We Have the Knowledge and Experience, So What’s Next? by Zachary Felty

This entry was tagged Indianapolis Kheprw Institute and posted on by

My internship ended on Thursday and I have traded in my apartment in the city of Indianapolis for the home of my family. I have transitioned from my quite apartment to my hectic home with my parents and 4 siblings. Since coming home I have spent a lot of time reflecting on my ten weeks at Kheprw Institute. While working there, I saw things that I had only ever read about. Things such as gentrification, food deserts, and other ailments that low-income communities suffer from. I spent the entire summer helping to build out a fundraising campaign to help Kheprw address these problems. However, I still left feeling like I should have done so much more. I also have struggled with guilt since leaving Kheprw. Here is a low income community that is only 20 minutes from my home, that I had no idea existed. It has been right there […]

A New Normal by Alyssa Trinko

This entry was tagged Harrison Center Harrison Center for the Arts Indianapolis and posted on by

This summer has been one of the most amazing summers of my life. I have learned so much in such a short amount of time. I have fallen in love with Indianapolis and found a home there. I’ve also fallen in love with the Harrison Center and the work the incredible staff is doing to create positive change in Indy. The Harrison Center builds relationships with the residents and business owners of Indianapolis neighborhoods so they can help make neighborhoods healthy, foster community identity, and work on renewal in the city. Art is central to this work. The Harrison Center is home to 32 resident artists, many of whom are creative placemakers and collaborate with the Center for city projects. The “city side” of the Center works on building these close relationships with people all over the city and engaging them through art and other creative mediums like public art […]

The Importance of Knowledge by Jade Curless 1 comment

This entry was tagged Venn Strategies Washington D.C. and posted on by

After finally retreating home from our nation’s capital, I have finally been able to reflect on the significance of my CAPS experience and what it has taught me. After working at Venn Strategies this summer, I have gained numerous professional skills and an overall deeper understanding of how politics functions in the United States. Working at a governmental affairs firm has provided me with a much more in-depth view of how our government operates and how policy is a constant battle. As a general research intern at Venn, I was able to work on a variety of issues. I did research on the devastating maternal mortality rate in the U.S., a crisis where black mothers die at a rate 3 to 4 times greater than their white counterparts despite the socioeconomic conditions. I also had an ongoing project where I researched the upcoming revisions of the Dietary Guidelines. I learned […]

Becoming a Sponge by Claire Utzinger

This entry was tagged Chicago Ingenuity and posted on by

In my first blog post, I explained that I didn’t really have a good idea of how I will start the search for my ideal career. I want to find a job that combines my love of the arts and working with people, but where does one find that after they graduate? One of the many opportunities with which Ingenuity has provided me is to sit down with the directors of each department to learn about their role in the non-profit and ask them any questions I have. The big takeaway for me was that each person had different pieces of equally valuable advice. So far, I have learned some important life skills from my time at Ingenuity: Always ask questions. This could include asking for help on something, asking why something was done a certain way, or even asking to be apart of a committee that you feel passionate […]

Going Home by Rachel Winkler

This entry was tagged Indianapolis School On Wheels and posted on by

I am writing this while sitting at my small wood dining room table. My cat is curled up next to me and there is a soft light coming through the windows that face the street. It is weird to be home, to be back in St. Louis. I have had so many homes in the past three months. When I leave St. Louis to go back to Valpo, I say I am going back home. When I leave Valpo to go to St. Louis I also say I am going home. During CAPS my roommates and I would refer to our apartment as home. I even say I am going back home to see my family in Washington even though I have never lived there for a substantial amount of time. Over the summer I thought a lot about what really made a home a home.  When I was younger […]

Different Sides of the Aisle by Braxton Jenkins

This entry was tagged CoCoDA Companion Community Development Alternatives Indianapolis and posted on by

CoCoDA stressed to me and other travelers on the Friends of CoCoDA Tour that we must be culturally humble when we travel to different communities in Central America. We must understand that we are probably not accustomed to how people live in underdeveloped countries. If we are not aware of this, our interactions may have be negative without us actually realizing it. After returning, I have realized it is almost more difficult to be culturally humble in the United States. That is an incomplete conclusion. I was in Central America (El Salvador and Nicaragua) for 2 weeks and have traveled to Haiti and Guatemala with WAVES for 2 weeks total before this summer. Cultural humility is not easy abroad, but it is simple when I only have to be there for a short amount of time. I have spent the rest of my life in the U.S., and cultural humility […]

Growing Home by Michele Poindexter

This entry was tagged Chicago Growing Home and posted on by

  During my most recent reflect-in with CAPS, Katie asked us what we have grown into this summer. It took me a while to think of an answer. There are many ways in which I have grown this summer, but thinking of something about myself or capabilities that I have grown into proved more difficult. However, after reflecting about my past internships and how they have ultimately led me to Growing Home, I realized my answer. In these past several years, and especially this summer, I have increased my knowledge, passion, and skills for working in food access and community engagement. I still have plenty to learn, but I have grown into my confidence that I am capable of doing this work and doing it well. As I look forward to my future – I have graduated and will be starting a new chapter of my life soon – this […]

Creating Unity, Amidst Diversity by Ben Montgomery

This entry was tagged Chicago ICDI Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants and posted on by

I first heard this phrase when I was fifteen and participating in the Ulster Project, a cross-cultural program designed to build relationships between protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. The project was created in response to historical conflict between these two groups and the goal was to bridge the divide between these two groups by building relationships and inviting dialogue about differences. Throughout my placement, this phrase has repeatedly entered my thoughts. While at Valpo, life is encapsulated into a bubble, one which I love, but also one that is comprised of people who come from similar backgrounds, speak the same language, and think in similar ways. I have likely never been amidst the level of diversity that I have experienced this summer which is one of the things I have appreciated most about my placement. During my week I am surrounded by people of different religions, nationalities, ethnicities, and […]

Not All New Things Can Be Packed Up by Haley Brewer

This entry was tagged Chicago Concordia Place and posted on by

I love knick-knacks. Probably more than it is healthy — a part of me is so excited to be an old lady just because that’s when it becomes socially acceptable to buy multiple glass cases and showcase your dollar-bin souvenirs like treasures. With my time in the CAPS program coming to an end, I’ve been in the process of packing up my things and, after going through all my things, I realized how much more stuff I’ve obtained during my time in Chicago. These items document my summer almost as well as I could have if I wrote it all out. Some of the items include: A postcard from the Art Institute with Nighthawks by Edward Hopper printed on it. A small yellow waving cat I got from Chinatown. A box of chopsticks I also got from Chinatown, albeit on a different visit. A map for the Adler Planetarium. The […]

DC, Internews, and Beyond by Daniel Herschel

This entry was tagged Internews Washington D.C. and posted on by

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 by

“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 by

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 by

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 […]

The Next Page of Forever by Veronica Campbell

This entry was tagged Chicago LSSI Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and posted on by

“Forever is the most dizzying word in the English language. The idea of staying in one place forever was like standing at the border of a foreign country, peering over the fence and trying to imagine what life might be like on the other side, and life on the other side was frankly unimaginable.” This is Lilia’s thought, from the novel Last Night in Montreal. In that moment her father, after being on the run with her for nearly her whole life, has finally settled down and invited her to join him. She enjoys the quiet life at first, living in a house with a family and routine, but finds that she can’t stomach the idea of forever in the same place. So she leaves them. Most of us have not traveled so much as Lilia, that we, as she puts it, “don’t know how to stay.” But we do […]

Experiencing Through Stories by Ben Montgomery

This entry was tagged Chicago ICDI Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants and posted on by

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 by

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 by

  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 by

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 by

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 by

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 […]