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Diversity Awareness

Change Agents

The Change Agents sought a way to help individuals who have been disenfranchised by homelessness and/or mental illness.  Partnering with the Triune Mercy Center—an agency actively involved with this overlooked population—group members developed a landscaping project in conjunction with the existing Triune renovation.

Charleston Justice Project

The Charleston Undertold History Map team, now called the Charleston Justice Project, is aiming to create African-American history walking and driving tours that highlight many of the lesser-known facts about civil rights in the area. The project will unfold in five phases, including paper maps, physical markers denoting such places of interest as former lunch counters and slave import center Gadsden’s Wharf, an interactive map, school curriculum, and an app.

Chester: Cyclone Focus

Cyclone Focus is a program specifically targeting 8th grade boys who are determined to be at risk based on social and academic factors and will follow them through their senior year of high school. Through community advocates, students in this program will be provided mentors who will build their character and confidence and will allow them to realize their potential and develop into future leaders. 

Mission: The mission of cyclone focus is to ensure students receive character building, exposure through advocates who will build their confidence allowing them to realize their talents and develop into future leaders.

Civil Rights Road Trip Project

The Civil Rights Road Trip Project is grounded in a desire to find a home for an existing collection of invaluable South Carolina civil rights history resources that will:

CommonUnity

CommonUnity is completing a video project that celebrates community differences while honoring its traditions as a rich, vibrant, healthy Upstate of South Carolina.  Every day hundreds of individuals and organizations participate in activities that represent a myriad of ideas and activities which demonstrate the diversity of our communities.  Through this project, the group will demonstrate how the words “acknowledge,” “respect” and “engage” can add significant strength and value to the community.

Community Action Awareness Programs (CAAP)

CAAP members developed a model for addressing diversity from within individual communities. Using the Orangeburg community for the pilot program, CAAP brought together a dozen community leaders, representing a wide array of issues including economic development, education, local politics, healthcare, finance and business. These community leaders were given background materials and led into a discussion on diversity.

Community Connections

Community Connections is a project that serves to leverage the connections of our group members to serve and benefit a need of a Charleston Promise Neighborhood school. Charleston Promise Neighborhood is an innovative nonprofit established in 2010 that aims to break the cycle of poverty in specifically identified neighborhoods in Charleston.  Four elementary schools are served, and they are the focus of Community Connections.

Con-Nection

Con-Nection team members aimed to address the issue of reintegration for ex-convicts into the community in the Central Savannah Region Area. After the recent closing of the Aiken Community Outreach Ministry, many of these citizens stopped receiving help from the community and as such, struggled to gain employment and to meet basic living needs.  The Con-Nection team members interviewed ex-convicts who were willing to share their struggles with the media.

C.O.P.S. - Changing Our Perspectives

The headlines are rife with stories of violent encounters between law enforcement and the African American community.  C.O.P.S. quickly saw an opportunity (duty may better describe the team’s feelings) to address this disturbing trend while it was in the forefront of everyone’s thoughts. This group believes one way to curtail the violence is to change the perspectives of law enforcement officers and middle school youth of color by having them engage in meaningful activities together. 

CORE: Creating Opportunities and Recognizing Excellence

C.O.R.E. desires to recognize high school students who inspire others because they have overcome obstacles in their lives.  To accomplish this, the group has partnered with Carolina and Greenville High Schools in Greenville, South Carolina.  Based on criteria established by the group, each school will select two students from their schools—one male and one female—to receive the “DLI   C.O.R.E.