Defining: Capstone Experience
The Collective Impact Framework is one of many community collaboration models that will be emphasized throughout students' enrollment in the Capstone course. Based on one's individual interests and skills, the Collective Impact Model brings all of the best assets to the team to join forces and co-author the narratives of any community. "Co-authors" demonstrates key language that uplifts each individual, character, and even collective voices that are aiming to help catapult the best strategies into a concrete plan of action towards community transformation. Therefore, WE cannot impose our ideas or work to solve problems that WE want without community input, relevance, and solution-driven connections to our partners within the RVA community.
The students in our first two Honors Capstone cohorts, which took place during the Spring and Fall 2020 semesters have used the following adjectives in describing their experiences in learning about community technology and innovative projects in RVA: new friendships generator, resilience, creativity, evolving, shared vision, connections, safety, and welcoming resources to support our treasured communities. Through our Capstone students' research and intensive study, we hope to inform as well as recognize civic and academic agencies for their work within our City of Richmond communities.
Thank you, Class of 2020, for your bold, robust, and inspiring collective connections and community collaboration within the Honors Capstone Course.
Visit our Capstone & Networking page to learn more about the HONR 494: Capstone course.
Links to more information about college student food insecurity
- Food Insecurity on College Campuses
- Majority of College Students Experience Food Insecurity, Housing Insecurity, or Homelessness
- Fast Facts: Tuition Costs of Colleges and Universities
Links to more information about VCU Ram Pantry
Links for more information about increasing food retail access
- Richmond City Food Policy Analysis and Recommendations: A Report to the Richmond Food Access and Equity Task Force Prepared by the Institute for Public Health Innovation
- Shalom Farms website (Map of Mobile Markets + Healthy Corner Stores)
- Food Empowerment Project website (Defines food deserts, offers individual plans of action)
- RVA Food Collaborative Facebook page
Links to more information about urban agriculture
- Shalom Farms website
- Beautiful RVA website
- Beautiful RVA: Lewis Ginter Urban Gardener
- USDA National Agricultural Library website
- Journal of Public Health: A case–control study of the health and well-being benefits of allotment gardening
- Growing Vegetables and Values: Benefits of Neighborhood-Based Community Gardens for Youth Development and Nutrition
- Farm to School website
- Penn Study Finds with Vacant Lots Greened, Residents Feel Safer
- Tricycle Urban Ag website
We recognize the following academic and Richmond community partners for their direct partnership and support of our Capstone students throughout the course of study.
- Ram Pantry-Lisa Mathews-Ailsworth
- Secure the Student nonprofit organization-LaQuayle Agurs
- VCU Center on Community Engagement and Impact-Lynn Pelco, Amanda Hall, Katherine Elliott
- VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation-Brianne Kelsey Steenburg, Mary Chris Escobar
- VCU Globe-Nichole Dorton
Through our Capstone students' research and intensive study, we would also like to recognize the following agencies for the promotion of their community partnerships through their agency's work within our City of Richmond communities.
- Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens-Sarah Crosscut, Duron Chavis
- Shalom Farms-KC Whitsett, Dominic Barrett
- Tricycle Gardens-Sally Schwitters
- University of Richmond's Bonner Center of Community Engagement-Kimberly Dean-Anderson
Fall 2020 Capstone
Spring 2020 Capstone
Created by Nathan Gompers
Alt-text for Top 5 Reasons for College Student Food Insecurity infographic
Created by Darby Lindsay
Alt-text for Increasing Food Retail Access infographic
Created by Annaliese Taylor