner with public school communities to design, create, and steward equitable and evolving outdoor learning spaces (school gardens, schoolyard habitats, etc.)
3. Engage students and community members as co-creators of the learning experiences and curricula that define the culture and experience of learning environments.
4. Take part in collaborative analysis and problem-solving focused on how to strengthen opportunities for equitable, co-creative design and construction of learning environments within the context of real design case studies.

AIA Continuing Education Credit: 2 HSW
Living Future Accreditation Credits: 2 HRS