Date: October 6th, 2023
Location: Global Furniture Showroom
Led by: Julian Owens, Kumi Wickramanayaka
Session Sponsor: Chesapeake Lighting, Global Furniture, Pella Mid Atlantic & Potomac Valley Bricks
Session Downloads: Session Program

Overview

This session focused on community outreach and engagement. Scholars learned the
importance of listening to communities’ needs, creating an equitable design process, and
achieving positive outcomes. They identified what skills are necessary for building trust with
communities and how to effectively and respectfully communicate

Presentation #1

Stakeholder Engagement & Value of Social Capital
Speakers: Leila Funicane, JD, MUP, Marnique Heath, FAIA, Scott Matties, AIA, LEED AP, Wayne Gore

The afternoon began with a panel discussion revolving around the importance of community outreach and engagement in the planning and development process. The panel brought together a variety of unique perspectives from all different sides of the industry who are interacting with communities as part of their practice. The discussion focused on how we can build and maintain trust with the communities we are serving from project conception to completion.

Presentation #2

Thinking outside the Box
Speakers: : Keyonna Jones

For the second part, Keyonna Jones led an upbeat and interactive discussion with scholars about the value of enriching communities through art and culture. She shared her experience from growing up in an underserved community to being a part of the betterment by channeling her artistic passions to provide creative opportunities for residents of Southeast DC by founding the Congress Heights Arts and Cultural Center. The discussion also touched on topics such as how to integrate the communities’ needs and how to best communicate opportunities and programs.

Activity #3

Self-awareness – A Key for Community Engagement
Speakers: Shalini Agrawal

Part three of the afternoon was a workshop guided by Shalini Agrawal introducing scholars to the communication skills necessary for successfully building trust. She emphasized the importance of relationship building, open communication, and mutual beneficial exchanges. Scholars paired up and practiced listening while their partner talked about the origin of their name, a unique and personal topic for each of us. They then focused on self-awareness and empathy by diagramming their identity and expressing with each other their experiences of how others have identified them.

Presentation #4

Panel Discussion: Crafting a Culture of Excellence: Revisiting Leadership Styles
Speakers: Cable Clark

The afternoon closed with Cable Clark revisiting the skills held by ideal leaders. Cable
first met the scholars at the beginning of their first session this year. He reminded the
scholars where they were in terms of their leadership skills at the beginning of the
program and recognized how they have grown and improved over eight months. He
circled back on beneficial leadership styles and how they relate to overall workplace
culture.