“…In Kenya, he connected with CFK Africa, a non-governmental organization co-founded by a UNC alum that encourages youth development through a community-based approach.
“It was initially just a conversation with their director of communication that turned into, ‘Hey, maybe we should do this project with the class,’” Anderson said.
Anderson is a proponent of the power of engaged scholarship — building partnerships with communities to address problems and advance public interests. Over the past year, his “MEJO 476: Ethical Issues and Sports Communication” students developed research-based solutions for CFK Africa.
Students worked in teams to support CFK’s initiatives, including proposals for baseball programming, curriculum updates and pathways to partnerships with the NBA.
“That was one of the highlights for me,” Anderson said. “Seeing them learning the content and then applying the real-world concepts.”
Anderson plans to travel to Kenya to witness his students’ work in action and collect data for his own research. He hopes the partnership will expand to include a summer experience for UNC Hussman students.”