CEA Open Sessions: Entering & Creating Communities

Join us for our CEA Open Sessions, designed to help you engage thoughtfully with the New Orleans community and foster a welcoming environment on campus.

1. Entering Communities - In these workshops, service-learning students reflect on their role and impact in the Greater New Orleans community. These workshops explore the relationship between Tulane and New Orleans while fostering ethical, respectful, and collaborative engagement.   

1. Creating Communities - In these workshops, participants learn how to recognize bias, discrimination, and harassment in student life and develop intercultural competency skills. Participants will engage in discussions and activities to deepen their understanding toward fostering a more welcoming campus culture. 

Session Schedule

• Monday, September 15th - Friday, September 19th:

  • 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM CST: Two sessions daily (topics vary by day – check the full schedule below)

• Saturday, September 20th:

  • 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST: (topic varies by day – check the full schedule below)

Spots fill up quickly, so be sure to RSVP! We hope to see you there!

Important RSVP Information

Please RSVP only if you are 100% sure you can attend. Due to capacity limits, we cannot guarantee walk-in availability, and no-shows significantly impact our ability to accommodate other interested students. Attendance will be taken and shared with service-learning faculty to confirm your participation in these important sessions.

EVENT DESCRIPTIONS

Entering Communities: Part 1  
This workshop guides students to examine their role as a Tulanian in service-learning while exploring the history between Tulane and New Orleans. Participants will discuss key awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary for ethical and respectful engagement with communities. By the end of the session, students will be better prepared to interact with care and consideration, recognize community strengths, avoid harm, and foster meaningful, reciprocal collaborations. 

Entering Communities: Part 2  
Designed for students participating in more long-term engagement in service (academic service-learning internship, faculty-sponsored public service research project, public service-based international study abroad program, etc.), this workshop encourages reflection on the impact of their community engagement. Participants will explore ethics and power dynamics in service relationships, potential pitfalls in community work, and best practices. Through discussion and problem-solving, students will gain strategies to navigate challenges and engage more responsibly with community partners. 

Entering Communities: Working with Youth  
This workshop is designed to prepare Tulane service-learning students to think intentionally about their role as tutors, mentors and coaches in youth-based programs, and to engage young people in healthy, safe, and positive interactions. This workshop is also intended to be an introduction for service learners to reflect on the responsibilities and challenges involved in supporting and connecting with young people across various cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences.  

Entering Communities: Cultural Humility and Intercultural Competence  
This workshop is intended for students to explore the concept of cultural humility in the context of community engagement. Participants will have an opportunity to explore their own cultural lens and examine the way their values, practices and beliefs might inform how they see and interact with the world around them. Through self-reflection and discussion, students will develop skills for navigating cultural differences with awareness, respect, and openness. 

Bringing It TUgether: Exploring Student Experiences 
Students engage with campus and community life through many overlapping aspects of experience, including race, gender, sexuality, financial background, disability, and religion. Participants will explore how to recognize bias, better understand community contexts, and practice reflection and self-awareness while navigating Tulane and the greater New Orleans community. 

Accessibility and Disability: Navigating Campus and Community Spaces 
This workshop invites students to reflect on how different experiences of disability shape life on campus and in New Orleans. Participants will explore how to identify physical, academic, and social barriers, and consider ways to contribute to an environment where all students can access opportunities and participate fully. 

Environmental Justice: Keep New Orleans Green
This workshop invites students to reflect on how environmental factors disproportionately affect different communities in New Orleans. Participants will explore the historical context and ongoing challenges of environmental injustice in the city, discussing how issues like pollution, climate change, and lack of green spaces impact the health and well-being of various neighborhoods. We'll consider ways to advocate for equitable environmental policies and contribute to a more sustainable and just future for all New Orleanians.