Working For and With Communities
The Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society works to serve the common good by developing the capacity of scholars to work across disciplines. The Working For and With Communities program is a two course sequence that prioritizes teaching students to engage with people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, helping students recognize and appreciate differences while fostering collaboration. This approach cultivates the humility to learn from, listen to, and work within communities, helping to build more inclusive and effective problem-solving processes.
In 2025, our Working For and With Communities program will be expanding to include a project in Santiago, Chile, with our partners at Hogar de Cristo, a public service organization dedicated to helping Chile’s most vulnerable increase their autonomy and dignity, and Universidad Alberto Hurtado, a Jesuit institution in Santiago.
Stay tuned for updates about the project!
In May and June 2024, the Working For and With Communities course traveled to the islands of Zanzibar, Tanzania, off the coast of East Africa. In partnership with Tanzania’s Blue Economy Ministry and the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA), the three-week summer immersive learning experience allowed students to learn more about the community, conduct ethnographic research, and write two policy briefs with recommendations for addressing the identified obstacles. The policy briefs were presented to the Blue Economy Ministry in September 2024.
Continuing to work with our partners from SUZA and the Blue Economy Ministry, the 2025 Zanzibar team will work to bring to life recommendations laid out in the educational policy brief. We will be inviting professors and students from SUZA to visit Boston College during July-August 2025 and collaborate on this project in-person with the 2025 team.
The educational policy brief recommends the creation of educational modules for Zanzibaris to increase their local involvement in the tourism industry. The problem identified is tourism is a key driver of Zanzibar’s economy, but Zanzibaris often struggle to benefit directly due to barriers such as limited education, language skills, and financial literacy. Foreign investors dominate the sector, building hotels and attracting expatriates, while locals are limited to engage in indirect roles, like providing seafood, and face significant competition. This has led to tensions between stakeholders in the industry, heightened by the lack of cultural awareness many tourists display while visiting the island. In combination with the Blue Economy Ministry and our partners at SUZA, the team identified that poor communication, limited access to resources, and inadequate support for locals to navigate the industry adds to the challenges for local involvement in the industry. Addressing these challenges through education in areas such as marketing, financial literacy, and cultural orientation could empower Zanzibaris, improve stakeholder relationships, and mitigate local-tourist tensions.
The local governance policy brief focuses on Zanzibar's social and environmental challenges due to rapid tourism growth. The problem stems from conflicts between local stakeholders, including villagers, hotel owners, and tourists, exacerbated by the lack of effective communication between stakeholders. Through ethnographic research within communities on the island, the project investigated local tensions, such as miscommunications, cultural misunderstandings, and resource conflicts. The proposed solution is the establishment of regional councils that bring together representatives from all stakeholder groups to improve communication, conflict resolution, and policy understanding. This would empower local communities, bridge cultural divides, and promote cooperative governance. In summary, the project aims to foster greater collaboration and understanding between stakeholders to address the socio-economic and environmental challenges in Zanzibar's tourism sector.
.jpg.transform/gallery-medium/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-medium/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-medium/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-medium/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-medium/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-medium/image.jpg)
%20(1).jpg.transform/gallery-medium/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-XL/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-XL/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-XL/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-XL/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-XL/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-XL/image.jpg)
%20(1).jpg.transform/gallery-XL/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-small/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-small/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-small/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-small/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-small/image.jpg)
.jpg.transform/gallery-small/image.jpg)
%20(1).jpg.transform/gallery-small/image.jpg)
Stay tuned for updates about the project!
The Working With and For Communities course traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia in 2023. The summer immersive learning experience occurred with our in-country partners, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), at their Cambodia Reflection Center. JRS led the students in day-to-day activities, sharing the most urgent matters that needed attention and guiding the projects in directions that would be most impactful to their community.
The Accessible Agriculture project focused on creating a gardening guide that combined accessibility and sustainability. Through many conversations with the JRS staff, the team identified that it would be most beneficial to focus on ensuring accessible agriculture for Cambodians living with mobility limitations, a common issue due to landmines. It emphasized the importance of tailoring gardens to individual needs, starting with structured planning to optimize space and resources. In collaboration with JRS staff, the team was able to understand which steps would be practical for implementation. The guide covered these practical modifications, such as raised beds tailored for wheelchair users, ramps with gentle gradients, and safe pathways made of durable materials like concrete. It explored innovative options like constructing raised beds with eco-friendly materials, such as ecobricks, and maximizing vertical space with A-frame structures or vertical garden walls. Additionally, it detailed safety measures, including handrails and grab bars, to ensure accessibility for gardeners with physical impairments. Overall, the project aimed to inspire inclusive and environmentally conscious gardening practices.
The Waste Management project focused on improving waste management practices in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Following the lead of the JRS staff, the students visited sites relevant to their project such as nearby landfills and a local elementary school and interacted with community members who frequent the JRS Metta Karuna campus. By doing so, students were able to identify the issue of inadequate waste management in rural villages, the burning of waste due to a lack of alternatives, and challenges with plastic and battery waste that were most relevant to the community. Under the guidance of JRS staff, the team explored solutions like eco-bricks and advocacy for expanding successful practices from urban areas, like battery disposal bins, to rural communities. Recommendations include educating youth about waste management in schools, promoting reusable materials, and developing an advocacy campaign targeting government policies and business practices. These efforts aim to have practical applications in the community, raise awareness, build community coalitions, and foster sustainable waste practices over time.
