Archive for July, 2010

Each week we will use this space to give each of our interns a chance to reflect on their internship experiences. Donte Gibbs, a graduate of Case Western Reserve University, is placed at Neighborhood Leadership Institute (NLI).

As the summer youth program coordinator at the Neighborhood Leadership Institute, I have my hands full. However, it is definitely rewarding to see the excitement of the young kids (8-14) that are participating in the summer program.

One of my duties is to oversee and implement the summer sports league for basketball. This week, we actually got the ball rolling (literally) with developing teams, team names, colors, etc.

This was a challenge, because you have to gain the trust of these young individuals and really be genuine about what you are doing. We are definitely moving forward!

This internship is helping me to develop my leadership skills - I have to think creatively of how things should operate and/or change. I’m also working with the summer tennis program with various tennis courts around the city. This is an internship like no other: some days I’m at Collinwood High School for the summer sports league, some I’m at the NLI office, some I’m at the tennis courts, and most of the time, I’m doing all three in a day and I enjoy it.

Each week we will use this space to give each of our interns a chance to reflect on their internship experiences. Seerat Bahniwal, a graduate student of Case Western Reserve University, has been placed at the Metropolitan Cleveland Consortium for STEM. 
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 Improving education for children is one of my passions as a student at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. It’s also a focus of STEM, an educational program bringing science, technology, engineering and mathematics to the urban school systems of Ohio.

As a part of my internship with the Cleveland Foundation this summer, I’m working under the leadership of Ms. Sonya Pryor-Jones, executive director of the Metropolitan Cleveland Consortium for STEM OSLN-Cleveland Hub. This gives me the opportunity to meet, interview and converse with some of the students and educators at both Design Lab and MC2 STEM High Schools. A series of online articles will describe and help show how and why STEM programs impact the lives of urban students of Cleveland.

STEM schools and programs offer an innovative form of education where students are active learners. Students work on hands-on projects and have proactive involvement in the learning process. STEM schools have created a dynamic learning environment, where everyone is a teacher and everyone is a student. With its Project-Based learning approach, STEM schools encourage the students to find innovative, original and motivational ways of immersing themselves in the learning process. According to the people behind STEM, “STEM empowers students to become innovators and inventors, self-reliant and logical thinkers.”

This summer I will have the opportunity to tell stories of various students for whom MC2 STEM high schools and Design Lab have proven to be effective models of educating the future generations of doctors, engineers, fashion designers and biologists.

This series of stories will give readers a chance to look at this modern, ground-breaking, personalized learning environment where students not only listen to lectures but actually design solar panels, robots, yearbooks and become masters of their own learning.

Every two weeks I will be posting articles on the STEM HUB website to narrate the experiences of both the students and educators at both schools. As a student, I am extremely excited about this project and look forward to meeting the students and getting their perspective on the STEM education system and how it is helping them achieve their respective future ambitions. My first article was posted on the STEM HUB website on July 9th. Stay tuned for more.

Each week we will use this space to give each of our interns a chance to reflect on their internship experiences. Liam Martin, a junior at Taylor University, has been placed at ShoreBank Enterprise.

Our conversation went something like this.

“So, where are you working this summer?”
“I’m going to be at ShoreBank Enterprise.”
“Oh…Yeah, you look like you’d work at a bank.”

It was this seemingly innocuous statement in the midst of an otherwise beneficial and exciting first day of work that began a train of thought inside my head that went as follows:
1) Cool, I’m glad I wore this tie
2) What does that actually mean?
3) Why did that comment make me incredibly uncomfortable and mildly offended?
I’m one of 16 interns working with the Cleveland Foundation this summer. We are all working with different organizations funded and supported by the foundation, which is probably good because despite our shared desire to see Cleveland positively grow, we all have incredibly different gifts, weaknesses, interests and passions.

Over the past few weeks it’s been a personal joy to learn from differences we share, be challenged by our diversity of our perspectives, and be encouraged by the unique work we’re all doing throughout the city. But that conversation, the one about looking like a banker, got me thinking; are all our differences created equal?

Sometimes it’s quite frustrating to be the one studying business in a room full of social work, urban affairs and international justice majors. While my fellow interns are sharing stories about saving the world one city block at a time, I’m perceived as the one whose busy calculating how to make a profit off their work. It’s as if I walk through the door with one of those generic “Hello, my name is” nametags stuck on my shirt, only mine says “I’m the greedy crook that’s going to swindle nice people like you someday.”

It’s not that I blame people for sharing this sentiment; our society has done little to combat the stereotype of corporate culture rampant with greed, corruption, vanity and selfishness. And to clarify my earlier comments, my fellow interns have never once said anything like this to me, probably not even thought anything like this. I guess it’s just something I feel, something I think our culture has taught me to feel, even wants me to feel. But I think differently.

My work at ShoreBank Enterprise this summer has reinforced my core belief that the umbrella of business can do more than turn a profit; business can accomplish social good, and if we let it, can help change the world for the better.

ShoreBank Enterprise is a non-profit organization dedicated to business development in Northeast Ohio. Specifically, ShoreBank Enterprise provides term debt financing to small business in order to help make them more competitive and profitable. This often means working with struggling businesses previously denied traditional lines of credit, and working with them in order to become sustainable and ultimately profitable in order to create jobs, wealth, and become self-sufficient and an asset to the market.

As a result of my continual observations of the staff, who have all been incredibly generous to me with their time, energy and tutelage, I’ve realized something very important. This kind of work isn’t about financial statements or credit recommendations, quarterly results or annual profits.

This is about giving men and women the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families, an opportunity for the personal pride and community value that is work itself. It’s about more than a paycheck, more than a 9 to 5. This is about people’s lives, and helping them transition from the life they have to the life they want.  

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I do sort of look like a banker, and my internship this summer has taught me that someday I hope to look even more like one. Not the kind of banker that dresses in fancy three-piece suits or the kind of banker that looks like he’ll be brought before a congressional hearing anytime soon, but the kind of banker that uses his craft to share and create wealth, provide jobs, and help make his community a better, more vibrant, sustainable and beautiful place.

So if you’re reading this, and you’re the one with that sly smile and sarcastic wit who told me that I look like a banker, there’s have one thing I want to tell you: “Thank you.”

Each week we will use this space to give each of our interns a chance to reflect on their internship experiences.

Nicole Velasquez, a recent graduate of Clarion University in Pennsylvania, is placed at The City Club.

I count myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of the Cleveland Foundation summer internship.  I am placed with The City Club of Cleveland where I am exposed to all aspects of what the organization does. 

I have taken on a variety of tasks such as special program planning and building a social media plan, but perhaps the most exciting aspect of what I get to do at The City Club is partake in the programs themselves. 

Just the other day I sat in on a panel discussion about Cleveland’s newest and greatest chefs.  This was exciting for two reasons: first of all, there were delicious samples.  Secondly, and most importantly, I got a first-hand account of the Cleveland culinary landscape.  Each chef spoke with such passion: passion for food, passion for quality, local food that comes from our local farmers, and passion for the people of Cleveland and the state of Ohio.  Anyone sitting in the room that day was sure to walk away feeling a little bit prouder to be part of the Cleveland community; I know I did.  The thing is, this program and its contents are but one of many reasons to love this city.

Initially, when I first came to Cleveland with my parents several years ago, I wasn’t sure what I was going to find.  I wasn’t sure if I would even like it here.  Slowly, I became acclimated to area, and I began to discover what I initially thought of as sporadic treasures here and there.  It wasn’t until I graduated from college, moved back permanently and received an internship with the foundation that I realized how inaccurate my perceptions were.  I began my internship, and I was immediately awakened to the wealth of culture, innovation, activism and passion that resonates from this city on the lake.  It is only the third week of my nonprofit internship, and I have already been exposed to so much of what makes Cleveland such an amazing city.  I imagine I have only seen the tip of the iceberg, which is why I look forward to the many City Club forums ahead of me this summer.

The other day at a professional development seminar I was touched by a simple, yet profound statement made by a panel of community activists.  When asked why young Clevelanders should consider staying in Cleveland at a time when so many are leaving, someone replied, “Because right now we as Clevelander’s are in the unique position to define our destiny as a city, define what we want our community to be, and create it.”  How awesome is that?  This concept is so inspirational; to think about it gives me chills.  Of all the skills and experience I gain this summer, I believe it is this idea that may prove most valuable to me in the future. 

In conclusion, this summer is proving to be much more of a profound experience than I had initially anticipated.  I learn something new every single day, and I get to be part of Cleveland’s stellar nonprofit community.  I can’t wait to see what the next eight weeks have in store for me!

Each week we will use this space to give each of our interns a chance to reflect on their internship experiences.

Sarah Narkin, a junior at John Carroll University, is  placed at Voices for Ohio’s Children.

Founded and headquartered in Cleveland, Voices for Ohio’s Children is a non-partisan collaboration of individuals and organizations that advocate for children-focused public policy. In analyzing health, education, family, tax, and juvenile justice issues that effect children, Voices for Ohio’s Children provides advocacy for youth programs and legislation that most benefit our state’s children.

The primary methods through which Voices for Ohio’s Children staff accomplishes these goals is research, education of policymakers, facilitation of information sharing, and encouragement of general public support.

Unlike many other advocacy groups, the unique challenge faced by Voices for Ohio’s Children faces is to raise awareness among politicians and policymakers about the interests and developmental needs of a population that is unable to lobby or vote, but, nevertheless, suffer from issues such as unemployment, abuse, and poverty that affect the whole household. By ensuring that our society and legislators remain always mindful of the needs of children, Voices for Ohio’s Children hopes to ensure a positive future for Ohio.

Throughout the summer here, I will be handling logistics for meetings, updating portions of the website, writing letters for the eNewsletter, doing policy research, sending out press releases, etc. My primary and, perhaps, most interesting projects are to work on the Refund the Credit Campaign for working families and to outline the efficacy of American Recovery Act funding for human services through the creation of a book of anecdotal stories from agencies and individuals throughout the state.

Ultimately, however, it is my hope that my work at Voices for Ohio’s Children will provide valuable assistance to the organization in making a difference, no matter how small, in protecting and developing our greatest resource, children.