Consulting
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Supplemental Instruction
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Curriculum Design
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Workshop Facilitation
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Social Impact Consulting
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Collective Action
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Strategic Planning
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Board Development
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Team retreats
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Event facilitation
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Capacity Building
Applied Anthropologist
Poet &
Arts Advocate
Contact me:
Photo credit: Juniper Tree Studio
JNVE Consulting { j-nv} collaborates with clients to suit their curriculum development needs. Whether your focus is to develop a program from scratch or enrich existing programming, I'd like to work with you to achieve your goals. As someone with over ten years of experience, I have enjoyed working with individuals, schools, within the corporate sector and with non-profit and community organizations on small to large scale projects.
Hello
My name is Dr. Jason N. Vasser-Elong
I am an applied anthropologist, interdisciplinary scholar and educator with years of teaching, student support and curriculum development experience. As a Curriculum Developer with over 10 years of experience in the higher education sector, I have dedicated my career to designing engaging and interactive learning experiences for adult learners in collegiate and community settings. My background in educational practice allows me to create innovative curricula that are not only informative but also captivating for learners of all ages.
Specializing in literacy studies and arts – integration, I develop curricula that make learning accessible and fun. My approach is learner-centered, and I am adept at engaging learners by leveraging what they already know while teaching new concepts. Success for me is when a learner can apply what they've learned to their lived experiences. My research has taken me from St. Louis, MO to Biscayne National Park in Florida, to Yaoundé, Cameroon, Cape Town, South Africa and Monrovia, Liberia.
A literary arts collaborative...
Why work with me...
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Expertise in creating meaningful and culturally relevant educational programs.
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Proven experience working with nonprofits, law firms, and educational institutions.
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A collaborative approach to building impactful, community-driven initiatives.
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Strong background in interdisciplinary methodologies to help learners process historical and personal experiences.
Arts advocate
This most recent photograph was purchased from Saint Louis University in support of its Jesuit Worldwide Learning Program. This phenomenal photo "Movement, Memory, and Joy" was taken by Benard Mubigalo Aloyse, from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He currently lives in the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, Malawi.
Benard is passionate about using technology and storytelling to inspire creativity and innovation. He is deeply committed to youth empowerment, helping young people build skills, confidence, and shape their futures.
He took this photo of the Salama Africa dance crew performing in front of a large audience on Refugee Day to capture a powerful and joyful moment of his community members expressing talent through dance.
I am proud to have one of his pieces in my collection.
Expertise
My skillsets include applying theory to solve real-world problems, learning experience development,
as well as curriculum and course design.
Supplimental Instruction
Evidence-based course design suited for collegiate and community learning environments.
Course content includes English, American History, Special Topics in American Literature Creative Writing and more.
Curriculum Development
Experience creating arts-based programming and learning models for k-12 educators and non-profit organizations in community and school settings.
Workshop & Seminar Facilitation
Data driven professional development and needs assessment for educators, public-facing professionals, and corporations.
In collaboration with Saint Louis University's Jesuit Worldwide Learning Program, I developed reflective a workshop where students in Nigeria, Malawi and Kenya explored Ekphrasis, a poetic form of writing in response to visual art. Students took a photograph of something within their own community and used it as inspiration to craft a narrative poem. Through guided instruction, students learned how to interpret visual imagery, uncover meaning, and transform what they see into powerful written expression.
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In collaboration with Diving With a Purpose,
I served as creative writing director for its
Youth Diving With a Purpose program. As part of 'The Search' for the Guerrero, a Spanish slave ship that wrecked off the Florida coast in 1827, I developed curricula that helped learners process historical trauma as it related to the Trans - Atlantic Slave Trade.
Learn more about the mission at the link below:
Photo credit: Juniper Tree Studio
Action research
As a scholar practitioner, I specialize in curriculum development and action research.
Workshop development
All of my workshops are designed to aid in supplemental instruction.
With a degree in anthropology and as a Certified Diversity FaciliTrainer (CDFT) with NCCJ-St. Louis, I bring a holistic approach to understanding the nuance of difference. As the recipient of the Focus on Teaching and Learning with Technology Award for Instruction, my pedagogy builds on what learners already know. As a Community Arts Training Fellow, my workshops combine play with arts-based pedagogy and social awareness.
Robert V., CA
“Professor Vasser-Elong's workshop really hit home for me, as I have never had the opportunity to take a social justice related class. I have been excited to attend college next year to enjoy taking classes like this with like minds, so today felt like a taste of what's to come."
Brigid D., MO
"Jason volunteered to lead a poetry workshop with students at the high school where I work as a school librarian. He shared some of his poems and invited students to begin writing their own poems by leading them in some creative writing activities...What most impressed me was how he managed to captivate this group of teens. They were hanging on his every word."
Patrilie, H., DC
“I had the opportunity to observe Jason while he taught youth about Anthropological concepts. His interpersonal skills are impeccable, and has the ability to engage students in a way that makes them excited about the subject matter....His passion shows in all the work that he does, and his verbal communication skills are excellent. He would be an asset to any organization."
Author & Researcher
Check out my most recent publications in Society for Cultural Anthropology "Arts-Based Pedagogy: More than a Creative Approach to Teaching".
Other research includes:
Rogers, R., Calle-Díaz, L., Vasser-Elong, J., & Pacheco, S. (2023). Peacemaking
in Children’s Literature. Journal of Children’s Literature, 49(1), 10–29.
Rogers, R., Calle-Díaz, L., Vasser-Elong, J. (2023). Family literacies as peacemaking. Journal of Early Childhood Education, 1-26.
Vasser-Elong, J. (2022). Transitions. Canadian Journal for Netherlandic Studies, 41(2), 123.
Vasser-Elong, J. (2016). Perfect Water. Canadian Journal for Netherlandic Studies, 37(2), 7–20.
Vasser-Elong, J. (2016). Treading the Atlantic. Canadian Journal for Netherlandic Studies, 37(2), 7–20.
"White Noise" Anthropology News
&
In good company
in Liberia
Fostering Growth
Together, my clients and I make a positive impact within our communities and in the environment. Each collaboration results in a tree planted in Missouri. Let's continue to make sustainable change.
- Dr. Jason N. Vasser-Elong