<uary which means it’s time for the ACT Center’s annual Civic Engagement Series. With help from the Academic Civic Engagment office, the month-long event will feature panels and discussions around a topic of interest in our community. This year’s topic is Housing. Check out the schedule of events below!
Monday, February 7th – Looking for some way to fill the time during Mid-term Break? Interested in affordable housing and/or sustainability? Join us on a trip to tour the Rice County Habitat for Humanity Warehouse. Our local Habitat chapter recently acquired the warehouse, which allows them to work on builds year round, as well as explore green building techniques. A great introduction to Habitat for Humanity for this year’s Spring Break Away participants and anyone else who wants to learn more about the local people behind this organization. Sign-up in the ACT Center today!
Monday, February 14th – Love may be in the air this Valentine’s Day, but so will a fascinating discussion around Housing policy. Come to the Housing and Inequality Panel at 5:30 pm in Leighton 305 to meet local leaders Liz Kuoppala, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, and Mike Thorsteinson, the head of Three Rivers Community Action, Inc., as well as engage in small group discussion over pizza, concerning the issues and possible next steps presented.
Thursday, February 17th – Your interest in Housing doesn’t have to end with your college career. Take your passions into the real world! This month, Careers in Social Justice program will feature panelists working in a multitude of Housing-related career paths – from Peter Schmelzer’s involvement with the sustainable-minded Vivus Architecture & Design in Northfield, to alumni Dan Hoxworth’s non-profit consulting organization, H-Cubed. Common Time! Leighton 305! Lunch provided!
Thursday, February 24th – Every year, the Civic Engagement Series culminates with the Who Is Northfield? Panel. The ACT Center invites guests from the Northfield community to campus to speak about the issues and initiatives taking place not far outside the Carleton bubble. This Common Time catered lunch will take place in the Great Hall and will feature speakers from the HOPE Center, the Community Action Center, the local Habitat chapter and more. If you’re interested in seeing how these members of the community are interconnected and learning more about how you can be a part of their organizations, stop by!
Morgan Holmes on behalf of the ACT office.