Understanding and Meeting Needs
Beyond Food Assistance: Children’s Cafeteria Initiatives and the Dynamics of Community Empowerment in Japan
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Hanayo Hirai
The "Children’s Cafeteria" initiative, led by local volunteers and civil society organizations, aims to provide food assistance for parents and children in the communities. This study explores the meaning of the Children’s Cafeteria based on endogenous development theory, focusing on how these initiatives address the needs of marginalized children and families and their impact on communities. The research involved analysis through interviews, questionnaire, and participant observations at various Children’s Cafeteria sites in the Tohoku region, Japan to reveal participant and organizer experiences, community interactions, and the psychological and social benefits. Findings indicate that the Children’s Cafeteria provides more than just food assistance. It fosters empathetic bonds among participants, reducing feelings of isolation and encouraging community engagement. The initiative serves as a catalyst for the formation of supportive networks within the community, promoting parent-child participation in local activities. However, the initiative also faces operational challenges, including a lack of resources and an inclusive policy that, while designed to avoid stigmatization by welcoming all children, may dilute its effectiveness in specifically addressing child poverty and supporting marginalized children and families. The Children’s Cafeteria not only serves as a vital food-based support system but also embodies principles of endogenous development theory by empowering local communities to address the needs of marginalized children and families. While navigating challenges such as resource limitations and inclusive policies, the initiative demonstrates the potential of grassroots efforts to foster community solidarity and proactive child welfare involvement.
A Community Sustainability Project Through Service-Learning: Designing a Sustainable HVAC System for a Caring Home for Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Serdar Celik
Service-learning relates to an educational experience that actively involves students in a wide range of activities which can benefit the community significantly. Community-based service activities offer direct application of theoretical models for students in a community setting that allows them to synthesize their knowledge in more meaningful ways. Common goals that can be achieved by service-learning include a deeper understanding of the course material, a wider appreciation of the discipline they have selected, and an elevated sense of civic responsibility. In this service-learning activity, engineering students volunteered to observe the HVAC system of Beverly Farm in Godfrey, Illinois, to improve system efficiency hence providing a more sustainable environment for the residents in terms of both air quality and energy efficiency. This was a very meaningful project for the students as the project site is a caring home for adults with developmental disabilities. As part of this project, heating and cooling systems of the building were improved resulting in enhanced air quality with reduced carbon footprint. 100% of the costs were covered by donations and voluntary service of students, faculty, and engineers from industry. This experience successfully served as a community sustainability project through service-learning.
Analysis of Campus Energy and Water Consumption to Develop Conservation Pathways Towards Sustainability
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Andres M Cardenas Valencia, Serdar Celik, Lynn Grinnell
This study evaluates the energy and water consumption of the Clearwater campus of St. Petersburg College to withdraw conclusions on ways of enhancing campus sustainability. The study initially quantifies the annual energy and water consumption values for the past three years, followed by determination of corresponding costs on an annual basis. In the next step, pathways for improving the campus are discussed along with projected savings in energy and water consumption. Some of the methods in improving campus sustainability addressing energy and water conservation include building insulation improvement through energy efficient windows and green roof installation, LED lighting, implementation of solar canopies on parking lots, maintaining drought-tolerant grasses, installation of water-saving toilets, and use of gray water. These ideas are investigated in terms of their costs and the resulting savings. Reduction in carbon footprint of the campus with the suggested ideas are also determined.
