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Empowering

Women

Worldwide 

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ALLEGHENY COLLEGE GLOBAL CITIZEN SCHOLARS
2020-2022

The Allegheny College Global Citizen Scholars (GCS) Program [currently on hiatus] was designed for students who are interested in unpacking a complex global issue through interdisciplinary coursework and experiential fieldwork. Participants in the program commit to two academic years of work. During this time, they take a seminar on the cohort topic every semester. The coursework in the seminars prepares students to work in small groups on a capstone community-engaged learning (CEL) project. The program experience culminates in a showcasing of student research,  and the outcomes from the CEL projects at a public venue.
 

This website captures the experiences of Cohort IV (2020-22) on the theme of "Empowering Women Worldwide" [linked to U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 5].
 

Cohort IV of the Allegheny College Global Citizen Scholars Program was co-directed by Dr. Ishita Sinha Roy (Professor, Media & Cultural Studies) and Dr. Caryl Waggett (Professor, Global Health).

Click here to discover why Empowering Women is a Global Priority

Click here to download details

about the "Empowering Women"  Global Citizen Scholar Program Design

See your learning translate to skills

About the GCS Program

Fall 2022 / Spring 2023: Sustainable Outcomes

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Fall 2022/Spring 2023

Seated L-R: Annaliese Stone, Rutendo Mavunga, Katherine Perez

Standing L-R: Prof. Sinha Roy, Samantha Minor, & Michael Williams

Front Row L-R: Annaliese Stone, Emily Mullen, Rutendo Mavunga, Katherine Perez, and Samantha Minor

Back Row L-R: Prof. Doug Luman and Prof. Sinha Roy

During the 2021 COVID-19 lockdown, a small team from Cohort IV of the Global Citizen Scholars Program, pictured above, worked with Media Studies Professor Ishita Sinha Roy, their Teaching Assistant Nicolle Long ('22), and the local community partner -- Women's Services Inc. in Meadville -- to write a children's anti-domestic abuse resource book called You are Not Alone.
 

Illustrations for the book were by Annaliese Stone, an Art, Science, Innovation Major ('24).

Professor Doug Luman (Computer Science) helped with the layout design and publishing of the book.

Michael Williams Director of Community Engaged Learning, provided invaluable guidance, and funded the completion of the project through a community outreach grant.

In Spring 2023, trained members from this group will collaborate with the Meadville Rotary AM Club, the Allegheny College Rotaract Club, and Women's Services, to use the book in anti-domestic violence education workshops across schools and public libraries in Crawford County, PA. Copies of the book will be distributed at these workshops.

Spring 2022

SPRING 2022

Students in Cohort IV of the Global Citizen Scholars (GCS) Program completed their last academic seminar INTDS 390 (Interdisciplinary Applications for Global Citizen Scholars) in Spring 2022. During the semester, they connected virtually with a number of global experts from community outreach organizations in countries -- India, Ghana, Costa Rica. These organizations work with local communities on issues of women’s empowerment, across various sectors.  The case studies from these emerging economies provide powerful insights into how investing in women can uplift entire communities.  This was also a unique opportunity to explore how cultural differences, and the intersectionality of factors such as class and caste, religion, age, etc. affect the success of gender equity initiatives, which, in turn, impacts the progress made on other U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, across different countries.   

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In the Students' Own Words ...

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Our final newsletter from Spring 2022 is available HERE, or if you click on the image on the right. You will need Adobe Reader to access the file.

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To view the program for the May 14, 2022 events, click here. The Program also lists the GCS Cohort IV students alongside their declared Major(s)/Minor(s), languages spoken and/or being studied, and study abroad plans.

To view the posters displayed at the Allegheny College Richard Cook-Terry Lahti Scholars' Symposium, please click here, or on the image above.

 

Download the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, for free, to open the file.

Click on the images below to link to the work that our global partners SVYM (India), CISG (Costa Rica), and CFHI (Ghana), are doing for women's socio-economic progress, education, health. Learn also about the COVID-prevention strategies spearheaded by women in these communities.

In FALL 2021, students in Cohort IV of the Global Citizen Scholars (GCS) Program registered for INTDS 290 (GCS and Globalization) where we discussed select academic readings and explorations unpacking colonizing discourses about women across cultures. Student teams also polished and submitted the Spring 2021 projects to the community partner (Women's Services Inc. in Meadville). Students have also started to showcase their work at conferences, publications, and through other public channels. We have shared some of the Fall 2021 highlights below.

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Please click on the image on the left, or HERE, to access some snapshots of our Fall 2021 highlights.

Download the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, for free, to open the file.

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Spring 2021

SPRING 2021:
e-Community Collaboration

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About Women's Services in Crawford County, Pennsylvania.

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Please click on the image on the left, or HERE, to access the Spring 2021 Newsletter.

In Spring 2021, we collaborated with Meadville Women's Services Inc. on virtual Community Engaged Learning projects.
Our Cohort IV students continued to explore the theme of promoting "Empowering Women Worldwide," with a focus on domestic violence which had escalated during COVID-19 lockdown. Those who were vulnerable to abuse found themselves confined with their abusers for long periods of time and high stress and pandemic-related crises became triggers for violence.

Students worked in small groups, under the supervision of the GCS faculty directors and the now retired, Allegheny College Chaplain Rev. Jane Ellen Nickell, and were mentored by experts from our community partner organization -- Women's Services Inc. in Meadville. They worked on four exciting initiatives that were remote community partnership projects.  Through these, they explored what "empowerment" means in the case of vulnerable populations, and practiced active listening and learning, before moving to take action. The newsletter below briefly describes the Spring Semester learning through the e-community collaborations.

On the academic front, our students completed a 2-credit seminar, INTDS190 with Profs. Sinha Roy and Waggett. INTDS 190  was an introduction to the cohort-related theme of the global citizen scholars program.  Students explored the theme through local e-community projects. The emphasis was on developing civic identity and a commitment to finding ways in which they might take action individually and collectively. 

Some Global Movers & Shakers

Time names first ‘kid of the year’ for inventing a device that tests lead in drinking water
Vandana Shiva | Ecofeminism and the decolonization of women, nature and the future

Vandana Shiva | Ecofeminism and the decolonization of women, nature and the future

Euskarazko bertsioa 👉 https://youtu.be/hVbbov9Rfjg Gaztelaniazko bertsioa 👉https://youtu.be/1aZjDLR8Z_c Vandana Shiva ekintzaile ekologista eta feministaren hitzaldia San Telmo Museoan, Calcuta Ondoan GKEk antolatuta, museoaren eta Garapenerako Lankidetzaren Euskal Agentziarekin elkarlanean. 2020.03.10. 👉 https://bit.ly/2QKPn5p Ekofeminismoak gure lurrak, gure gorputzak kolonizatu dituzten ilusio horiek ezabatzen ditu, eta orain gure buruak kolonizatzen ari dira teknologia digitalen bidez eta big dataren bidez. Emakumeengan eta naturan sormena, autonomia eta autoantolaketarako potentziala aintzat hartzean, ekofemismoak haziak ereiten ditu, espezie eta pertsona guztientzat etorkizun komun duin eta justua izateko. ********* San Telmo Museoak Erronkak izeneko programazio ildoan gai garaikideen inguruan eztabaidatzeko eta hausnartzeko aukera ematen du, besteak beste, hitzaldi, jardunaldi eta erakusketen bidez. Lantzen dituen gaien artean daude Europa, kulturartekotasuna, iraunkortasuna, berdintasuna, eta bakea eta giza eskubideak. 📌 Erronkak programazioko hitzaldiak (erreprodukzio zerrenda) http://bit.ly/38IvqTx 📌 Erronkak programazio ildoa: http://bit.ly/2lwzAdF ******* 📌 San Telmo Museoa: www.santelmomuseoa.eus 📌 San Telmo Museoaren agenda: http://bit.ly/2nNFYKL 📌 STM Twitterren: https://twitter.com/santelmomuseoa 📌 STM Facebooken: https://www.facebook.com/santelmomuseoa/ San Telmo Museoa 1902an inauguratu zen eta Euskal Herriko museorik zaharrena da. 2011n eraberritu zenetik Euskal Gizartearen Museoa da.Gaur egun, museoan 35.000 piezatik gora ditugu inbentariatuta hainbat kategoriatan: Etnografia, Arte Ederrak, Argazkilaritza, Arkeologia eta Historia. Museoa ez ezik, jakintza zabaltzeko eta pentsamendua sortzeko gunea ere eta iraganeko jakintzatik abiatuta oraina ulertzeko eta etorkizuna eraikitzeko tresna izan nahi du. Hori ahalbidetzeko jarduera egitarau zabala dauka. #VandanaShiva #Feminismoa #SanTelmoMuseoa #Iraunkortasuna #KlimaAldaketa #Europa #Kulturartekotasuna #Berdintasuna #Generoa #Feminismoa #Bakea #GizaEskubideak #Donostia #SanSebastián #Gipuzkoa #GizarteMuseoa #EuskalHerria #Kultura #Historia
Prof. Wangari Maathai at 80: Tree planter, Nobel Prize laureate, revolutionary

Prof. Wangari Maathai at 80: Tree planter, Nobel Prize laureate, revolutionary

Ecosia is the search engine that plants trees. Get on Ecosia and be climate active every day: https://www.ecosia.org/ Wangari Maathai would have been in her 80s today. She was the first African woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first Eastern African woman to receive a PhD. Maathai died in 2011, but her legacy is very much alive – thanks, in part, to your Ecosia searches. Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize for her political activism, and for founding the Green Belt Movement, Ecosia's reforestation partner in Kenya. Your searches are planting trees according to Prof. Maathai’s method. They are mostly planted around critical water sources, preventing erosion, and increasing both the quantity and the quality of the water. For Wangari Maathai, however, planting trees was never just about restoring the water cycle. It was also about helping people – including the most marginalized – stand up for their human and environmental rights. Share this video to celebrate Wangari Maathai’s 80th birthday! ____ Director & Producer Joshi Gottlieb (IG: @joshigot) Creative director Sina Samavati (IG: @sinasamavati) Script Joshua Gottlieb Cinematographer Shane Thomas McMillan (IG: dokumentarian) Archive images Marlboro Productions, takingrootfilms.com Editing & post-production Sina Samavati Motion graphics & animation Sina Samavati Special thanks to The Green Belt Movement ____ Punch keys to plant trees! Make Ecosia your default search engine: https://www.ecosia.org/ Ecosia is available for Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Safari and many more. You can also start your own forest through the Ecosia app: https://ecosia.co/ecosiaformobile Follow how your searches are replenishing the planet by visiting our blog (https://blog.ecosia.org), Instagram (@ecosia) and Twitter (@Ecosia). Want to make a difference? Check out our Tree Store and buy trees for climate action, trees that purify water sources, trees that empower women, and many more! After your purchase, we’ll email you a certificate that makes a thoughtful gift: https://plant.ecosia.org

FALL 2020 RE-CAP

Fall 2020
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On September 20, 2020, the on-campus Global Citizenship Scholars from Cohort IV, along with their Teaching Assistants, and Faculty, picnicked in the sun in the rooftop garden outside the Vukovich Communication Center. With masks on, the group made tie-and-dye masks for themselves and as gifts for friends. It was a much-needed respite from COVID isolation, to come together, share some laughter, play name games, and get to know each other.   Photo Credits: Aveet Desai

Fall 2020 Zoom Webinars: 

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AMBASSADOR EMERITUS

GINA ABERCROMBIE-WEATHERLY

“Too often, each of us has walked into the room and been the only woman at the table. Certainly, as a woman of color, I have that experience far too often. And what could we do to change that?” 

 

The first woman diplomat to lead a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia, and former U.S. ambassador to Malta, Gina Abercrombie-Weatherly has held a series of senior positions that have included advising the Commander of U.S. cyber forces on our foreign policy priorities, expanding our counterterrorism partnerships and programs as Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism, and coordinating the largest evacuation of American citizens from a war zone since World War ll. 

Ambassador Weatherly gave a Zoom talk to Allegheny students how to pursue change through a career in foreign diplomacy

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Please click on the image on the left, or HERE to read about the experiences of the Global Citizen Scholars' from Cohort IV, as they began their first semester -- Fall 2020 -- in a pandemic year.

SHARING THE LEARNING

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Sharing the Wealth
AAC&U 2022 DEI conference
Please click here to see a larger version of the poster
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NATIONAL COUNCIL for UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH 2022 COMPETITION FINALIST: 
"Virtual Community Engaged Learning and An Ethics of Care." Submitted by Katherine Perez

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Profs. Sinha Roy and Waggett co-presented their paper at the WSDD-U conference described above.

 

Here is the abstract for that presentation:

Embodying the Ethics of Sustainable Development: An SDG-Themed Community-Engaged Learning Cohort for Future Leaders 

Incorporating the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into higher education curriculum raises critical pedagogical questions regarding who is developing whom and the power dynamics inscribed in such relationships.

 

This case study showcases an undergraduate first-year cohort of Global Citizen Scholars centered on SDG 5 (Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment) at a liberal arts college. During the COVID lockdown, students participated in a virtual community-engaged learning initiative developed in collaboration with the community partner (Women’s Services Inc.).  While most higher education initiatives use the SDGs in courses oriented towards global problem-solving, this case study explores how the SDGs can provide the foundation to build more inclusive partnerships, framed by an ethics of care, between academic institutions and community partners. The cohort gained a broader understanding of working with vulnerable populations towards empowerment, and not simply working on their behalf.  Faculty and community partners collaborated in addressing the politics of development and practical ways in which investments in women yield sustainable community transformations.  This grassroots approach for rethinking global sustainable development practices encourages future young leaders to adopt “thinking-from-the-margins” for community collaboration.

 

This paper targets educators interested in addressing the ethics of sustainable development through community-engaged learning courses. 

Join Us

Find out how gender equity benefits boys and men

Faculty
Co-Leaders

PROF. SINHA ROY
Media & Cultural Studies

iroy@allegheny.edu
 

PROF. WAGGETT
Global Health Program

cwaggett@allegheny.edu

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© 2026 by Ishita Sinha Roy |  Logo and header design courtesy Penny Drexel.
No content can be reproduced without written permission of the site owner.

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