Commitment to the Community in Community-Based Research

Abstract

Coming in as a freshman student to a university in a new city can be an intimidating situation. I was in this situation two years ago and felt I had no connections to the surrounding community outside of campus. This city was my new home away from home and I did not feel like a part of it. Therefore, I got involved in the local neighborhood association as the only student participant. My first night at a meeting included a question and answer session with a representative from the hospital located in the neighborhood, adjacent to the university. There was talk of a neighborhood garden partnership and I was getting the impression that the neighborhood felt betrayed regarding the construction of a sign at this garden. This moment was the beginning of an interesting journey.