Living Democracy 2021 Begins
Three 2021 Auburn University Living Democracy students will spend their summer living and learning in the Alabama communities of Camden, Collinsville, and Elba.
The 2021 Living Democracy students are Oquendo Bernard, Lauren Landers, and Laney Mayfield. The students will work closely with community partners and local citizens to discover what it means to live democracy.
Bernard, from St. Thomas, Jamaica, is an international studies and Spanish major. He will spend 10 weeks in Elba, a Living Democracy community since 2012.
Bernard said, “I believe the Living Democracy program will allow me to get a living-learning experience in community and civic engagement as well as help me develop relationships, understand a community's hopes and dreams, and discover what makes democracy work as it should. As an international student, this is one of the ways I believe I will be able to connect more with my environment and the state of Alabama.”
His primary community partner is Justin Maddox with the nonprofit organization Restoration154 http://www.restoration154.com.
Landers, from Auburn, Alabama, is a senior social work major who will be working in Camden. Her community partners are Sulynn Creswell, executive director, and Kristin Law, arts programs and marketing director, at Black Belt Treasures in Camden. http://www.blackbelttreasures.com.
She said, “I am interested in spending my summer interning with Living Democracy because I view this as a great opportunity to learn, grow, and challenge myself while also engaging with a community to collaborate on ideas, projects and knowledge to enhance both my future as a social worker and the future of the town of Camden.”
Laney Mayfield, a senior majoring in journalism and minoring in psychology, will spend her summer in the northeast Alabama community of Collinsville, a Living Democracy community since 2012. She will be working closely with Jennifer Wilkins, director of the Collinsville Public Library.
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Mayfield, from Memphis, Tennessee, said, “I see Living Democracy as a way to provide students with an opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and learn more about communities that are different from theirs.”
Hannah White, who lived in Collinsville as a 2019 Living Democracy student, is a graduate assistant working as a mentor and social media coordinator this summer.
Living Democracy students serve as Jean O'Connor-Snyder Interns with the David Mathews Center for Civic Life http://mathewscenter.org.
You can follow stories students write about their experiences on the Living Democracy Facebook page and the Living Democracy blog https://cla.auburn.edu/livingdemocracy/.
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