Monthly Archives: July 2019

DC, Internews, and Beyond by Daniel Herschel

This entry was tagged Internews Washington D.C. and posted on July 23, 2019 by leadserve

Trying to summarize my experiences in Washington, DC, so far this summer, despite the short time that I have been here, is a somewhat challenging task. I have learned a great deal of new information, whether it be at work or while experiencing the city. Much of this information I have taken at face value, trusting in the knowledge of those more experienced with DC than myself. But as I have begun to acclimate to DC life and met more and more people, I am beginning to process my early experiences and make my own connections. And in some cases, I am starting to challenge some of my initial assumptions and things I have been told. My first few weeks at Internews were fairly quiet. I met with Jon, my supervisor, was given a desk space and laptop, was introduced to my coworkers who were in the office that day, […]

Shattering Concepts by Braxton Jenkins

This entry was tagged CoCoDA El Salvador Indianapolis Nicaragua and posted on July 23, 2019 by leadserve

“CoCoDA is a lifestyle,” said one of the Latin American employees in the annual organization board meeting, while I was in El Salvador. Later in the meeting, he said, “CoCoDA is a tool,” for the communities we work with. Those statements essentially wrap up how immersive, transformative, and intentional community development in Central America is for the people who devote their careers to the mission of this organization. As a person who spends much of the day theorizing how to fight for equality, the CoCoDA Board meeting was an oddly unfamiliar environment. Before traveling to Central American communities, I watched the Board of CoCoDA evaluate its position and discuss next steps in lieu of its past. This resonated with me because I was watching a large team of people brainstorm ideas to actually help real people. Part of CoCoDA’s model is to partner with NGO’s in the countries they work […]

Having a Child-like Faith by Maddie Fry

This entry was tagged Chicago Erie Neighborhood House Little Village READS and posted on July 22, 2019 by leadserve

One of the fundamental lessons I have learned from working with kids is that you never know what to expect from them. Every day comes with another creative art project, an imaginative story, or crazy new game. So many ideas race through their minds and the world seems to be filled with wonder and excitement. The smallest object can be the source of immense joy. I have never seen a person be so consumed with a dead leaf as I have this past week. It never ceases to amaze me how children can see a generic object and transform it into something radically different. Working with kids is one of the most tiring jobs I have experienced, it has also been the most inspiring. Watching them learn and grow into better readers, skilled drawers, or professional lego architects makes everyday worth it. They find joy in everything and get along […]

Knowledge and Ignorance by Ty Snarr

This entry was tagged Chicago Heartland Alliance and posted on July 19, 2019 by leadserve

Nearing the end of my summer, work at Heartland Alliance has proven both to be exactly what I expected and exactly what I did not expect. On a practical level, Heartland Alliance functions very similarly to how it was described. It is an underfunded non-profit. When I was originally told at the beginning of the summer that I would be taking participants to social services, health clinics, and completing administrative work, that has all turned out to be exactly true. However, the interaction with coworkers, participants, and the community has been anything but predictable. Working in an office setting, I had both an expectation and hope for coworkers. Media often portrays office settings as problematic, dog-eat-dog, and full of annoying employees. Shortly after arriving, I realized how naive I was. Non-profits, or at least Heartland, cannot afford to function in this manner. The interdependence between departments at Heartland creates both […]

Experiencing Through Stories by Ben Montgomery

This entry was tagged Chicago ICDI Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants and posted on July 15, 2019 by leadserve

I went into this summer expecting to gain practical experience, learn about nonprofit work, and contribute something to the organization I am working with. So far this has all proven true, but what has taken me by surprise is that the most powerful part of my experience has come from stories. I am spending my summer working with ICDI (Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants), an organization that responds to the many needs of immigrants in Chicago. Participants in ICDI programs, detained immigrants, asylum seekers, volunteers, and staff all have a story of how they ended up where they are and what they are doing to try to improve the situation. In the four weeks that I have been working with ICDI I have been lucky enough to have listened to many of these stories. Part of what I do is spend Thursday mornings in a detention center speaking with detained […]

T-Minus One Semester: Differing Shades of Uncertainty by Emily Nelson

This entry was tagged LSA Lutheran Services in America Washington D.C. and posted on July 15, 2019 by leadserve

As I wrap up my last three weeks in Washington, D.C., I’m reflecting on the mounting ambiguity that’s slowly creeping into my life. Some of these forces have been expected; the events that directly preceded or have happened during my stay make for a rather tumultuous timeline. My grandmother passed away, my parents have moved, and I’m entering my last semester of undergrad after the conclusion of this fellowship. I guess it’s consolation that many of my peers are in the same position of uneasiness heading into the future, but it’s troubling nonetheless. I am very thankful that I’ve been able to spend my summer in D.C. This area is a networking hotspot, and running into dignitaries or prominent government officials is no surprise. A few weeks ago, I attended an Interfaith Community work meeting for my organization. The director of Asian American Pacific Islander Initiatives at the White House […]

Surprise! by Meg Main

This entry was tagged ArtMix Indianapolis and posted on July 15, 2019 by leadserve

On my first day in the studio of ArtMix I met a boy by the name of Alex Smith. He was the first student I spent a longer period of time with. In the first encounter, we were equally instructed by the current teaching artist, Emily to make these items. I didn’t know it until after, but this TA is trying to figure out how to apply Alex’s skills and abilities to our Urban Artisans program’s work environment and product creation. Urban Artisans is one of five programs that ArtMix runs throughout the calendar year. I think it’d be fair to say, this is the top program that we are known for throughout the city. ArtMix prides itself on working with all people of all abilities. In community class, participants come and go as they please every Wednesday. However, UA is a more specific program, which intends to […]

Finding My Purpose by Madison Magiera

This entry was tagged Austin Ethiopia Water to Thrive and posted on July 15, 2019 by leadserve

So, I am back from Ethiopia now and I have pretty much gotten adjusted back to living and working in Austin. I absolutely loved my time in Ethiopia! I learned so much about the global water crisis and about the lives of our Water to Thrive beneficiaries. The people of Ethiopia were consistently so friendly and welcoming. Despite not having many of the luxuries and comforts that we enjoy in the U.S., like running water, hot showers, washing machines, microwaves and accessible clean water, the people I met in the villages we visited were so joyful and thankful. They are grateful for the things they do have: friends, family, faith, love and happiness. It truly made me reflect on my life in the U.S. I think that a lot of times in the U.S., we connect happiness to material wealth and things. In reality, it is not things that create […]

D.C. is More than Just Politics by Maddie Morehead 2 comments

This entry was tagged IREX Washington D.C. and posted on July 11, 2019 by leadserve

D.C. is lively and thriving. D.C. is friendly and beautiful. D.C. is jazzy and historic. D.C. is full of excitement and people from every walk of life with a different story or perspective worth sharing. Being in a new city is a great excuse for friends to visit, and having a friend visit is a great excuse to explore the depths of said new city. A couple weeks ago, a friend that I met through my fall semester study abroad experience came to DC to visit me, and as any good friend would, I became a tourist with her. We took a tour of “Black Broadway”, near Howard University, where tribute is payed to African American artists like Marvin Gaye, Chuck Brown, Sister Rosetta Tharpe , and Aretha Franklin. We learned about the fight it took to keep Go-Go alive – a genre that originated from The District, and joined […]

Faces of Hope by Hilary Van Oss

This entry was tagged Chicago Heartland Alliance and posted on July 11, 2019 by leadserve

You can learn a lot about a person by looking at their face. The face is a portal to one’s soul; it shows what they are feeling and thinking. These past few weeks I have looked into the faces of many individuals who have just made a huge, courageous leap of faith by moving to and settling into the United States as a refugee. Working at Heartland Alliance’s Refugee and Immigrant Community Services (RICS) office, I have had the privilege to look into many faces of hope. RICS is a refugee resettlement agency that works with refugees from airport pick-up when they arrive in Chicago to navigating public transportation to English class to assisting with public benefits and government services to searching for employment and the list goes on. I am specifically a Case Management intern which means that I am helping our participants extensively within the first 90 days […]

Three Places. One Week. Too Many Questions. by Alyssa Brewer

This entry was tagged Indianapolis Kheprw Institute and posted on July 11, 2019 by leadserve

In one week, I went from studying abroad in Namibia to spending time with my family in Arkansas to now living in Indianapolis. Throughout this week, so many emotions bubbled up inside me. It was a cycle of confusion, anger, sadness, and exhaustion. Culture shock overwhelmed me at times. I questioned the habits of the nation in which I grew up. Why are there so many aisle of cereal? Why are there so many ads on the radio? Why is there too much water over here and not enough over there? But then new questions arose when I traveled to Indy from Arkansas. Why are there so many one-ways? Why are there no grocery stores nearby? Why am I here? That last one has become the theme of this summer. Technically, I am an intern at Kheprw Institute in Indianapolis- however, I am still discovering what that means. Kheprw Institute is […]

Growing Markets by Michele Poindexter

This entry was tagged Chicago Growing Home and posted on July 8, 2019 by leadserve

Let me first briefly explain what Growing Home does. Growing Home is a USDA certified organic urban farm located in Englewood. They have a paid job training program each growing season for people with employment barriers. Production Assistants, participants in the program, learn transferable skills in agriculture, project management, and effective communication. In addition to the job training program, Growing Home sells its produce through several outlets. In this blog, I want to talk about just one of the ways the produce is sold – farmer’s markets. Farmer’s markets are one of my favorite places to be and work at, so I thought I would tell you a bit about why they are so great and how they could be even better. To get the inside scoop, I asked Growing Home’s Food Access and Distribution Manager some questions about markets. So why are farmers’ markets so great? For starters, a […]

Exploring is the Nice Word for Lost by Haley Brewer

This entry was tagged Chicago Concordia Place and posted on July 2, 2019 by leadserve

An hour and forty-five minutes. That’s the longest I’ve gotten lost here amongst the Chicago streets. I’ve gotten lost looking for bubble tea, I’ve gotten lost looking for museums, I’ve gotten lost looking for countless bookshops and more. My second day here, I got lost looking for the Target and I still think a little part of me is out there looking for the red and white store. When my mom asks, I tell her I’ve spent most of my time “exploring” the city because that sounds a lot better than “my google maps lost connection ten minutes in and I wandered up and down Washington for thirty minutes.” It’s all about the rebranding, folks. However, a month in, my hopeless sense of direction has marginally become less so. I say marginally because just last Friday, I almost exceeded my record on time lost when I was looking for a […]

Community Work as Dance by Maria Kubalewski

This entry was tagged Indianapolis Kheprw Institute and posted on July 2, 2019 by leadserve

One of my close friends is a ballroom dancer. Although my wish to become a better dancer by osmosis has yet to come to fruition, my eyes were opened to how unique of a craft ballroom is. Kheprw’s approach to community work reminds me a lot of ballroom dance. Kheprw Institute is a grassroots organization that works primarily out of the Riverside and Highland Vicinity neighborhoods in Indianapolis. Grounded in the belief that members of a community are the best suited to lead within the community, Kheprw works to involve community members of all ages, interests, and backgrounds in conversations and programs touching on (but not limited to) race, education, the environment, entrepreneurship, art, and technology. There are many different styles of ballroom- Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Samba, Mambo, Cha-cha. Instead of focusing on one path to community work, Kheprw makes moves with urban gardening and youth programming, sparks conversation about […]