The Prospect Hill Terrace community center officially opened its doors last Tuesday to the low-income public housing community in a temporary location within the housing complex. The Waltham Housing Authority approved the center last fall after Prospect tenants, with the help of Brandeis students and faculty advocated for its opening.

Brandeis students worked to turn the three-room apartment into a temporary location for the community center. After renovations at a different site, the center will reopen in December 2008. The original community center was replaced by a day care center about 15 years ago, but was closed last year because of staff shortages.

Brandeis students working on Community Engaged Learning projects will provide after-school activities for the children in the housing development. The CEL initiative, started last year, integrates Brandeis' dedication to academic excellence and social justice with its obligation to be a part of its surrounding communities, along with various other groups at the University.

"I have really developed a deeper appreciation for the people at Brandeis University, both students and faculty. Everyone has gotten involved and has been profoundly committed to this partnership," said Prof. Mark Auslander (ANTH), CEL's director.

According to Auslander, there was an anonymous, generous donor who gave them the initial money to start up the project. VOCAL2008, a concert featuring renowned slam poets held Jan. 19, also raised money for the center.

The idea to form a partnership with the tenants, which includes both building the center and working with them on issues so they can fix problems that arise within the development, started off as an idea in Prof. Ellen Schattschneider's (ANTH) "Anthropology of Gender" class early last semester.

Throughout last semester, students and faculty members associated with CEL worked with the tenants at Prospect Hill and other Waltham organizations, such as the Waltham Alliance, to create housing that would transform this small dream into a reality.

Students from Schattschneider's class and other CEL-based classes spent two workdays at the housing development last semester, planting a garden and uncovered the hidden landscape from trash, weeds and brush. They also got to know some of community's youth members.

After the workdays, students organized a petition for the center that was signed by 47 tenants. Many different Waltham organizations came up with ideas for tutoring, activities and workshops. Students continued working with tenants on tenants' rights issues.

"The important part of these work days," according to Schattschneider, "was that after the first one, we came back, which showed the community that we were really there to help. Since then, it has been an extraordinary privilege to work with the residents." Schattschneider said she feels honored that the tenants have let her and the students into their lives and wants to honor the commitment they made to Brandeis.

The community center will provide the children with a safe place to go after school. The Brandeis students will offer homework help and tutoring every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Additionally, there are at least eight Brandeis classes working together to host collaborative workshops at the center for both children and adults. Among other workshops, Auslander's class, "Cross Cultural Arts and Aesthetics," will hold a workshop on Tuesdays called "Arts Around the World."

Auslander said that the goal of this workshop is to get parents and children to create art together. Prof. Hale's (ROCL) class, "Haiti: Then and Now," will have a workshop on Thursdays called "Family Literacy and Cultural Enrichment."

With the help of the University's Library Technology Services, there will soon also be computer access at the center. LTS donated six iMac computers, which will be installed by late February. The computers are protected by an alarm system paid for by an anonymous donor at Brandeis.

The goal of this project is not only to help children after school, but to also bring the community together, Schattschneider and Auslander said.

Auslander said: "We are hoping that this experience will enable the tenants to use their voice of power and advocate for themselves in all matters."

Marie Paul, a tenant at Prospect since 2002, said. "This is a great opportunity for kids to work on homework after school and have more activities. There will also be programs for adults, which I think is great."

Schattschneider said tutors are greatly needed, especially for computer assistance, as well as any enthusiastic student volunteers. This is a growing project, and as Jocelyn Dorfman '10, one coordinator of children and youth programming for the project, said, "The possibilities are endless, and that's just one of the amazing things about this project.