Meetings/Workshops 2024
Building S.W.E.A.T. Equity: Cross-Campus Collaboration for Low-Income Student-Athlete Retention (via Zoom)
Thursday, May 23 from 3:00–5:00 pm EDT
The Yes We Must Coalition is offering a workshop to college/university teams for Building S.W.E.A.T. Equity: Cross-Campus Collaboration for Low-Income Student-Athlete Retention, a one-session workshop on Thursday, May 23 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm EDT. The workshop will be led by Dr. Jacoba Durrell, Professional Learning and Career Services Director, at Yes We Must member Point University (GA). Student-athletes who come to college as first-generation students and from backgrounds in poverty are often oriented to their college experience by their participation in their sport and need additional support to feel connected to college and the importance of earning a higher degree beyond their sports motivation and experience.
Strategic Planning as Collective Imagination · A Collaborative Planning Workshop (via Zoom)
Tuesdays, April 2 and April 16, 2024, from 3:00–5:00 pm Eastern
The Yes We Must Coalition offered a workshop to college/university teams on Strategic Planning as Collective Imagination, a two-session workshop on April 2, and April 16, 2024. The workshop was led by Adam Bush, President, and Sylvia Spears, Provost & Vice President of Lifelong Learning, of Yes We Must member school College Unbound (RI). The workshop opened the radical potential in strategic planning. College Unbound shared their methodology of strategic planning grounded in values of organizing and social justice, including examples of how their strategic plan has guided them through post-pandemic changes, leadership transitions, and the college’s continual evolution. Teams learned outcomes harvesting, values clarification, and shared assessment practices with equity at the center and mapped out a portion of their own future planning process with equity and justice at the center.
Read more about this workshop →
Well-Being Intervention for Vulnerable Students: Strengthening Systemic Suicide Prevention · A Planning Workshop (via Zoom)
Tuesdays, February 20 and March 5, 2024, from 3:00–5:00 pm Eastern
The Yes We Must Coalition offered a workshop to college/university teams on Well-Being Intervention for Vulnerable Students: Building Systemic Suicide Prevention, a two-session workshop on Tuesdays, February 20, and March 5, 2024, from 3:00–5:00 pm Eastern. The workshop was led by Dr. Jane Wiggins, Director of Training, and Tara Nunley, LPC, Programs Manager, of the Campus Suicide Prevention Center of Virginia.
While all students experience the stresses of college life, increasing numbers report mental health issues and suicidal ideation (https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/news/student-mental-health-worsens-more-are-seeking-help. The CDC released data in 2023 reporting that “suicide was the second leading cause of death among people ages . . . 20–34 years” (https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html). The challenges of pursuing a college degree experienced by students from poverty with compounded financial and social insecurities and responsibilities can intensify mental health crises. Many schools struggle to provide students with adequate mental health support and to know their legal limits and responsibilities when students face crises. This workshop will provide strategies to reduce risk for suicide in campus communities by strengthening systems as well as individuals. It is intended for cross-campus teams of at least 2 people.