EWB UTK Projects
EWB UTK likes to focus on one region at a time, getting to know the unique area and its specific problems in what we call a 'cycle'. Each cycle, we have two main projects: a community project and a personal project. Community projects are designed to be used by an entire community, such as a playground or garden. Personal project designs are meant to help individuals, such as cell phone charging or internet access.
For this cycle, we are focused on East Tennessee. Check out our projects below!
Community Project:
Octopus's Garden
There is a lack of awareness of how food is produced among young people. Other organizations have tried to solve this problem by initiating programs within schools. For example, 4H encouraged elementary and middle school children to start gardens and chicken coops to learn more about how their food is produced. Increasing the awareness of sustainable food practices among students will benefit the school and the health of the community. Our plan is to create a greenhouse with an aquaponic system and rainwater collector on a school campus and have them maintain it after we made the garden. We plan on going to the school every semester to talk to the students and teach them about the garden and the STEM skills we used to build it.
Personal Project:
Come Together
In our modern world, devices are usually necessary for work or to find work. Many people do not have the luxury of having chargers at home or having a car to help charge a device while driving to and from work or school. For these people, the bus may be the only option. An easy-to-use charging station is inexpensive, and is sure to help many people on a day-to-day basis; This project will offer convenience to all people using the bus system. Plus, our bus stop charging station is going to have outlet plugins, usb plugins, as well as a wireless charging station. This allows almost anyone to have access and will prevent it from going out of date too quickly. This project will bring people from all walks of life who need a charge for work, school, or just for fun to Knoxville's bus stops, encouraging a sense of community as well as use of the local public transportation system.
COVID-19 Projects
We made over 200 face masks that were distributed to the homeless population, COVID-19 testing centers, and local hospitals. We also offered free tutoring to all knox county school students. Lastly, we wrote letters of gratitude to first responders including doctors, nurses, hospital administration, etc.
Other Events
Getting to know your team is vital in an organization. Not only does it improve communication, but it also strengthens and improves the efficiency and outcomes of the project. We try to plan bonding events to encourage members to meet others. We also believe it is important to take a moment and reflect on what we have been working on. This allows for everyone to get a chance to share their opinions on what we did well and what we can improve on in future projects. Planing a few of these events a semester can greatly improve and organization and allow it to truly succeed.
