by Ethan Lowenstein | Mar 15, 2024 | Blog, Civic Engagement
Director's Corner: Strengthening Democracy through Place-Based EducationElection season is upon us and it is tempting to focus on voting as the most important action a person can take to protect democracy. And indeed voting is critically important. But democratic...
by SEMIS Coalition | Nov 21, 2023 | Blog, Civic Engagement, College / University, Community Partners, Environmental Sustainability, Events, Gratitude
In nature, we see the beauty of succession, where ecosystems evolve over time, each generation building upon the legacy of the last. As stewards of our environment, we too must invest in a sustainable future for the generations to come.The SEMIS Coalition is dedicated...
by SEMIS Coalition | Nov 19, 2022 | Blog, Civic Engagement, Community Forum 2022, Humanizing Education, Power of Community
It is a pure delight to share my experience at the 2022 SEMIS Coalition Community Forum held at Bob’s Lake House on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. Before I go any further with how wonderful the day was, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Audra...
by Sarah Halson | Jun 30, 2022 | Blog, Civic Engagement, Curriculum, Place-Based Education, Upper Elementary, Water Quality / Studies
“I thought I knew everything there was to know about water, but I didn’t know water was everywhere!” proclaimed a 6th grade student during their final presentation to community members after a month-long unit on stormwater. This student was one of almost 300 students...
by Lisa Voelker | Mar 2, 2022 | Civic Engagement, Community Stewardship, Teacher Toolkit
B-WET Showcase: This was an opportunity in January for NOAA B-WET Environmental Education Program grantees to showcase highlights from their projects, including challenges and success stories. The SEMIS Coalition is one of these grantees and fortunate to be a...
by admin | Mar 2, 2022 | Civic Engagement, Events
Civic Engagement in SEMIS Lisa Voelker, SEMIS assistant director, presented on Nov. 7, 2021, during the monthly Ypsilanti Sustainability Commission meeting. Our goal was to re-introduce ourselves and share how local teachers and students are engaged in place-based...
by SEMIS Coalition | May 17, 2021 | Civic Engagement, Community Forum 2021
If you see an error (“Unable to play video. Error: 5”) and cannot play the videos in the presentation below, try clicking this link to the presentation directly. If that doesn’t work, try disabling browser plugins (like Privacy Badger, ClearURLs) on...
by SEMIS Coalition | May 17, 2021 | Civic Engagement, Community Forum 2021, EcoJustice, Student Voice
Click on the button below to view the illustration. Click to view: Community Mapping with GIS Mr. Segrist and Place-based Education has helped me learn and become more aware of my community’s history and how it has affected its current situation and...
by SEMIS Coalition | May 17, 2021 | Civic Engagement, Community Forum 2021, EcoJustice, Student Voice
We were given a class project on community mapping and sense of place. It was an opportunity to exercise student voice and learn how to map. When walking around my neighborhood, I learned a lot about the lack of effort that is put into keeping our area safe and clean....
by SEMIS Coalition | May 17, 2021 | Civic Engagement, Community Forum 2021, Community History
Click on the picture or use the arrow keys or space bar to go to the next slide. Grace Lee Boggs once asked Julia Putnam what she could do as a young person to help Detroit be a better place. The Rainbows asked ourselves the same question. This project is our answer...
by Miriam Furlan Brighente, PhD | Apr 2, 2021 | Civic Engagement, Community Partners, Environmental Sustainability, New Community Partners, Paulo Freire, Place-Based Education, Power of Community, Transformational Partnership, Youth Voice
Continuing the annual virtual series learning as we are still experiencing a global pandemic, SEMIS Coalition met with teachers, community partners, administration staff, and coaches for the Winter ’21 Professional Learning. One of the main goals was to use...