As educators, CBL helps us connect academic content to the social realities that shape our students’ lives and communities.

Book Talk with Deepa Iyer, author of We are the Builders!

Join us at the С»Æ贫ý Southeast Library for a book talk with author, Deepa Iyer! Come learn about her new picture book, !

Deepa will engage in conversation with educators and С»Æ贫ý students, staff, and faculty around the themes of the book (social change & belonging) and how to utilize the book to introduce those same concepts to young children/readers.

The first 40 people in attendance will receive a free copy of the book (limit of 1 copy per household)

The book is available to  (physical copy and e-book options)!

About the Book

At a time when the world is so overwhelming, many of us – regardless of our age and experience – may not know what to do. is a new picture book about how we can all get involved in our communities by playing different roles. Written by Deepa Iyer in warm, inviting rhymes with vivid illustrations by Romina Galotta, We Are The Builders! is a gentle introduction for children (and their caregivers) to finding your place, helping each other, and changing your community.

• Publication date: September 2024
• Written by: Deepa Iyer
• Illustrated by: Romina Galotta
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• ISBN: 978-1665932431
• Age range: 3-7 years old
• Themes: Community Building, Belonging, Social Issues, Activism & Social Justice
• More info:

This event is sponsored by the Office of Civic Leadership Development and the Community-Based Learning Program in collaboration with the С»Æ贫ý Library.

About the Author

is a writer, strategist, and lawyer. She is currently the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at , where she builds projects, resources, and narratives around transformative solidarity practices.

Join us in reading . This recent publication encompasses current literature, practices, and practitioners’ experiences around curricular community engagement.

Together we will:

• Build solidarity and strengthen connections with colleagues.
• Gain new perspectives on community engagement, including framing and grounding the work, best practices, institutional support, and more.
• Articulate the value of community engagement as a high-impact practice that is transformational for students, faculty, and the communities we live and work in.
• Develop ideas that enhance our teaching and learning.
• Discuss how we can tackle the challenges and concerns of integrating CBL into our classes.

About the Book

This timely book addresses assumptions and challenges inherent within community engagement as a catalyst for developing students’ sense of civic responsibility at a time of rampant social polarization.

Promoting academic development and life skills through the high-impact practice of service-learning, the book explores a new ecological framework for reflecting on and improving practice. This book describes new models such as the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps, offers advice on coalition building, and presents the narratives of community-engaged professionals and faculty, offering a sense both of tensions inherent in this work and examples of initiatives in local contexts. Chapters primarily reflect on what action is required for fulfilling our public purpose and what’s holding us back.

This book provides guidance, examples, and benchmarks for best practices in community engagement that are particularly relevant to this time of crises and unrest and will be relevant to community-engaged professionals, higher education faculty, and college administrators.