This summer I interned at the Southwest Youth Collaborative (SWYC). I specifically worked with two of the programs, the Generation Y Summer Youth Liberation Institute and with Sisters Organized for United Leadership (SOUL). These programs work to build self-esteem, both personal and social growth, cooperation, leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and community awareness among the participants. I served as one of five staff organizers for the Liberation Institute where I developed and facilitated workshops, and also played a supportive role for the forty-two youth participants. In addition, I served as the main adult organizer for SOUL, which had weekly discussions on young women's issues and planned activities, a fundraiser, and our major project, a Reproductive Rights poster.
My internship experience helped me develop skills that will move me toward my goal of working with youth as a profession; whether as a teacher, youth minister, or youth organizer. I developed facilitation skills though workshops and trainings that will be useful while at Grinnell and in other parts of my life after Grinnell. I strengthened the organizing skills that I will use on campus in different groups such as the Social Justice Action Group, Dialogues in Christianity and Free the Planet. All of the skills that I gained from this experience have helped me to gather a better understanding of what I want to do with my life after Grinnell.
While there are already so many different groups and organizations on the Grinnell campus, my experience with SOUL helped me gain the skills and knowledge needed to start a new group or to build up the membership for existing groups. When I arrived at the SWYC there were only four girls that were interested in participating in SOUL. I had to work with those four girls to figure out what they wanted the group to be and how to get more girls involved. I learned recruitment skills and how to plan goals and projects for an organization. I had to work to develop new leaders and help the new members take ownership of the organization. These skills will aid in my work with student groups here at Grinnell, and for any group start-up I may work on in the future I already have a foundation of experience.
One of the ways my facilitation skills were implemented in my internship this summer was in developing a Gender Analysis workshop for the Summer Youth Liberation Institute. I worked with three of the staff organizers to think of the objectives of the workshop and what we wanted the youth to learn. We created activities that would help the youth have a better understanding of the difference between gender and sex, as well as the types of oppression that exist in our society around this issue. The skills I gained from developing this workshop and helping with other workshops in the Institute will help me when I create workshops in the future. Workshops and trainings are methods of teaching people something new and in my consideration of teaching after college, I have reached the conclusion that I enjoy being in a teaching role. I also have realized that teachers are not only in the classroom, but in all arenas of life. Watching Jeremy (one of my supervisors) in action helped me realize that he is being a teacher to these youth, and I would really love to do this as a profession.
One of the most important aspects of organizing and of life in general is flexibility. It is vital to take things as they come and not to let obstacles or challenges interfere with my work. In my experience I learned that lack of funding is a large part of the life of small not-for-profits. This forces the staff to be adaptable and work with what they have. From a faith perspective it is very important for me to have a job that serves the community and often this means that I will not have a large salary. Being a part of the Southwest Youth Collaborative, which is constantly looking for funding and trying to get grants to cover their programs and salaries of the staff, helped me get a closer look at how a small not-for-profit has to learn to survive. This experience has renewed my commitment to working for change in the world of the inspirational staff organizers and the committed young people in the programs.
During my internship I planned to strengthen my Spanish speaking skills and presentation skills. Generation Y and SOUL consisted of Arab, African-American and Latino youth. I was able to learn about their different experiences and perspectives on the issues we were discussing. There were several youth who were undocumented immigrants from Mexico and I was able to use my Spanish to facilitate communication and discussion among the group. My Spanish enabled me to develop close relationships with some of the youth because I was able to make them feel more comfortable. It was a great experience to work in such a diverse environment.
I learned the process of getting settled and oriented in a new workplace from this internship experience. The skills I gained from just starting something new will help in every new experience that I have in the future. I had to take on more responsibilities and be more independent than I had originally anticipated. I had to get comfortable with new people and learn to work with different work styles. This internship has given me the confidence to start new things and know that it takes a while to get adjusted.
This internship was an wonderful experience. There were some differences from what I had originally expected, but I learned an amazing amount and grew as an organizer and as a person. After this experience I am more certain of my plans of working with youth after I graduate from Grinnell. I now have a better understanding of what a community organizer does and of the community organizing action process.
