Create joyful spaces for people with dementia
Ever hear of a memory café? It’s an informal community meetup for people who have dementia and whose cognitive struggles might tilt them toward withdrawing socially. The semi-organized café gatherings offer sanctuary from judgment and raised eyebrows, and provide group interactions that can engage attendees and bring joy to their lives. An attendee enjoys a…
How HCDE students helped Rainier Valley Food Bank see its community in new ways
When Seattle's Rainier Valley Food Bank (RVFB) opened its new community hub in the Rainier Beach neighborhood in 2025, staff began asking new questions about how people experienced the organization's services, from learning about available resources to navigating the food bank for the first time. The Rainier Valley Food Bank in Rainier Beach, Seattle…
Where curiosity meets community
At UW Tacoma, undergraduate students have ample opportunities to engage in research that tackles complex questions and creates tangible community solutions. When you imagine scientific research, what do you see? Chances are, you’re picturing sprawling laboratories filled with highly specialized equipment and researchers working late into the night. Depending on the project, you’re not too…
A Roadmap to Assessing Community Engagement at UW
As a part of tri-campus efforts for increasing capacity for community engagement, partners across the University of Washington sought a way to improve the documentation and assessment of community engagement. They approached the eScience Data Science & AI Accelerator program seeking tools for this purpose and found unexpected insights in the process. During this collaboration, eScience…
College of the Environment celebrates partnership and impact at Community-Engaged Research Symposium
In late May, more than 120 colleagues from the University of Washington came together for an inaugural showcase and conversation about community-engaged research across the College of Environment. Participants from across the College of the Environment gather at the first Community-Engaged Research Symposium. Community-engaged research is central to the University of Washington’s mission as a…