CEHD has received a $35,000 grant from the U.S. Department of State under its Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students (IDEAS) Program. The grant will support a project related to the college’s TRIO Student Support Service Global Initiative.
“We are thrilled to have been awarded the IDEAS grant and look forward to continuing our work to increase access to global programming for students,” says CEHD International Initiatives Program Director and grant PI Marina Aleixo. “This grant will support our efforts to design and implement a study abroad course that meets the unique needs and interests of low-income, first-generation, and indigenous students.”
The TRIO Student Support Service Global Initiative was launched in fall 2021 to increase access to global program for all students. “Traditionally, study abroad courses and international programming have not been designed with low income first-generation and indigenous students as their audience and therefore there is a reduced sense of belonging and connection for these students in university-wide programs,” Aleixo says.
The initiative brings together faculty, staff, students, and community partners to develop a comprehensive program initiative tailored to the specific needs of underrepresented students by leveraging the expertise of collaborating stakeholders.
“In addition to a new study abroad credit course, our team is designing supporting resources and services,” Aleixo says. “These include information sessions and workshops for students on financial planning, general travel skills, health and safety, ethics of international engagement, and career integration.”
This global initiative aims to integrate and connect underrepresented student experiences to a global context and establish new supporting resources to create a holistic wrap-around global engagement model to meet the unique needs of low income first-generation and Indigenous students. As part of this work, CEHD has been in collaboration with community members from Red Lake Nation and are working on developing a domestic student program to enhance understanding of Minnesota history and indigenous people.
The grant will help support “Self-Actualizing Study Abroad: Comprehensive Support for TRIO and Indigenous Students,” a project aimed at increasing access to global programming for underrepresented students through a new self-actualizing study abroad model. The program, supported by the IDEAS grant, will build on the college’s existing partnership with the Universidade Federal of Espirito Santo in Vitória, Brazil, and will explore comparisons between the United States and Brazil on issues such as diversity, indigenous communities, and social movements.
CEHD is collaborating with Gaagiege Bratvold, a faculty member at Red Lake Nation College. As a Red Lake Nation member and community leader, he will support CEHD’s efforts in collaborating with local first nations and indigenous students. Another collaborator is Awanookwe Kingbird-Bratvold, an assistant professor at Bemidji State University and a community member of Red Lake Nation. “She will help develop our local exchange program that will serve as a foundation to the Brazil study abroad program,” Aleixo says. “Brazil is an ideal location because of the country’s diversity and historical context both of which provide points of comparison and connection for our students. Through this program, we hope to empower students and celebrate their unique cultural identities, enabling them to engage in civil society and advocacy.”
