Monthly Archives: June 2025

When The Shoe Fits: Finding my Footing at Erie House

As I started my internship this past week I Full of questions and eagerness to learn the
behind the scenes aspect of this non-profit organization at Erie Neighborhood House. Since the kids aren’t in for programming yet, this week and last have been a blessing for me to get oriented and get a deeper dive into the summer program. Probably my favorite project so far has been building a new math lesson plan from the book “If The Shoe Fits” to teach students how to use measuring devices and their importance.

Right before beginning this internship in my last semester of my undergraduate degree I decided to make a big shift from having studied economics and Spanish to then pursuing education and receiving my teaching certificate. During this time of transition there has been a lot of concern and uncertainty of whether I was making the right choice and whether teaching was the path for me and already within making this one lesson plan I have discovered a deep joy for being creative and transforming curriculum into something that I can present and educate others. The lesson plan was one of my first independent projects here and really allowed me to show the director, facilitator, and myself that I am capable of taking on bigger projects

While working this internship, I’m also taking online classes to get a start on my teaching program for next year and there has been a lot of overlap between the two. It has been nice to apply what I’ve been learning in class into lesson planning and using what I am doing in my internship as examples for assignments. One of my biggest questions going into the Caps program was how can I grow as an individual while also helping a much larger community. I truly believe I have found that where I am able to grow my professional skills in education while also supporting Erie house and the communities that they support.

The team here at Erie house is a wonderful group of people who all care and support each other despite being in different programs. I have been able to meet so many wonderful people, Especially when I was brought into an all staff meeting on day three of being there before I had met anyone. Well I am specifically working with a READS program for student literacy over the summer Erie house also has programs in ESL and citizenship and so during these first few weeks I have been able to observe those programs as well.

Moving forward starting tomorrow the students will be in and summer programming will have finally begun! I am very excited to get hands-on experience working as an educator in the multifaceted READS program. Each week will consist of art, math, ecology, gardening/cooking lessons that now I and the wonderful team at Erie house have worked to put together. I am so grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer brings!

By Amelia Tandy, Erie Neighborhood House

Thoughts from a Night Hike

I wish I could see in the dark.
The thought has crossed my mind many nights walking in the dark after I’ve heard an unsettling sound nearby. While the sky wasn’t too dark last week on our staff night hike, I thought of campers who might also experience heightened fear when darkness comes along.
The past two weeks I’ve been in summer staff training at the Dunes Learning Center inside the Indiana Dunes National Park. We’ve been learning the intricacies of camp while also trying out activities we’ll lead with campers. Last week we practiced the night hike we take campers on, and I was reminded how limited my sight is at night. Being a camp based in environmental education, we also learned about nocturnal animals like bats, raccoons, and owls. They all are adapted to the dark: bats use echolocation, racoons feel especially well with their paws, and owls have eyes built for the night. Each is tuned to function well in the darkness. I am not.
And so, I found myself wishing I could see in the dark.
This is not just a desire to see through the darkness that lays itself over the earth each night, but through the darkness found in uncertainty and in turbulent times. The darkness that causes fear to fester in what’s unseen and unknown.
However, on that night hike, I was reminded of two things.
First, I found that even as the sky became darker, by spending time learning about and being in the darkness, I became more comfortable and curious about what existed around me. For example, while I’ve heard many animals call at night, I didn’t know whose sound belonged to who. We practiced the call of a barred owl, and I learned that what could have been a slightly spooky sound was an owl. By learning about and being with the animals out in the night, I not only found myself more comfortable, but I also had a greater appreciation for the darker part of the day.
Second, our night hike was an opportunity to go out in the dark together. We walked sometimes in a line, other times in pairs, but even when we walked our “solo” portion, there were people waiting in front of us, and others stationed behind us. We were never really alone.
Our limited sight in darkness can make it appear that we are lost or that we must walk alone. This is especially true when we think no one will understand our fears in the darkness. But just like on our night hike, people are close by; their presence is grounding in the unsteadiness. Despite what our minds try to tell us, we are never really alone.
As the camper support specialist this summer, I am here to be a support to campers however they are. I anticipate there will be a collection of many experiences: happy and sad, excited and nervous, light and dark that I will see. But through it all, I’m here to be a calm reminder that no one is alone. There is so much to see, to learn about, and to grow in together. I’m grateful for the staff at the Dunes Learning Center who have been present, ready, and excited to show up for each other, and for the kids who come to camp this summer.
By Emma Johnson, Dunes Learning Center

Traffic, Nerves, and Calling: The Start of Something Meaningful

This week marks my second week working with Heartland Alliance’s Refugee and Immigrant Community Services Program! As I’ve been reflecting on the start to my internship with Heartland, it seems like every day has brought new learning, new challenges, and in particular, new excitement. At the beginning, all I could think about was how nervous I was as I tried to navigate a different environment. The first challenge that I faced was driving through Chicago alone – which, up until last week, I had promised myself that I would never do. I remember setting my alarm super early on that first day, to plan in advance for the fact that I would probably miss at least 2 exits on the expressway. But even with the extra-early start, I quickly realized that Chicago traffic is way more unpredictable than I had planned for. I swear I could hear the traffic’s evil laugh as I rounded a bend in the highway and beheld an endless line of brakelights swarming the W. Lawrence Avenue exit ramp. After arriving at the office, I parked, walked across the street, and rang the doorbell to be let in. Inside the lobby, there were comfortable couches and a reception desk, where my supervisor met me before taking me on a tour of the office. As we walked through the various hallways and passed by the conference rooms and common areas, my supervisor smiled and told me, “Don’t worry if you don’t remember everything I’m going to tell you on this tour, because I know it’s a lot”. I know this statement sounds insignificant, but it helped put my mind at ease, and reminded me that it’s okay to not know how everything works right away.

After that first day, I spent the rest of the week learning more and more about the incredible work that Heartland does across the city of Chicago. As I’ve started to understand what the Refugee and Immigrant Community Services team does each week and the processes that the team goes through to take in new participants and place them into jobs, I’ve found myself becoming increasingly excited for what the rest of my internship will hold. I’ve also been really enjoying learning about refugee policies and the rights that refugees and asylees have when they come to the US. Prior to this internship, I had never done research on or looked into refugee rights before, and I’ve found it to be really interesting – especially in the present-day, with many of these topics taking center stage with the current political climate. While thinking about my calling and purpose throughout the CAPS program so far, I’ve been considering how these subjects of interest might play a role in my vocation in the future. Since starting college, my attention has consistently been drawn to refugee/immigration issues and policies – so with this internship focusing on those things in a non-profit setting, I’m curious to see where that might lead me in my search for calling and purpose.

Nora Fisher, Heartland Alliance

There is Beauty In-between

I have officially been at Save the Dunes for 2 weeks. My office is tucked away within the woods in the Barker House in Michigan City, IN. As you pull into the driveway, you are greeted by a beautiful house surrounded by trees and native plant gardens. My office is at the top of the stairs. It is floor-to-ceiling wood paneling with three windows looking into the tree canopy. My desk directly faces the windows, and I love to watch the leaves sway in the wind with the light shining down on them. Laughter and talking fill the air, making for a very homey feeling in the house. Starting an internship can be a weird spot to be in. Imposter syndrome is hitting you from left and right. You are caught in the middle, not quite a full employee, but you still have a job within the organization. I struggled with this for my first few days. Having such an incredible team of women there to support and encourage me has been such a blessing. I am excited to work with people who truly care about the environment and protecting it for future generations.
Throughout this summer, I will be updating the membership database by reaching out to membersthrough calls and emails. I am excited to speak with a variety of people and hear why they love and supportSave the Dunes. I will also be continuing the process of inventorying our archives and picking out the gems.In my first few days, I spent a lot of time learning about Save the Dunes’ history and getting myselfacclimated. On May 28th, I had the privilege of attending a tour of some Grand Calumet River Areas ofConcern (AOC). The event was put on by the Nature Conservancy. They have spent a lot of time remediatingthese sites back to what they once were. The area consists of a unique ecosystem called dune and swale. Itfeatures alternating sandy ridges and low wet areas that repeat. From an aerial view, it looks like corduroy.
The properties we visited were beautiful, quiet, and a peaceful place to be. However, what reallycaught my attention was the location. These areas were sandwiched between steel mills and refineries. Iasked myself how such beauty could exist among the pollution and industry. This day in particular, I wasreally struggling with my purpose. It was my first full week at Save the Dunes, and I was struggling with whatI was there for and if I was worthy of the position. Oddly enough, seeing these properties was comforting.Knowing that, with some love, care, and patience, this land was able to thrive under the pressure from theindustry surrounding it gave me some reassurance that I would be ok. Much like the sites, I just needed alittle time and attention to find my footing.

I can now say confidently, after two weeks, that there is immense beauty in the in-between. I mayonly be there for the summer, but my work is important and needs to be done. I have found meaning andpurpose in the work that I am doing while discovering skills and interests that I never knew I was capable of. Imay not know everything, and sometimes I will doubt myself. But, if I have learned anything these past twoweeks, it’s to give myself grace and find the beauty within the moment.

Emma Depa, Save the Dunes

It Takes A Village

From the ecstatic moment a person arrives at Holden Village, an iconic retreat center located in the heart of Washington’s North Cascades Mountains that offers visitors a unique opportunity to step into the wilderness they are greeted with a “Hosti”. This person designs a sign with your name on it to welcome you to the village and answer any questions you may have. From the moment the school bus with Holden Village written on the side was in sight of the village entrance all the way to the time I stepped off said bus I was greeted by most, if not all, of the village waving at me and cheering for my arrival. Before even getting to the village I was required to complete a Child Safety Training which is crucial to the safety, comfort, and well-being of the children that reside in Holden Village. 

I realized that I’ve been saying Holden Village a few times now and some people might not know anything about it. First I want to acknowledge the original people living on this land. We live and gather upon the homelands of the Chelan, the Entiat, the P’Squosa, the Wenatchi-Colville and the Wenatchi-Yakama Tribal Nations. And we commit to resisting erasure of Indigenous people and stories, following Native leadership, and centering tribal voices. Here is some more info on the history of Indigenous people in the area of Holden Village. The official organization “Holden Village” started as a copper mining town. Here is a little bit about that copper mining history

Everyone’s travel choice is different when coming to Holden but my journey getting here was very elaborate. My mom and I drove two hours to the airport with stops. We took a 4 hour plane ride from Chicago to Seattle. Then we drove another 4 hours to Chelan, Washington where we stayed in a hotel for the night to then get on at a different boat landing than originally planned. The boat ride was about 45 minutes and then we got on a 45 minute school bus ride to Holden Village.

After finally, arriving at Holden my first thought was, is this a commune? But I later came to learn and humbly understood that it is simply a very rustic, community oriented place where everyone plays a role in the village. After 10+ hours of travel it was overwhelming but comforting to arrive to a warm welcome. I started at Holden around mid-May and I have been working as an Education Assistant where I have accomplished: making flyers to promote the incoming presenters(“teaching faculty”) and guest musicians for each week, setting up housing accommodations for teaching faculty and their guests for each of the 12 weeks of the summer, and setting up info about each faculty session/program per week. Soon I will move to working in “Narnia” the Village school where I will be working with the youth program coordinator. There I will be helping create curriculums and helping out with youth programming.

Esai Hernandez, Holden Village

The River Between Us: Growing with Nature and Community

It’s now been almost a week that I’ve been at the Grunewald Guild here in the mountains of Washington state, and I’m thoroughly excited for the months ahead. I’m staying in what’s called the Riverhouse, as it directly overlooks the river flowing 50 feet away from the back porch. This porch is one of my favourite places so far to sit and enjoy the area, as it’s fully screened in to keep the bugs away (mosquitos remain my arch-nemesis) and is beautifully lit with string lights in the evenings. The quiet rush of the flowing water is a constant and peaceful sound, and a wide range of birds fill the trees and air with their calls too. (There’s one critter that makes a fascinating little clicking sound sometimes and I can never find it, but it intrigues me.) I was surprised by how windy it gets here in the side of the valley given the mountains on either side and the tall pines packed pretty densely around us, but the breeze is nonetheless refreshing and gives the sense that the forest itself is breathing. There’s really just so much about the space here that I love, everything seems so contentedly alive and welcoming – the bright purple and red-orange flowers, the neon lime green moss, and the spiders weaving intricate lace across the corners of the porch.

Most of the projects I’ve been helping with so far have been focused on organizing and cleaning up some of the studio spaces in preparation for the start of summer programming, but today I helped ‘turn’ a bunch of the bedrooms, larger shared spaces, and outdoor landscaping to get them ready for when more guests come in a couple weeks. With the help of 3 other full-time staff members and a resident artist, we cleaned bedrooms, bathrooms, and studio and living spaces in four different buildings. Making beds and preparing bedding bundles were some of my favourite tasks, as well as wiping down all the surfaces and cleaning mirrors. We also walked quick loops around the buildings to check for wasp and other pest nests, and made sure all supply cabinets were stocked, whether with linens or a wide range of art supplies.

When I’m not helping organize and prepare spaces though, the staff here are really supportive and encourage me to explore my creativity and express the inspiration I experience. The campus is beautifully curated to inspire this sort of reflection and thoughtful consideration of the surroundings and one’s place within them, and that’s one theme I’ve been pondering more recently. The experience I’ve already had here in the mountains of Washington has been overwhelmingly one of intimate connection and intentional relationships both with the natural environment, and with the staff, volunteers, and guests here at the Guild. I’ve been trying to develop a better understanding of my relationships with the communities around me, and the time I’m spending here is definitely a helpful stepping stone in crossing that river.

Bianca Olfert, Grunewald Guild