Call for Proposals
Theme: Sustaining Civic Joy in Challenging Times
Catalyst is now accepting submissions for its inaugural issue, centered on the theme: “Sustaining Civic Joy in Challenging Times.”
Students, scholars, practitioners, lifelong learners, and community leaders are invited to submit original articles, essays, case studies, and creative works that explore how service-learning and community engagement can foster joy, resilience, and collective well-being, especially during moments of social and political adversity.
Despite recent efforts to dismantle progress in social justice and equity, how can service-learning and community engagement initiatives continue to create spaces for empowerment that cultivate civic joy, collective well-being, and resilience?
Guiding Questions
Submissions may address (but are not limited to) the following:
- How can service-learning and community-engaged projects nurture civic joy, especially within marginalized or underrepresented communities amid political polarization?
- In what ways have recent sociopolitical shifts impacted the mission of higher education? How can institutions adapt engagement practices to sustain meaningful collaboration and civil dialogue?
- How do communities cultivate and maintain joy and hope while navigating ongoing struggles related to inequality, discrimination, and exclusion?
- What role do higher education institutions play in building networks of support that create spaces of civic joy and collective action, even under restrictive political climates?
- How do service-learning and community engagement projects contribute to building resilience against the erosion of DEI initiatives and policies?
We welcome a wide range of interpretations and approaches to the theme and encourage both traditional and creative formats that highlight the power of civic joy in transformative work.