One of the great parts about Utrecht, I've learned, is that as a university town, it has really become an international stronghold in the middle of the Netherlands. Academics and students coming from around the world, on top their responsibilities as professors and researchers, serve on the International Court of Justice, for the UN, on national and transnational policy commissions, and are even active attorneys/doctors/and more. So, my daily community engagement really extends out of the specific projects I'm a part of. The community engagement aspect of my actual project really focuses on two different areas of non-discrimination policy development: hands-on interaction between state governments and civil society organizations on the ground, and the incorporation of "equality mainstreaming" policy into the everyday lives of historically marginalized communities. Working so closely with active members and active conversations with the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has given me a new perspective as I go about my daily life here, too, even. I have attended different community building events for international students, attended film screenings of BIPOC filmmakers, and have tried new cuisines from around the world. Being able to engage with a new place in an entirely new way thanks to the work I'm doing as a Laidlaw scholar has shown me just how far community engagement can, and should, reach when an opportunity like this is presented.

(Here is a picture of a Spanish piece of art I found in a community cafe that moved me and seemed to be a really perfect example of the stakeholders fighting for their rights, challenging the system to be fairer with the ultimate goal of dismantling structural inequities.)