Welcome to AR.I in Action!! Formerly ESLARP in Action

Greetings!

I would like to welcome you to our new Blogspot Domain: http://ariinaction.blogspot.com

Action Research.Illinois (AR.I) is a public outreach program that works with partners across the State of Illinois, with a particular focus in East Central Illinois Communities.

AR.I maintains an on-going program of sustained engagement with community partners and public agencies, addressing social justice, human and environmental sustainability, and development in distressed areas and with marginalized populations through service learning and action research.

Together with residents and community organizations in severely distressed areas of Illinois, faculty, staff and students from across the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign endeavor to work on highly tangible and visible projects that address immediate and long-term needs.

Action Research.Illinois acts as an umbrella organization to support and sustain these vital University of Illinois projects:
~The East St. Louis Action Research Project (ESLARP)
~ILLINOIS Global Action Research (IGAR)
~Citizens Air Quality Project (CAP)
~Courses

Available Funding:
~Seed Grants for Course Development 2011
~Faculty Mentor Program 2011


Please see our website for more information: http://www.actionresearch.illinois.edu

Pirtle's Community Technology Center

When we started on our East St. Louis adventure on Friday morning, we were tired but excited to start the weekend! We arrived in East St. Louis and were greeted by Billy, our beloved tour guide. We went on a tour of East St. Louis, then gathered at Eagle’s Nest to eat a delicious lunch. We were introduced to Amy Funk, who told us all about the clean air initiative.

After an eventful and educational morning, we all separated into our groups and headed to our work sites. Our group spent the weekend at Pirtle’s. Our task was to paint the new community technology center that is in the process of being built. We had no idea the work that was cut out for us when we started on Friday, and feared that we would not be able to get the room cleaned and the walls painted come Saturday afternoon. However, with the commitment and determination of the FAA 291 students on site, we were able to complete the task.

We were sweetly rewarded after the weekend with Mr. Pirtle’s infamous ice cream. As we all loaded the bus to head back to Champaign on Saturday we were exhausted, but had an incredible feeling of accomplishment. East St. Louis and it’s residents are always so kind to us and we love the time we get to spend there!

Audrey Sanders House

6 students in FAA 291 spent the weekend completing an ADA accessible wheelchair ramp at Audrey Sanders house in East St. Louis. Audrey Sanders fosters children with both physical and mental disabilities; giving them attention and love, and caring for them when their own families have rejected them. This ramp will allow Audrey to easily move the children in and out of the house.

Specifically our team completed the ramp by attaching the few remaining spindles to the railing. The students were given the opportunity learn how to use tools such as a circular saw, and a drill.



The team also dug holes and poured concrete, repairing a fallen chain link fence. In fixing the fence, the children will have a safer area to play in outside.

ARCH 572 Students Document Sites in East St. Louis

Professor Dearborn introduces students to the site.

Twelve students from Professor Dearborn’s ARCH 572 Studio visited E. St. Louis as part of the Sept 9^th-10^th Outreach Weekend to analyze two neighborhoods for a semester-long research project exploring development strategies in Winstanley-Industry Park and Olivette Park. After lunch on Friday the ARCH 572 Studio discussed air pollution with Amy Funk of ESLARP’s Citizens Air Quality Project before departing on our tour of the two neighborhoods led by Leverne Backstrom. Students were exposed to key locations and historical facts of both neighborhoods as a portion of our detailed analysis for development studies. On Saturday the students documented two potential development sites in Winstanley-Industry Park and one in Olivette Park. While on site, the students were able to meet with some neighborhood residents and make contacts for future neighborhood meetings where residents can provide feedback, a crucial step of the design process, for the designs that will be created by the class.

Urban Agriculture in North Champaign

Students weeding the corn field

Happily moving mulch

For the first time, Illinois Action Research brought students in FAA 291 to volunteer in our own backyard of Champaign. Twenty students worked in the Prosperity Gardens, located on North First Street, near downtown Champaign. On Friday and Saturday students weeded, mulched, regraded, and re-soiled planting beds in the gardens and the introductory corn field across the street. The vegetables grown in the garden are sold at the North First Street Farmers Market and those proceeds are invested into local food justice programing, such as agriculture and nutrition education programs with local youth.

Prepping a space for future composting

Prepping the vegetable beds for winter

On Saturday students also weeded the rain garden on the north side of the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance building. The rain garden is a great environmentally conscientious method to control runoff and prevent flooding of storm water systems, while using plants to filter pollutants from the water as it enters the ground. After lunch students examined the Bone Yard redevelopment area to better understand the plan for connecting north and downtown Champaign to campus town. The successful weekend ended in the building of four scarecrows to be used to deter groundhogs and other animals from the vegetable and rain gardens. IAR hopes to continue working with Prosperity Gardens as we continue to engage in community projects in Central Illinois!

One of many garter snakes seen on Friday

The bull frog that lives in the rain garden