As community interests continually shift and change, DU Grand Challenges has adapted in order to offer relevant and impactful events for DU and the community.
Previous Fireside Chats
Fireside Chats was a four-part series from DUGC and Fireside at Five that centered on "What Is Community?" and discussed topics that affect each of us in our community through engaging panels of academic experts, students, alumni, and community leaders. Each Fireside Chat focused on a different topic with a goal of creating an environment where we listen to each other and share resources, allies, and connections.
Fireside Chats was made possible by a generous grant from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.
Our first Fireside Chat explored migration in Denver and interconnections for creating more inclusive communities. It focused on the immigrant, refugee, and first-generation experience, from the policies affecting immigration to what it means to truly support the entrepreneurial spirit of refugee communities - our panelists had lived, professional and academic experiences to share with us on the intersectional topic of migration.
Amongst our panelists were Rep. Iman Jodeh, Slavica Park, Tracy Harper, Hava Gordon, and Marissa Martinez Suarez. Watch the livestream below and view key takeaways on Fireside at Five's blog "Five Takeaways: Making Moves - Migration in the Mile High City — Fireside at Five.
Our second chat focused on exploring housing and food insecurity in Denver and interconnections for creating a safer community for us all. We discussed questions like - how do homelessness and racism intersect? In what ways does this lead to deeper inequity? Why are housing and food becoming more and more expensive? How can we create systems that support autonomy and sustainable outcomes for those struggling with rent and food security?
Our panelists were Rep. Leslie Herod, Eli Zain, Heather Martin, Rebecca Arno, and Andres Pulido. Watch the livestream below and read key takeaways at "Five Takeaways Blog - A Safer Place in Denver — Fireside at Five."
Our third Fireside Chat focused on the three dimensions of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental. We heard from individuals on the frontlines of Denver’s eco-efforts & learned how we can work with communities to make urban greenspaces & eco-resources more accessible.
Our panelists were Kayla Fatemi, Evon Lopez, Monique 'Mo' Fair, Jorge Figueroa, and Lisa Reyes Mason. Watch the livestream below and read key takeaways at "Five Takeaways: Green Justice in Denver — Fireside at Five"
Forums were refocused as Spark Sessions during the 2022-2023 academic year. Forums brought together campus and community experts to share bold and provocative ideas that sparked discussion among attendees on how an issue area impacts our communities, providing fuel and inspiration for bold actions that help our communities thrive.
For our first Forum of the year, campus and community experts shared bold and provocative ideas to spark discussion on how education equity impacts our communities, providing fuel and inspiration for bold actions that help our communities thrive.
How can DU students, faculty, and staff collaborate effectively with diverse community members to advance equitable and ecologically sustainable outcomes in the Denver Region? On February 18th, representatives from the DU Grand Challenges (DUGC) Urban Sustainability Cohort explored this question and shared insights drawn from their leadership of key prototype initiatives, each intended to cultivate reciprocal community-university, multi-sector partnerships that contribute to one unifying result: “The Denver region supports just, inclusive and thriving communities where people and nature flourish.”
Participants engaged in facilitated dialogue about essential ingredients and practices for building effective community-university partnerships that cultivate the collective understanding and relational power required to address complex problems in the living systems we call home.
The Sustainability Cohort is one of DUGC’s four collective impact cohorts in which faculty, staff and students partner with community leaders from the public, private, and civic sectors to improve daily life, now and in the future through interdisciplinary, community-based scholarship and learning.
Climate Justice Day | April 12, 2022
This spring, IRISE hosted a series of speakers and university-wide classes related to climate justice. DUGC contributed to the April 12th Climate Justice lunchtime roundtable that welcomed community and government stakeholders and Dr. Nadia Kim of Loyola Marymount University, author of Refusing Death: Immigrant Women and the Fight for Environmental Justice in LA.
DUGC Celebration | May 18, 2022
A celebratory Forum that highlighted the amazing work done by individuals and teams through the DU Grand Challenges initiative over the years.
