Worcester Polytechnic Institute
EN-10: Community Partnerships

For the past seven years, the WPI has partnered with Fundacion Paraguaya to support sustainability initiatives at La Escuela Agricola de Saint Francis Cerrito school, vocational/agricultural school in Cerrito, a small town in the Chaco region of Paraguay. This effort has included the placement of student project teams at the school, where they study and prompt school and community initiatives in sustainable agriculture, sustainable energy, community economic development, hospitality training (such as restaurant server skills), community food systems analyses, waste water treatment, water supply and distribution, interscholastic environmental education, nature reserve inventories and preservation. They also work with Fundacion Paraguaya to help develop budgeting and savings training videos and other materials that serve Fundación Paraguaya’s social workers (asesoros). These projects respond to needs expressed by the management of Fundación Paraguaya, their staff and clients, and community organizations such as municipal water boards or school associations. All is undertaken to help Fundación Paraguaya fulfill its mission to eliminate poverty from Paraguay via initiatives that help the poor help themselves. With a 1.65 million dollar agreement with USAID/ASHA (American Schools and Hospitals Abroad), Fundación Paraguaya (FP) and WPI will construct, renovate and expand classrooms, dormitories, and an on-campus hotel/hostel at the Belen Agricultural School, Belen, Paraguay. These structures will exponentially improve academic and residential experiences of teachers and students, especially girls, strengthen students’ marketable skills, and generate income for the school, the disadvantaged local community and the underfinanced Concepción province. These schools--very similar to what in America we would call a private residential vocational/agricultural high school--implement curriculum and opportunities for rural youth, in this case some of poorest in all Paraguay, to attend an exponentially better than average public high school. More info on projects: https://www.wpi.edu/news/journal/global-impact-paraguay Overview: https://www.wpi.edu/news/journal/global-impact-paraguay

WPI has been completing projects in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Protection (MassDEP) to advance solutions that protect the environment through its Boston Project Center since 1999. This collaboration has grown through the development of WPI’s Water Resources Outreach Center (WROC), which was developed in 2015 in close coordination with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The Center focuses on water resources protection, acting as a repository for information for Eastern and Central Massachusetts municipalities. The WROC and MA DEP coordinate closely so they can identify issues and communities with the greatest need for assistance. The approach involves the use of student projects to provide assistance and support for communities with needs for addressing challenging water resources problems.The WROC has included annual projects since 2017 with the MA DEP to advance stormwater education in communities throughout MA. These efforts have been aligned with the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition (CMRSC). Students also work with MassDEP, CMRSC, and a number of communities in Central and Eastern Massachusetts to develop cost-effective approaches to meet stormwater regulations that have recently established to protect water resources. Collaborations between DEP and MA WROC: https://wp.wpi.edu/wroc/ https://wp.wpi.edu/boston/

Rabat is the grand capital of Morocco, a North African country striving to preserve its traditions such as crafts in rug weaving, wood carving, and mosaic art, while seeking to modernize and improve the socio-economic welfare of its citizens. Students take an intensive course on the Arabic language before delving into projects promoting important measures such as water conservation, alternative agriculture, eco-tourism, restoration of historic ruins, and financial support for orphans. The partnership supports all four dimensions of sustainability, i.e., social equity and wellbeing, economic prosperity, and ecological health. WPI participated for the second time in the Solar Decathlon held in Morocco in 2019, engaging students in both energy efficiency in designing a solar home, but also cultural and artistic aspects. https://www.wpi.edu/project-based-learning/project-based-education/global-project-program/project-centers/rabat-morocco-project-center-iqp

WPI has a total of 40+ project centers worldwide where it collaborates with NGOs to develop long-term ongoing programs to improve the environment, society, and the economy. Also, WPI participates in the Worcester Sustainability Leaders Forum, a group of sustainability leaders from colleges, universities, and the municipality, who meet monthly to work together to share issues, opportunities, successes and weaknesses.