Projects

Teams of students from CT State Community College Capital and Trinity College have completed over thirty projects with community partners in the Liberal Arts Action Lab.

Spring 2024 Projects:

• Music Education Project with House of Bread, Jubilee House Programs: Music is important culturally and developmentally for children, yet urban students of color typically have reduced access to affordable instrumental music programs. Help address the “opportunity gap” in arts education by exploring successful models of youth neighborhood music programs and making recommendations for programming in Hartford.
• Family Finance Project with the United Way of CT: Help inform legislators about the Connecticut Child Tax Credit ($250 per child) by amplifying the voices of families in Hartford for whom it would make a difference. This project will create written and audio-visual narratives with Hartford residents, and explore the impact of child tax credits on economic equity.

Upcoming Fall 2024 Projects

• Student Loan Equity Project, with Student Loan Fund:  In 2023, the federal government ended the pause on student loan repayment that was in place during the pandemic.  Collectively, Americans owe $1.77 trillion in student loan debt, borne disproportionately by people of color who often lack generational wealth.  Partner with SLF to collect written and visual narratives from student borrowers to inform public policy regarding student debt.

• Neighborhood Development Project, with Frog Hollow NRZ:  How can neighborhood residents use their social and political resources to address declining and vacant properties in the area? Work with residents from the neighborhood surrounding Trinity to explore existing urban planning and community development efforts and create a roadmap to effect change.  

• Talcott Street Church Commemoration Project with Hartford Heritage Project: Talcott Street Church, the first Black Congregational Church in Hartford, was the site of history-defining Black community organizing, education, and civil rights activism in Connecticut; however, today this important site in Hartford remains unmarked and unrecognized.  Research the rich history of the church and its members, and investigate ways to commemorate its contribution to the Hartford community through political and civic action.