Warren Wilson College
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Every student at Warren Wilson must fulfill four years of Community Engagement relevant to specific sustainability themes, one of which is food security. We have identified local partners with whom we've worked for years to help achieve sustainable change in the region. Bounty & Soul, whose vision is "no one hungry, everyone healthy," is one of our partners. "Bounty & Soul believes that education is the key to a healthy community. By using an education model, we can provide participants with the resources and knowledge they need to create and sustain a healthy lifestyle." Many of our students work with Bounty & Soul each year. https://bountyandsoul.org/programs/

Another designated sustainability theme for Community Engagement is environmental responsibility. Warren Wilson's INSULATE program was developed in 2006 by students at the College moved by the challenge of reducing carbon outputs and the plight of low-income elderly citizens who could not afford their heating bills. Through work crews and their academic classes, and with insulating materials contributions from local contractors, they worked with local churches to identify homes and then insulate them. We now work with community partner Asheville GreenWorks to provide this program to the community. Asheville GreenWorks "works to enhance the environment and quality of life for all residents of Asheville and Buncombe County through community-based, volunteer-led environmental conservation projects and education programs." Our students insulate one home per week, through their Community Engagement commitment, and in partnership with Asheville Greenworks (a local nonprofit) who provides materials and skills support. This service lowers the homeowner's utility bills, reduces their carbon footprint, and makes life more liveable for those in need. https://www.ashevillegreenworks.org/

Every student at Warren Wilson must fulfill four years of Community Engagement relevant to specific sustainability themes, one of which is environment and education. EcoTeam is a third grade curriculum focused on the natural ecosystem and the human role in it health and function. Warren Wilson developed this curriculum in 1998 with input from Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots Program. Warren Wilson students have been teaching this semester-long, third grade curriculum to public and charter school third graders in the county since 1999. EcoTeam has been embraced by county educators as a welcome resource to supplement science curriculum in third grade which is typically under-resourced at most schools. Warren Wilson students currently work with two public elementary schools in the county, with diverse student populations, to teach EcoTeam- Fairview Elementary School and Oakley Elementary School.

Please note that Warren Wilson was ranked by Princeton Review, in 2019, as being one of the top 10 Service colleges in the nation. Community Engagement is how we serve. Warren Wilson's Center for Community Engagement has identified 10 sustainability-focused or sustainability-related themes for students to select from in order to fulfill their 4-year Community Engagement requirement. Students work with a number of community partners to engage with these very real and pressing regional issues. Last year alone, Warren Wilson students provided 37,156 hours of service with community partners to advance sustainability in the region. The partner list is attached.

Data for this report was gathered from the Vice President for Applied Learning and the Center for Community Engagement's staff.