We are Water
Connecting Communities. Sharing Stories. Sharing Place.
Water, critical and scarce in the Four Corners Region, connects local communities through our shared place and unique stories.
We are Water brings a traveling exhibit and interactive programs to rural communities in the Four Corners Region of the U.S. and engages community members in conversations about their personal and community connections to local water topics. Libraries in rural areas, which often function as the local science center, will host the exhibit, programs, and STEM experiences in their communities.
Visit our website at WeareWater.Colorado.edu to view activities and hear recorded stories about water from people across the Four Corners Region.
The We are Water exhibit travels to rural libraries in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah! Visit our website to see when the exhibit might be visiting a community near you.
We are Water springs from an exciting collaboration between scientists, Indigenous science educators, learning researchers, informal educators, and library staff. Designed for communities in the Four Corners Region, stories and community voices are highlighted features and woven throughout the exhibit and programs.
Through experiences with We are Water, communities explore their shared watershed and local ecosystems, and connect with neighbors through their common and unique experiences with water in the region. We hope individuals, families, and communities will share their memories and stories about water, and come together to imagine a future they want for their communities.
Curriculum
Our Partners
Publications
Gold, A.U., Maryboy, N., Begay, D., Valdez, S., Stein, J., Littrell, M., Boyd, K., Okochi, C., Rongstad Strong, B. (2023): Indigenous Logic Model Development: Fostering Collaborative Engagement and Cultural Relevance. National Association for Research in Science Education (NARST) 2024 Denver Conference. Extended conference paper. peer-reviewed
Boyd, K.J., Littrell, M., Okochi, C., Stein, J., Valdez, S., Gold, A.U., Rongstad Strong, B., Schaecher, A., Grybko, T. (2023): Engaging Communities and Adapting Informal Learning Research and Evaluation Methods to Rural Library Settings. National Association for Research in Science Education (NARST) 2024 Denver Conference. Extended conference paper, peer-reviewed.
Okochi, C., Littrell, M.K., Boyd, K.J., Gold, A.U. (2023): Water meaning maps: Diving deeper into rural library visitors’ connections with water in the Southwest. National Association for Research in Science Education (NARST) 2024 Denver Conference. Extended conference paper. peer-reviewed.
Littrell, M.K., Okochi, C., Boyd, K., Gold, A.U., Pennycook, D., McCormick, M., Mrakuzic, A. (2023): Engaging Library Visitors in Dialogues around Informal Learning about Water and Community Connections. National Association for Research in Science Education (NARST) 2024 Denver Conference. Extended conference paper. peer-reviewed
Rongstad Strong, B., Schaecher, A., Gold, A., Knight, E. (2023): We are Water: Connecting Communities Through Stories and Conversations. Living Room Conversation blog Blog post as part of Earth Day and to advertise the new Living Room Conversations Guide. https://livingroomconversations.org/we-are-water-connecting-communities-through-stories-and-conversations/
*Marsh, C., Gold, A, Rongstad, B. (2023): Inclusive Science Communication: Strategies for Utilizing an Asset-Based Community Engagement Framework to Elevate Community Voices, Inspire Conversation, and Honor Multiple Ways of Knowing. Frontiers in Communication, 8, https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1214105 (*former undergraduate student)
Schaecher, A., Rongstad Strong, B., Gold, A. (2023) We are Water Patch Promotes Action for Watershed Stewardship. Connected Science Learning. July – August 2023. 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/24758779.2023.12318615
Marsh, C. L., Gold, A. U., & Rongstad Strong, B. (2023, November 2). Elevating community voices through inclusive science communication: A case study of the we are water program in the Southwestern United States. Frontiers.
Rongstad Strong, B., A.U. Gold, C. Ratcliffe Adams, V. Tomas, and A. Watkins (2023) Place-based education and community knowledge connect youth to water topics. Connected Science Learning, 5 (4).
