The Partnerships of Distinction Awards, which celebrate organizations that have formed powerful partnerships with the University and helped better the lives of people living in Pitt’s surrounding communities, were handed out at the Community Engaged Scholarship Forum on March 1.

This year’s winners:

Allegheny County Policing Project: This project aims to bring more transparency to the police accountability process at the local level. The project’s website allows users to learn about municipal police departments, look up information in police contracts and become more familiar with the ways these contracts govern police accountability. Read more about it in Pittwire.

The Pittsburgh Study K-3rd Grade 3Rs: Reading, Racial Equity, Relationships: This study is developing an intervention centered on Black children to enhance kindergarten through third grade literacy. The group’s research focuses on the principles and processes followed to develop authentic community-university partnerships and addresses four specific aspects of the literacy ecosystem: classroom, school leadership, family and community.

Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh Youth Art Program: This program directly and indirectly combats social issues like racism and inequality. During the pandemic, many students received irregular and disrupted education. This was particularly true for groups like refugees and immigrants who already may have lacked access to music and art classes. The Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh Youth Art Program fills in these gaps and provides additional enrichment to an underserved demographic.