University of California, San Diego
EN-10: Community Partnerships

The UC San Diego Community Stations represent a groundbreaking formal community partnership between the university and community-based non-profit organizations in disadvantaged neighborhoods on both sides of the San Diego-Tijuana border. This ongoing partnership is dedicated to advancing sustainability, environmental literacy, and climate action through collaborative research, teaching, and advocacy. The Community Stations network, which includes four field hubs, provides a unique platform for co-production of knowledge, community engagement, and civic education. The four field hubs are EarthLab, Casa, Divina, and Alacran. 

The university supports this partnership materially and financially through generous funding from the late University of California Regent Richard C. Blum, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and other sources. Each Community Station is designed, funded, managed, and programmed collaboratively between UC San Diego researchers and a community-based non-profit, ensuring that the partnership is inclusive and participatory of underrepresented groups and vulnerable populations. 

The Community Stations focus on a range of sustainability issues, including environmental literacy, climate action, informal urbanization, water management, and cross-border environmental policy. Through this partnership, UC San Diego researchers work closely with community leaders and activists to co-develop solutions that address the unique challenges faced by these communities. The Public Scholars Program, which provides stipendiary support to respected community leaders, ensures that community contributions are validated and compensated, and that community voices are represented within the university. 

This partnership is a model for inclusive and participatory sustainability research and practice, demonstrating how a public university can work in close collaboration with community-based organizations to advance social and environmental justice. By blurring conventional academic boundaries between research, teaching, and service, the UC San Diego Community Stations enhance the university's mission to be a "student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public university" and provide a rich context for high-impact, immersive global poverty research and practice. 
 
View additional information about the community partnership through UC San Diego Community Stations here: https://communitystations.ucsd.edu/ 

The Scripps Community Outreach for Public Education (SCOPE) program represents a long-standing formal community partnership between the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the broader San Diego community, with a focus on advancing sustainability, environmental stewardship, and STEM education. SCOPE is a student-led, volunteer-driven outreach program that connects the public directly with the science conducted at Scripps, promoting scientific curiosity, understanding, and appreciation, particularly among underrepresented demographics and underserved communities. 

The university supports this partnership through volunteer efforts from graduate students and researchers, who participate in outreach activities, such as tours of campus facilities, off-campus events, and educational programs. SCOPE also offers scholarships to enable field trips for students from low-income schools, ensuring that underserved communities have access to STEM education opportunities. 

This ongoing partnership is dedicated to fostering environmental stewardship, promoting scientific practices, and providing opportunities for graduate students and researchers to engage in scientific outreach and communication. SCOPE's mission is centered around four specific goals: to foster scientific curiosity and STEM education, spread understanding of scientific practices, promote environmental stewardship, and provide opportunities for graduate students and researchers to engage in scientific outreach. 

Through its outreach activities, SCOPE has successfully expanded educational services to local and global communities, earning praise from participants and serving as a model for successful outreach at other STEM research institutions. For over 20 years, SCOPE has reached broad groups, often from underserved communities: 30% of visitors have been first-generation college students, and over 40% have come from a low-income background. 

View additional information about the community partnership through SCOPE here: https://scripps.ucsd.edu/scope 

The San Diego Urban Growers' Collaborative is a community partnership led by the UC San Diego Center for Community Health, with the goal of improving the viability and market access of small-scale urban growers in San Diego, particularly those serving low-income urban residents and communities of color. This partnership brings together a diverse group of stakeholders, including urban farmers, community organizations, and local government agencies, to develop shared practices and products that meet local market demands and promote food access and health opportunities for underserved communities. The Collaborative is led by UC San Diego’s Director of Urban Food Equity, Elle Mari.  

The Collaborative is built on the understanding that urban agriculture is a unique community asset that provides social, physical, environmental, economic, health, and justice-oriented benefits. Through this partnership, UC San Diego is working to support the development of a multi-farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that prioritizes service to low-income consumers and individuals living in low food access neighborhoods. The CSA will accept and institutionalize EBT/SNAP payments, and options for grant funding will be explored to subsidize the cost of shares for high-priority low-income families. 

This partnership is supported by a combination of funding sources, including the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency's CalFresh Healthy Living Program, the USDA's Local Food Promotion Program Planning Grant, and the Alliance Healthcare Foundation. Through this collaborative effort, UC San Diego is working to promote food justice, sustainability, and community development in San Diego, while also providing opportunities for urban farmers to develop their businesses and contribute to the local food system.  

View additional information about the community partnership through The San Diego Urban Growers’ Colalborative here: https://ucsdcommunityhealth.org/work/sandiegourbangrowerscollaborative/  

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