July 30, 2026
Carly Campbell’s self-written and self-produced play, Committed: The Musical, will be staged at The Fruit in Durham, NC from August 13-30, 2026. This is part of a multi-phase community-activated plan that emerged from visioning and planning sessions led by the Community Practice Lab (CPL) in summer 2025 and summer 2026. In these sessions, CPL Leads …
September 9, 2025
The Community Practice Lab (CPL) has collaborated with Habitat for Humanity of Goldsboro-Wayne on a community engagement strategy to support Habitat’s development work in Webbtown, a historically Black neighborhood of Goldsboro, NC. The strategy and resources will support local leaders, partners, and Habitat staff to engage thoughtfully with Webbtown residents as Habitat constructs McNair Heights, …
August 19, 2024
The Community Practice Lab (CPL) concluded three years of partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County (Habitat) in summer 2024. The CPL has supported Habitat in developing and implementing sustainable processes for community engagement. Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, an affiliate of the nonprofit Habitat for Humanity International, helps families build and improve …
May 10, 2024
The Community Practice Lab (CPL) engaged in a wide variety of academic and community events, workshops, trainings, and presentations in spring semester 2024. Multiple sessions presented at 2024 Carolina Engagement Week The CPL team contributed multiple sessions to Carolina Engagement Week 2024 in collaboration with our community partners, including: Weaving and Casting a NET for …
February 10, 2024
Carolina Engagement Week brings together University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty, staff and students with community partners to learn about and celebrate engagement and collaboration with North Carolina communities. The Community Practice Lab team is contributing multiple sessions to Carolina Engagement Week 2024: Weaving and Casting a NET for Organizational Development February 27, …
December 13, 2023
The Community Practice Lab engaged in a wide variety of academic and community events, workshops, trainings, and presentations in fall semester 2023. Leadership of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County’s annual summit The Community Practice Lab (CPL) facilitated organization-wide planning around community engagement and empowerment at Habitat for Humanity of Orange County‘s 2023 annual summit. …
December 1, 2023
More than 30 faculty, staff, and students from across the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gathered on November 30 for the first UNC Collaboration for Aging event. The dialogue explored avenues for collaboration to connect those engaged in aging-related research, education, and community engagement initiatives across campus. The event was sponsored by the …
December 1, 2023
Community Practice Lab (CPL) Primary Lead Dr. Ryan Lavalley and Housing Fellow Leiha Edmonds presented a national webinar for the Administration of Community Living (ACL). The webinar, titled “Expanding Home Accessibility Services: Strategies for Sustaining Cross-Sector Collaborations,” was presented for the ACL’s Housing and Services Resource Center. A branch of the U.S. Department of Health …
November 27, 2023
The Community Practice Lab (CPL) facilitated organization-wide planning around community engagement and empowerment at Habitat for Humanity of Orange County‘s 2023 annual summit. The day-long workshop, led by Dr. Ryan Lavalley and CPL’s Community Engagement Team, guided Habitat staff in considering and planning for strategic actions to support local communities in building a sense of …
October 17, 2023
Community Practice Lab (CPL) Primary Lead Dr. Ryan Lavalley and Lead Housing Fellow Leiha Edmonds worked with the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity in a day-long workshop to support their developing home repair collaborative. Participants mapped out partnership roles, explored questions of access and marginalization, and built infrastructure for a home repair network database. Through homeownership …