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the Wond'ry

the Wond'ry

Grounds for Empowerment Immersion & Directed Study

Overview

The Coffee Equity Lab combines research, practice, and teaching to pursue disruptive and coordinated resolutions to equity challenges for all actors across the coffee supply chain. Beginning in the 2021-22 academic year, VU students may participate in the Grounds for Empowerment Program as an Immersion and/or independent directed study. The Coffee Equity Lab offers the program in collaboration with Dr. Peter Roberts, Founder of Transparent Trade Coffee at Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business. During the program, students will be supported on campus by Coffee Equity Lab staff at the Wond’ry.

Applications are closed for the Fall 2021 term but will reopen in late Fall 2021 for Spring 2022. Stay tuned for more information! 

 

About Grounds for Empowerment

Grounds for Empowerment (GFE) is a specialty coffee program focused on providing women specialty coffee farmers with the market connections and business know-how needed to enable them to reach their full economic potential.

Participating students engage in a virtual directed study facilitated by Dr. Peter Roberts of Emory University, reading and discussing topics related to specialty coffee, business acumen, storytelling, and financial planning. Students also learn about the GFE Learning Modules offered to women farmer participants. During the final third of the semester, students participate in a 5-week virtual workshop, supporting farmers through various storytelling and financial planning exercises. Post-workshop, students help farmers complete the workshop deliverables including farm stories, financial analyses, and seed grant applications.

Vanderbilt University students who opt-in to GFE will join students from Emory University, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, University of New Mexico, University of California, Berkeley, and two universities from Central America.

 

Participation Requirements

  • The course runs from August 27-December 3, 2021 and is facilitated by Dr. Peter Roberts of Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business. Dr. Peter Roberts is also the Academic Director of Transparent Trade Coffee, a partner of the Vanderbilt University Coffee Equity Lab.
  • Students attend required course meetings, which are held virtually every Friday morning, 9AM-noon CST via Zoom, beginning August 27, 2021.
  • Students devote a minimum of 6 hours per week to the course, approximately 3 hours of preparation per week outside of the work completed in class on Friday mornings.
  • Upon fulfilling the requirements of the course, Vanderbilt student participants write a blog post or create a multimedia reflection highlighting their experience, which can be shared with the VU community.
  • Written & spoken proficiency in Spanish is required.

What You’ll Learn

Global supply chains. Marketing. Finance. Business Acumen. Community-based Development. Cross-cultural Communication. Grant Writing. Dynamics in the global coffee industry.

How to Apply?

Applications for the Fall 2021 Semester are now closed. Please check back here or contact Hanes.motsinger@vanderbilt.edu for more information.