On Friday, February 21st, you may have seen groups of middle school girls walking (or running) around campus as they completed a scavenger hunt on campus.

They also received tours of the Invention Studio, a presentation from the GT Urban Honey Bee Project, and demonstrations from different GVU labs. These activities were all part of the second annual InGirls Immersion day at Georgia Institute of Technology hosted by the Westside Communities Alliance (WCA) and organized by WCA leadership in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

After the day’s activities, the 35 girls from Sylvan Hills Middle School completed evaluation forms.  Their comments included:

“I really look forward to going to Georgia Tech.”

“GT is very amazing and I hope I will be able to come.”

“This was a great trip! I am really considering Georgia Tech as my college.”

“I love Georgia Tech!”

The WCA is a partnership between Atlanta’s westside communities and institutes of higher education, led by Dean Royster of the Ivan Allen College of the Liberal Arts and Dean French of the College of Architecture. The WCA began in April 2011 as an initiative to bring coherence to long-standing and recent efforts by Georgia Tech to partner with neighboring communities. These communities include: Bankhead, Centennial Park, Home Park, Vine City, Washington Park, and other neighborhoods west of the I-75/85 Connector.

Full-time staff members came on board in August 2012, and the WCA has grown exponentially since then. Some highlights from the past year and a half include:

• Volunteer service projects.
• Presentations on panels and in classes.
• Three awards / certificates from community organizations.
• Receiving two grants for program implementation.
• Providing programmatic support for community events.
• Attending numerous community meetings and posting notes to the WCA website.
• Organizing and supporting community tours.
• Collaborating with faculty to shape various GT courses and projects.
• Facilitating discussions on community development and education.

In addition to a dynamic website, the WCA also maintains a Facebook and Twitter account (both updated daily) and a calendar that has been called “the most up-to-date calendar of events on the Westside” by Cicely Garrett, Food Systems Innovation Manager at Atlanta Community Food Bank.

This consistent presence has allowed the WCA and Georgia Tech to stand out among community leaders. Christi Jackson, Executive Director of the Conservancy at Historic Washington Park, who worked with the WCA on an event in September, had the following to say: "This year, the WCA has stepped up to become a true resource for the entire Historic Washington Park District. Whether it is providing technical assistance or volunteers, we rely on the expertise provided by our growing association with the WCA. Ultimately, the Westside Communities Alliance helps us be successful as an organization."

Moving forward, the WCA has three primary goals:

1. Anchoring the WCA within westside communities by having a physical presence on the westside.
2. Long-term sustainability for the WCA.
3. Increasing Georgia Tech enrollment from westside Atlanta public high schools from 0 percent to 25 percent by fall 2016.

Goal 1:

In attempting to secure a long-term place to house the WCA office and provide space for community classes and meetings, WCA staff has been an integral part of the E.R. Carter for the Historic Westside Collective. This is a group seeking to turn the historic E.R. Carter School (most recently KIPP WAYS Academy) on Joseph E. Lowery Blvd into a Multipurpose Community Center. The space is centrally located between Georgia Tech, Georgia State University, and the Atlanta University Center. It is adjacent to the Ashby MARTA Station, and has ample parking and amenities, including 22 classrooms, 11 offices, a cafetorium, and outdoor space. The WCA convened multiple meetings with the steering committee, prepared a proposal for Atlanta Public Schools (APS), and participated in a meeting with City of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to help move this initiative forward.

Goal 2:

The WCA seeks to increase its value to community members outside of its current communication and promotional services, programmatic support, technical expertise, and volunteer provision. Beginning in late April, the WCA will host a community studio series covering a range of development and transit topics (one of the four issue areas of the WCA). Local experts and professors will conduct a seminar on their particular research interest for a non-academic audience. Participating organizations will receive a stipend to support their work upon completion of the free course.

Groups such as Youth Enrichment Program (YEP!) and Circle K have been working on the westside for over 5 and 10 years, respectively.  The WCA provides a venue for additional students and student groups to be introduced to westside opportunities and potential partners.  The Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement and the Office of Minority Educational Development have been very supportive of WCA endeavors with student organizations thus far.  Therefore, in April, the WCA will invite incoming Georgia Tech student leadership to meet westside community partners and make connections for service projects for academic year 2014-15.

To ensure sustainability, funding opportunities are extremely important for the WCA. Two projects have been funded by the Ford Foundation and the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs.  The WCA continues to work with advocates throughout the Institute to secure internal and external funding for future initiatives.

Goal 3:

In the academic year 2013-14, one African American student from Atlanta Public Schools was admitted to Georgia Tech as a traditional, full-time freshman. This student did not reside on the Westside.  APS faces a host of educational challenges such as racial and income segregation, school closings, and interim leadership, among others. Currently, APS has a 50 percent high school graduation rate. The average SAT score in 2013 was 1097 at Washington High School, which is less than three miles from Georgia Tech, where the average SAT score for the incoming freshman class was 2105.

Many west Atlanta youth grow up within walking distance of Georgia Tech, but never visit the campus. Moreover, Georgia Tech students overwhelmingly view the westside as a place that “needs help” without understanding the cultural and historical relevance of these neighborhoods. This is one benefit Georgia Tech receives from participating in the InGirls program. Westside students get to experience the campus, while Georgia Tech faculty, staff, and students have the opportunity to interact with local youth. Near Peer and Project ENGAGE are examples of successful programs that provide opportunities to introduce these two groups. Both working with Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy and BEST Academy, Project ENGAGE hires 12 students to conduct lab research in the Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, and Near Peer matches Georgia Tech students with westside high school students in a mentorship program.

The WCA seeks to act as a clearinghouse for any and all westside projects involving Georgia Tech and other community partners. The WCA lifts up existing work, such as Project ENGAGE, architecture design studios, digital media projects, and service work by student organizations. WCA also works to foster new relationships and initiatives to improve quality of life in west Atlanta. Georgia Tech’s efforts to compile knowledge about widespread programs is evident through movements within the Institute, such as the Office of Government and Community Relations K12 web portal to supplement their hard-copy report and Dr. Ellen Zegura’s and Dr. Colin Potts’ Service Learning and Community Engagement Council.

In achieving all of these goals, the Westside Communities Alliance hopes to sustain and advance Georgia Tech’s presence and influence on the westside. More importantly, the WCA can bring together westside stakeholders (institutions of higher education, community residents, public and private agencies, and funders) to work toward a coherent vision for west Atlanta’s future. The WCA truly believes that, by working together, we can develop comprehensive solutions for complex community challenges, rebuild thriving urban neighborhoods, and help the westside of Atlanta do better.