This May, scholars in this year’s Civic Collaboration program participated in a five-day training session hosted by Entrepreneurs by Design in Chapel Hill.

The organization created an experiential learning course called “The Chapel Hill Challenge” to expose scholars to “equity-focused, human-centered design thinking processes.” The course was built to prepare the students for managing diverse projects, said Montez Thomas, Morehead-Cain’s assistant director of scholar advising.

“A core aspect of the Morehead-Cain is service, and Civic Collaboration helps scholars take deep dives into some of the most pressing challenges facing today’s cities,” said Thomas, who administers the summer program. “We’re grateful to the Entrepreneurs by Design team for showing scholars how to apply design thinking with a focus on equity and access to their designated challenges.”

Established in 2016, the Civic Collaboration summer helps scholars understand complex connections between a given city’s economic, cultural, governmental, educational, political, and historical systems, while also training scholars to collaborate effectively.

Acta Solutions co-founders Tai Huynh ’20 and Pavani Peri ’20 also participated in the session as partners in the Chapel Hill Challenge. Their GovTech startup automates customer service communications for local governments. Huynh also represented the Town of Chapel Hill as a council member.

Morehead-Cain gives special thanks to the guests from the Chapel Hill community who gave their time to help scholars learn about issues around talent retention, hiring, and economic development in Chapel Hill.

2022 Chapel Hill Challenge participants

• Delores Bailey (Midway Business Center)
• Dwight Bassett (Town of Chapel Hill)
• Sekou Bermiss (Kenan-Flagler Business School)
• Creighton Blackwell (Coastal Credit Union)
• Alex Brandwein (Brandwein’s Bagels)
• Gary Crunkleton (The Crunkleton)
• Maurice Jones (Town of Chapel Hill)
• Mick Hannan (SymBio Healthcare Partners)
• Scott Maitland (Top of the Hill)
• Andrew McKinnon (Acta Solutions)
• Marc Pons (Chapel Hill Tire)
• Nick Vaughn (Kitchen and Bath Galleries)
• Mark Williams (R65 Labs)
• Alan Young (Participate Learning)
• Emily Ziegler (UNC Health)

Series of Instagram Takeovers to showcase Civic Collaboration dilemmas per city

The training session took place at the Rizzo Center from May 9 through 13. To learn more about the workshop, you can view Morehead-Cain’s Instagram takeovers from the week, led by the Scholar Media Team. Each Wednesday this summer (May 25 through July 20), a different Civic Collaboration team will host an Instagram takeover to showcase their group’s project.

Follow Morehead-Cain on Instagram.

There are fifteen teams participating in the 2022 Civic Collaboration program. Projects will focus on topics ranging from improving systems for grant-making and addressing affordable housing, to equitable economic development.

Becoming a Civic Collaboration host for Morehead-Cain

Hosts propose a dilemma or issue for scholars to address together, provide the scholars with guidance and mentorship, and share information and resources pertinent to the projects. The Morehead-Cain Scholarship provides each scholar with a cost-of-living stipend and transportation to and from the host city (hosts are not expected to provide financial assistance to scholars).

To learn more about partnering with Morehead-Cain for future Civic Collaboration projects, contact Montez Thomas or visit our website.

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