Collaboration Labs
Each month, the Office of Community Engagement invites the public to come together to co-create solutions to community-identified issues. Community members, business leaders, elected officials, students and others are invited to participate in the discussion. The event is held at The Wedge in downtown Alton, IL and is free and open to the public.
Join us for a Community Collaboration Lab to help shape the future of the Alton Medical District — a bold vision for health, opportunity, and neighborhood well-being. This 90-minute interactive session invites residents to share their experiences, ideas, and hopes for how healthcare, education, and community design can come together to strengthen Alton. Your voice will help guide the District’s next steps and ensure it reflects the priorities of those who live and work here.
June 2026: Alton Medical District Community Collaboration Lab: Help Shape the Future of Healthcare, Workforce Development, and Community Well-Being in the Alton Region
Over the past year, healthcare providers, community organizations, educational institutions, residents, and local leaders have been exploring the potential of an Alton Medical District. Through a series of convenings and community conversations, a vision has emerged for a more coordinated approach to healthcare access, workforce development, community health, and regional economic opportunity. Now, we invite you to join the next phase of the conversation. This Community Collaboration Lab will bring together community members, healthcare professionals, nonprofit organizations, educators, businesses, and public leaders to review what we've learned so far and begin identifying priorities and action steps for moving the Alton Medical District from concept to reality.
May 2026: Alton, Let’s Build Our Food Future Together: A Working Session to Shape the Alton Food Hub and Take Action
In July 2025, a group of community leaders, organizations, and local partners came together to launch a task force and begin shaping a vision for an Alton Food Hub. The vision has continued to take shape, guided by early planning and a shared belief that this work should be collaborative, inclusive, and rooted in community priorities. Now, we’re ready to open the conversation wider. This Community Collaboration Lab is a next step – an opportunity to build on that foundation, bring in new voices, and begin turning ideas into action. If you care about food access, local businesses, community health, or economic opportunities, your voice belongs in this conversation.
April 2026: Ready Together: Protecting Our Pets in Times of Disaster
Would you know what to do if disaster struck and you had to evacuate with your pet? Storms, flooding, and other emergencies happen in the Metro East. When they do, many families face a stressful question: How do we keep our pets safe? Join us for a practical Community Collaboration Lab focused on helping pet caregivers prepare for emergencies before they happen. Local experts will share practical guidance on how to protect our pets.
March 2026: Community Conversations on Disaster and Recovery
In the Metro East, disaster isn't a distant possibility - it's something many of us have lived through. Join us for a practical, people-centered Community Collaboration Lab focused on how we can prepare for, respond to, and recover from disaster events together. We'll hear from local and state partners who share critical knowledge and tools to help our communities prepare for and respond to disasters in southern Illinois.
February 2026: Alton Medical District Collaboration Lab: Community Conversations on Health, Opportunity, and Design
Join us for a Community Collaboration Lab to help shape the future of the Alton Medical District — a bold vision for health, opportunity, and neighborhood well-being. This 90-minute interactive session invites residents to share their experiences, ideas, and hopes for how healthcare, education, and community design can come together to strengthen Alton.
February 2026: Alton Medical District Collaboration Lab
Join us for a Community Collaboration Lab to help shape the future of the Alton Medical District — a bold vision for health, opportunity, and neighborhood well-being. This 90-minute interactive session invites residents to share their experiences, ideas, and hopes for how healthcare, education, and community design can come together to strengthen Alton. Your voice will help guide the District’s next steps and ensure it reflects the priorities of those who live and work here.
June 2025: Digital Access in Alton
Focused on bridging the digital divide, this Lab examined broadband coverage gaps, recent infrastructure investments, and barriers to connectivity, while exploring actionable steps like digital literacy training, public Wi-Fi expansion, and low-cost broadband partnerships.
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uly 2025: Putting Ourselves on the Map: Data, Bias, and the Stories We Tell
Co-hosted with the Dr. Meg Smith, interim director of the SIUE IRIS Center, this session examined how data influences representation and public memory, introduced digital storytelling as a tool for reclaiming narratives, and invited participants to contribute their own stories to a collaborative Metro East community map.
August 2025: Making Public Safety Data Work for Communities
Dr. Dennis Mares of SIUE’s Center for Crime Science and Violence Prevention shared how his team developed practical, no-cost tools—from public dashboards to internal analytics—that make public safety data more accessible, transparent, and useful for communities and local agencies.
September 2025: Financial Literacy & First-Time Homebuyer Resources
This special session focused on helping Metro East residents build financial confidence and explore pathways to homeownership. Our two distinguished guests (Trish Holmes, Community Banking Mortgage Officer, Busey and Dr. Terrence Duncan, author, housing advocate, and Board President of the Metro East Realtist Collective (MERC), shared insights on first-time homebuyer programs and navigating the path to ownership..
October 2025: Safe Waters, Strong Communities
Dr. Carrie Butts-Wilmsmeyer, director of the SIUE Center for Predictive Analytics. Her recent research examined the presence of contaminants in drinking water across Illinois, the environmental and infrastructure factors that contribute to those risks, and strategies for ensuring safe, reliable access to clean water. This lab offered community members an opportunity to share their concerns and questions about drinking water, and to explore how data and community insight can meet to shape healthier, more resilient solutions.
November 2025: Navigating Veteran Housing Challenges and Educational Benefits
Scheduled in conjunction with Veterans Day, this program addressed the challenges veterans face as they navigate housing opportunities and educational benefits. Dr. Terrence Duncan, MERC Board President and housing advocate, will discuss structural challenges, disparities in veteran housing access, and local/national programs that support stability and ownership. Dr. Kevin Wathen, Director of the SIUE Office of Military and Veteran Services, guided veterans and their families through the complex system of educational benefits..
