How one Ole Miss professor is helping to weave stronger communities in the face of coronaviru

Clark, JB

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eGrove (Univ. of Mississippi)

University of Mississippi eGrove University of Mississippi News 4-11-2020 Coming Together While Forced Apart JB Clark Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umnews Recommended Citation Clark, JB, "Coming Together While Forced Apart" (2020). University of Mississippi News. 7215. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umnews/7215 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Mississippi News by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact egrove@olemiss.edu. Search this website … SearchWeaving Community is a campaign from the NationalConversation Project that encourages Americans toconnect online and share acts of kindness during theCOVID-19 pandemic.Coming Together While Forced ApartHow one Ole Miss professor is helping to weave stronger communities in theface of coronavirusAPRIL 11, 2020 BY JB CLARKOXFORD, Miss. – While most Americans are seeking shelter in their homes, one University ofMississippi professor is working to bring everyone together – online.Graham Bodie, professor of integrated marketing communications in the School of Journalism andNew Media, also serves as the chief listening officer for the Listen First Project, a nonprofit started todepolarize American’s through shared dialogue across socio-political divides.Normally, the organization hosts its NationalWeek of Conversation April 17-25, but sincepeople can’t gather in in coffee shops, librariesand living rooms because of COVID-19, theorganization decided to move its efforts onlinewith the #WeavingCommunity campaign.“We were planning our huge national week ofconversation, the biggest week for Listen Firstand our partner organizations, and then thispandemic happened,” said Shelby Toole, agraduate student in integrated marketingcommunications whose assistantship involvesmanaging social media for the Listen First Project. “We saw this as an opportunity to really engage awider audience and let people know they’re not alone by weaving community.”Weaving Community is a campaign focused on helping people stay connected when a crisis has forcedeveryone apart, Bodie said. Organizers around the country are planning online conversations usingZoom, Google Hangout and Facebook Live, while participants are logging the acts of kindness intheir communities and tracking it all on an interactive map.Toole said sharing acts of kindness online helps inspire others to perform their own acts.“We’re talking about caring, connecting and conversations,” Bodie said. “There are plannedconversations hosted by our partner organizations, or you can host your own using Zoom and ourconversation guide.”Anyone can share their efforts to spread connection and kindness using #WeavingCommunity on socialmedia or visit https://weaving2020.org/ to see the interactive map tracking acts of kindness or ongoingconversations around the country. Bodie said it’s one way that individuals can see how their efforts are apart of a larger whole.“If you think about the types of problems we were facing before COVID, from the political rancor towidespread loneliness, all of the divisions and ‘us versus them” language – all these things are problemsof listening,” Bodie said. “If we really listen to what people value, believe and hold dear we’ll find moresimilarities than differences, things that unite us in a shared humanity.“I think that is what this epidemic is teaching us, if we care to listen and reflect.”FILED UNDER: NEWS RELEASES, SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM & NEW MEDIARead the story …Read the story …Follow us on socialCampus BriefsGeohazards Expert to LeadGeological Engineering DepartmentOXFORD, Miss. – Thomas Oommen, anexpert in geohazard risk assessment, isslated to join the University of MississippiSchool of Engineering as chair of itsDepartment of Geology and GeologicalEngineering. “I believe in the immensepotential of the department, and I amcommitted to creating a positive andsupportive environment for all theMore Posts from this CategoryThank You To OurDonorsThree Students Awarded MemorialScholarshipsOXFORD, Miss. – A scholarshipendowment paying tribute to the lives ofthree University of Mississippi studentshas grown to more than $480,000, andthree new recipients say they feel honoredto represent the men for whom thescholarship is named. The Charles WalkerKelly, Samuel Clayton Kelly and BryantMason Wilbanks Memorial ScholarshipEndowmentMore Posts from this CategoryOle Miss In the NewsUniversity World News: ArtificialIntelligence Tools OfferOpportunities for EducatorsChatGPT in evaluation – An opportunity forgreater creativity?   By Natalie Simon Asdebate rages over the possibilities andrisks to higher education of artificialintelligence tools such as ChatGPT,evaluators are also asking what role AI andmachine learning can play in their field.News Releases UM COVID-19 Video Gallery University Communications Ole Miss Homepage Ole Miss News BlogFacebookTwitterLin edInEmailCopyLi kSMSPrintFriendlySharFacebookTwitterInstagramLinkedInYouTubeChannelRead the story …Speaking at a virtual symposium hosted bythe Centre for ResearchMore Posts from this CategoryRetu rn  to  to p  o f  p a ge Copyright © 2023 · Th e Un iversity  o f  M ississ ip p i

Coming Together While Forced Apart

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Coming Together While Forced Apart

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