Each spring, the Harward Center for Community Partnerships preps and deploys a working group of students who spend the five weeks of Short Term tackling specific projects with local partners.

Whether helping a local land trust improve its signage or surveying pediatricians about how they discuss home gun safety with parents, “these students are mobilizing some pretty sophisticated skills and capacities for their off-campus projects and partners,” says Harward Center director Darby Ray.

Teagan Ladner ’21

Hometown:  Shrewsbury, Mass.

Major: Rhetoric

Partner: YWCA Central Maine

Project: Developing a video to promote the racial justice work the YWCA does through its Stand Against Racism event.

Teagan says: “During my STA/RT project, I learned the importance of being involved in community-engaged work beyond the role given or task at hand. As a videographer, it can be easy to distance yourself from the people you are filming and the event taking place, but I found it useful to allow myself to get involved in the event without using the lens as a barrier.

“In my case, that meant putting down the camera and participating in dialogue groups after the film screening during the Stand Against Racism weekend. By engaging in deep conversations about race and immigration, I became inspired by the vocal youth in the Lewiston-Auburn community leading these discussions. I was then able to look for clips in my footage that I felt most accurately represented the themes brought up by youth voices in the discussions I had.

“In general, I would encourage others to try to understand the people and mission of their community partner by participating in new ways that may not be in your written job description.”