Every year on March 22, the world observes World Water Day. This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of clean water and the need to preserve this precious resource for future generations.
One of the main priorities of the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center (EHSC) is to help develop partnerships between environmental health researchers and the communities where they work. EHSC’s Community Engagement Core works with researchers and community groups to help build these relationships, which focus on the San Joaquin Valley and other areas throughout California.
The COVID-19 pandemic compounded existing environmental and health injustices experienced by residents of agricultural and unincorporated communities like Knights Landing, so our interdisciplinary team working on the Knights Landing Environmental Health Project went to work right away with our dedicated promotora-researchers.
I was recently invited to speak to students in the GEO Environmental Science and Design Academy at Grant High School in Sacramento, California. An environmental activist I met through Sunrise Sacramento connected me to the program.
The GEO Academy is a series of environmental science classes for sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in environmental studies and includes coursework in environmental science, sustainable agriculture and land use and environmental design.
California has a gorgeous coastline, beautiful redwood forests, breathtaking mountain views, ancient and pristine lakes and some of the worst air on the planet. The American Lung Association’s most recent State of the Air report reveals once again that California’s work on air pollution is far from over.
Each year the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center's Community Engagement Core (CEC) puts on a training for pilot grantees to help scientists design community-based participatory research projects. The ultimate goal is to translate what researchers learn into meaningful policy that can improve the health and well being of community members at the local level.
COVID-19 was a disaster that turned lives upside down
The goal of our COVID-19 research project was to understand how workers and their families were affected by the pandemic at home and on the job. Beyond the number of cases, deaths, and unemployed were the physical and mental health impacts on individuals and their families. A pandemic of this magnitude demanded quick action from decision-makers, but information about workers and their health, economic security, and needs was incomplete.
This curriculum is a two-day workshop that walks researchers and community groups through the essential tenets of community participatory research. It covers everything from building equitable partnerships and understanding power dynamics, to leveraging university resources and more.
Jonathan K. London, PhD is an expert in participatory research, rural community development and community-engaged planning. He connects researchers to California’s rural communities by focusing on environmental justice issues.
