When we first began talking about our wicked problem, we lacked passion for the topic. As the semesters went by and our research deepened, we grew very familiar with water equity as well as the areas in our community that face this problem daily. In our implementation semester, we began brainstorming what steps we could take to make an impact. As I was meeting with Dr. DeSpain, she mentioned that she wanted to see these final products distributed to other communities, not just the partners we were working with. I took it upon myself to think deeper about my lasting impact on the CODES Program. What can I leave here that will stick for many years? My answer was clear: a water fair toolkit to aid alongside our water fair we were hosting at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Academy.
There are existing water fair toolkits out there, such as Project Wet. I knew that a toolkit would benefit multiple communities. I am primarily targeting after school programs. I would love to target science classes in grades k-8, however, there are too many stipulations regarding what is required to be taught for this age group. I hope that after school program facilitators, volunteer programs, and youth groups can utilize this. I want to benefit and reach any area of the US that has a water equity crisis. Some more stakeholders are our community partner, JJK FAN, legislators, and overall, educators. When we went to the Illinois State Capitol for SIU System Day back in March, we were able to make connections with legislators who were interested in our research. This was prior to the water fair and the toolkit, so when we return this year, we will revisit those connections and get our names out there.T