HHSN CESA Projects
Since 2020, Community Engaged Student Assistants (CESA) have developed projects within the Hunger and Homelessness Support Network (HHSN). CESA’s are awarded UAA Administration Scholarships to support faculty in their teaching, research, or creative activities. These students gain leadership skills while developing projects centered on community engagement, research and data collection.
CESA’s with the HHSN worked with community partners to develop projects to combat basic needs insecurities including supply drives and awareness campaigns.
Quick Links: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
2023 CESA Project
As CESA, Crystal Garrett focused on increasing awareness and involvement for HHSN and the need for services to help meet the basic needs of UAA students. Crystal served as an administrator of the HHSN Facebook page and created an Instagram account, researched similar efforts at different universities, planned an event showing the film Hungry to Learn for National Public Health Week’s Healthy Neighborhoods Day.
"During this semester as a CESA with HHSN, everything from the growth of HHSN’s social media presence to organizing a successful event has been filled with purpose. During my research and outreach, I realized more than just passion is needed to sustain these efforts; it requires a dedicated staff as well as resources. There’s an ongoing need for institutional commitment to support students’ basic needs for academic success. I’m optimistic in knowing that with continued support, HHSN can continue to create a community where everyone has the resources they need to help future Seawolves thrive." - Crystal Garrett
2022 CESA Project
CESA Muhammad Khan served as administrator of the HHSN Facebook page, assisted with promoting, planning HHSN sponsored events, and organized the second annual Warm Wear Bag project with the Health Professions Student Organization (HPSO).
The Warm Wear Bags project was developed by the HPSO to help alleviate some of the discomforts of enduring the elements during the cold months ahead for community members in Anchorage. As a founding member of HPSO, Muhammad coordinated with both teams to assemble 150 Warm Wear Bags, including wool socks, winter hats, winter gloves, emergency mylar blanket, condoms, menstrual pads and resources flyers.
The Warm Wear Bags were donated to the AKCares Project. HHSN and AKCares Project are working with Choosing Our Roots and Native Movement to collect additional items for the bags, and deliver them this month around the community. As a result of the dive, over 150 bags will be allocated to community members with useful items and information on other resources available in Anchorage.
2021 CESA Project
This project was a collaboration between HHSN and existing community groups to help
supply UAA students with free food, hygiene, and clothing supplies during the pandemic
school year. CESA’s Daniel Confalone and Kendyl Murakami wanted to help UAA students
to access needed material resources while also contributing to the university’s mission
of transforming lives through community engagement in a diverse and inclusive environment.
The CESAs worked directly with leadership from St. Francis House and Alaska Poor People’s Campaign to coordinate an exchange of donated goods to be distributed to UAA students as needed from a central, easy-to-find location on campus while following health procedures for the COVID-19 Pandemic.
HHSN provided space on campus through the Student Health and Counseling Center, as well as social media access to cross-post and share information from all three project partners. CESA successfully distributed 5 food boxes and 11 backpacks filled with clothing and hygiene items on campus to a central location for easy access.
2020 CESA Project
CESA’s Ali Stover and Katie Marshall worked in the HHSN Awareness Subcommittee to
provide a platform for communication with members of the on-campus and off-campus
community. All in-person spring events were canceled in response to the covid-19 pandemic,
but the Awareness Subcommittee fulfilled its mission all year through our social media
awareness strategy. Students assessed the engagement data for the HHSN Facebook page, which informed the
group’s future awareness strategies.
Results:
Engagement on posts for AY19-20 ranges between a reach of 11-689. The average reach for all posts in AY19-20 is 65.71, with a median reach of 43, and a mode of 16. These statistics vary greatly in range because several Facebook posts have low reach in the teens, many have reach between 20-99, and a few have extremely high reach, in the several 100s. This indicates that the few posts with extremely high reach above 100 are the most interesting or important to our social media followers.