2022 Social Concerns Fair celebrates collaboration between the University and the community

February 4, 2022

Residents of South Bend have long been critical parts of life and work at the University of Notre Dame, especially when it comes to the University’s work to advance social justice. Working toward the common good and a preferential option for the marginalized requires understanding and elevating community voices, and community members’ familiarity with their own lived experiences is crucial to that effort. The Center for Social Concerns has therefore been committed to collaborating with people and organizations in South Bend to promote local equity and justice.

Each spring, the center celebrates community-University relationships through its Social Concerns Fair. A feature of the University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrations, the Fair highlights the center’s commitment to community engagement. Organizations at the Fair are leaders in local efforts to advance equitable approaches to housing, health care, food production, poverty, and much more. On January 20, more than 300 Notre Dame students and members of the South Bend community gathered for the 2022 Fair, where they were able to connect on local social concerns of mutual interest.

Alyssandra Howe, volunteer coordinator for the Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County and a community-engaged learning coordinator with the center described the kinds of community-University connections the Fair fosters.  “One of the things we always see,” she said, “is that the quality of connections at this fair is higher than in others because people are coming there expressly for that purpose.” 

The Fair is also designed to help organizations connect with each other to strengthen community collaboration. The work of social justice is more effective when performed by various parties from multiple perspectives. This year, Howe was able to meet two local childrens’ organizations and discuss new collaborations.

A complete list of organizations that the center works with, including contact information for each, can be found on the center’s website.