Refugee communities face cultural and structural barriers to healthcare that existing validated survey tools do not fully capture. This project develops a comprehensive, culturally responsive survey instrument designed specifically for refugee populations. Using validated survey development methods, an environmental scan, a modified Delphi process, translation protocols, and cognitive interviewing, the research team—through shared decision-making with a resettlement agency and current refugees—co-created a multilingual tool addressing access, speed, cultural relevance, and behavioral factors influencing care. The resulting instrument provides actionable data to support community organizations and service providers in improving equitable access to care for refugee communities.
The University of Georgia Archway Partnership worked with local stakeholders in Newton County to assess housing affordability, focusing on apartment rentals and income levels amid rapid economic growth. Guided by locally identified priorities, this university–community partnership connected public sector data needs with academic expertise. By incorporating service learning, the project provided community leaders with actionable insight while giving a UGA student hands-on experience in public policy analysis and applied research.
This research poster presents a Consensus Framework for Postsecondary Youth Impact in Rural Communities, developed for the University of Nebraska’s Rural Fellows program. Grounded in Collective Impact Theory, Ripple Effects Mapping, and community-based participatory evaluation, the framework supports rural communities and cross-sector partners in co-creating locally meaningful indicators of success for postsecondary youth engagement. The poster illustrates how shared goal-setting, reflective evaluation, and adaptive learning processes can strengthen community-defined outcomes while supporting youth development and long-term rural vitality.
This research poster presents a systems-based theoretical model for addressing the "rural climate gap," where limited institutional capacity amplifies vulnerability to climate stressors such as extreme heat. Using a rural county in Georgia as a site of analysis, the poster conceptualizes an integrated development ecosystem centered on a Community Land Trust (CLT) and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) partnership, with mission-aligned social enterprises. Grounded in systems theory and causal pathway analysis, the model illustrates how coordinated land stewardship, mission-aligned capital, and workforce development can strengthen endogenous adaptive capacity while addressing the structural drivers of climate vulnerability in under-resourced rural communities.
Coastal Georgia is frequently affected by natural disasters, including hurricanes and floods. Hurricane Helene revealed the vulnerability of coastal built infrastructure systems. Despite many buildings remaining physically intact during this storm, building systems experienced severe functionality loss due to prolonged service disruptions of essential utility systems, including water losses and power outages. This study assesses residential building systems functionality by connecting the physical performance of buildings with utility outages. The physical performance of residential buildings and infrastructure systems is modeled using the HAZUS model. Water and electrical power infrastructure systems recovery is then modeled by incorporating current infrastructure decision-making practices, and building functionality recovery is modeled through housing-level recovery. The proposed model is tailored and applied to Chatham County, Georgia, for a hurricane disaster scenario. The proposed model will benefit resilience-focused urban disaster risk planning and decision-making.
This poster showcases the Navigating Through Life program in Newton County Schools, a cross-sector initiative that equips high school seniors with practical life skills through strong community partnerships. Developed in collaboration with educators, local government, nonprofits, and business leaders, the program reflects a shared commitment to preparing youth for successful transitions into adulthood. Attendees will learn about the program’s development, structure, and implementation, as well as strategies for adapting the model in their own communities. The poster will highlight how collaborative partnerships strengthen community resilience by empowering students with essential skills while deepening sustained relationships between schools and local organizations.
Rural and urban spaces tend to be researched, addressed, and funded as separate economic, social, and political challenges despite the fact that rural sociologists have described the so-called rural-urban divide as not a divide at all, but rather an interdependent space of interaction. However, limited scholarship within the United States examines how and why rural and urban communities are connected and its implications for community development researchers and practitioners. The interdependent rural-urban ties that bind rural and urban communities continue to be mostly invisible. In order to strengthen the ties that bind rural, suburban, and urban communities, we need to first identify and make them visible. Empirical evidence that demonstrates the interdependencies of rural and urban spaces is crucial for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to better navigate interdependent rural and urban community development. However, the primary body of literature relative to rural-urban interdependence and linkages exists within international settings. In the United States, limited scholarship exists that explores how rural and urban places and communities impact or influence the other, despite the fact that “today's societal and global problems often have a large rural dimension (e.g., labor mobility, energy development, climate change, food production, waste disposal) that imposes new challenges that affect all Americans, regardless of where they happen to live” (Lichter & Ziliak, 2017). This project systematically reviews literature in the community development field that examines rural–urban interdependence, providing a structured and transparent overview of existing scholarship and mapping what is known about rural–urban relationships in the United States. This scoping review informs a research agenda by examining how the rural–urban interface is conceptualized within the field and identifying priorities for future research on rural–urban linkages. Preliminary findings reveal limited scholarship focusing on rural-urban interdependence within the community development field in the United States. Studies examining rural-urban interdependence primarily focused on linkages related to financial and cultural capital.
The Connect Newton Implementation Initiative (CNII) was launched as a pilot funding initiative to support K–12 teachers in delivering workforce-connected lessons aligned with local career pathways. Developed through collaboration among education, industry, and community partners, and funded by Georgia Power, the initiative provides financial and structural support for teacher-designed, career-relevant classroom projects. The first-year pilot tested the application, review, and implementation process, offering early insight into how teacher-led workforce instruction can be supported while informing refinements for year two.
This poster presents a qualitative study exploring the lived experiences of girl activists of color, focusing on the challenges they encounter engaging in social change. Using an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach, semi-structured interviews captured participants’ narratives about navigating activism, asserting their voices, and sustaining engagement despite political, social, and cultural obstacles. Findings illuminate how these youth make meaning of their activism within environments that are often inhospitable, revealing strategies for resilience, self-advocacy, and community impact. In doing so, this research provides insights for educators and community organizers seeking to better support youth-led social change via intergenerational collaboration models.
This poster presents a geospatial assessment of septic system risk in Georgia leveraging open-source environmental and socioeconomic data. Septic system locations are spatially linked with soil conditions, groundwater depth, flood hazards, land use, and demographic indicators to identify areas where system failure risk is elevated. Multi-criteria spatial analysis and hotspot detection methods are used to classify deterministic risk (i.e., high-, medium-, and low) zones and validate patterns using inspection and permit records. The resulting risk maps provide a decision-support tool for identifying priority areas where septic risks threaten public health and where alternative sanitation strategies may be most viable.
Providing effective healthcare for refugee populations is a key US public health priority. In Washington State, partnerships among community organizations, resettlement agencies, and health systems help communities navigate change together by connecting refugees with essential supports. Because understandings of health vary across cultures, meaningful behavioral/mental health (BMH) care must harness cultural energy, honoring refugees’ strengths and experiences. Yet many providers lack capacity for culturally responsive, evidence-based care. This qualitative study explores Washington clinicians’ perspectives surrounding culturally sustaining BMH approaches. Findings aim to strengthen capacity and inform practices that honor the diverse cultural energies that shape refugee healing and resilience.
This research poster examines the intersection of gender, community-based programs, and economic development in Puerto Rico through a qualitative case study of women-led initiatives. Using Appreciative Inquiry, focus group discussions, and community asset mapping, the study highlights how organizations such as LEAP Social Enterprise and Taller Communidad La Goyco address systemic barriers, including wage inequality, domestic violence, and the underrepresentation of women in leadership. Grounded in the Capability Approach and the Community Capital Framework, findings demonstrate how gender-sensitive social enterprises expand women’s agency while strengthening community resilience through education, cultural preservation, and local resource mobilization.
