A Community-Based Approach to Science Outreach

The collaboration formed in April 2023, when Sasha Prokuda, executive director of C2ST, met Guillaume Riesen of WVS at a science communication conference in Rotterdam. “We hit it off, and I could tell that we had really similar values in our organizations and the kind of work that we were doing,” Reisen recalled. “And we were just like, ‘We should find something to do together.’”

Worldview Studio, founded in 2018, develops science communication strategies, educational media, and engagement experiences, often working in partnership with other foundations, universities, and companies. “We’ve really wanted to start with the audiences we’re trying to reach,” says Brie Linkenhoker, founder of WVS. “What do they know? What are they curious about? How do they want to use science in their lives?”

Bringing people together as a community and valuing their contributions to designing these events can create lasting benefits. “The research shows that having community and feeling like a part of something is good for your brain health,” said Prokuda.

For nearly two decades, C2ST has partnered with community leaders and organizations across Chicagoland to co-design bespoke programming for each neighborhood. As their efforts expand, they remain mindful of the distinct needs, interests, and resources of each community. “Instead of having one model of science communication, now we have fifty,” Prokuda said.

Outreach Begins with Audience

Last year, C2ST and WVS designed a multidirectional engagement project on brain health, capitalizing on findings from a survey that reported Americans as both curious and optimistic about brain health research. Their approach, using principles of human-centered design, includes Chicago community members in the process of designing science outreach programs in an effort to build trust with diverse audiences and create buy-in early on.

“It’s the specificity of the community that we’re really trying to understand here,” says Juli Sherry, director of design operations at WVS. “We have a group of community leaders we’re working with, who we were developing relationships with along the way in the process of doing co-design.”

The C2ST and WVS teams worked with several community partners, including the Bethyl New Life nonprofit community development corporation and The Encompassing Center, a mental health clinic serving North Lawndale, East and West Garfield Park, and Near West Side.

Star Braddock, a community outreach associate at The Encompassing Center, shared valuable insights on the needs of her West Side community, especially after the relocation of a well-known behavioral health center created a major barrier for people seeking mental health services. “They didn’t go anywhere else,” Braddock said. “People just sat outside of the closed facility.”

Further, stigma surrounding mental health often creates barriers to resources and information about self-care. The Encompassing Center works to overcome these obstacles and provide accessible care. “People of color have always kept things inside their homes, inside their hearts, and they suffer in silence,” said Braddock. “We share our passion about mental health and tear down barriers and stigmas.”

Engaging Chicago Communities on Brain Health

Leveraging these types of insights from community leaders, C2ST and WVS designed three in-person events about brain health to benefit Chicago residents. They approached each event as an iterative process and were in constant dialogue with community leaders and event participants to inform future planning.

The first event, “Brain Garden,” was held at a local park last August and invited participants to engage in food experiments and mindful art creation. The team noticed that children were eager to extract dye from fruits and vegetables to create paintings, but the adults tended to hang back. “We needed to provide the parents some sort of experience that they felt they should be a part of, too,” said Sherry.

Incorporating these findings and community feedback into their second event, “Mind Matters,” the team designed programming for children, adults, and older individuals at a local community center in February. In collaboration with local organizations, they hosted programs to help participants discover and practice activities for maintaining a healthy brain, such as yoga, mindful breathwork, and healthy eating.

Food and nutrition were a big focus of the second event. The 35 attendees enjoyed local catering, learned about the neurological benefits of certain foods, and went home with resources to access brain-healthy ingredients and recipes.

“The people running the event were really engaging and kind,” said one participant. “Me and my child appreciate the wonderful experience we had with them.”