Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

A quarter, a pencil, and four boxes. No, I did not find small change and writing utensils in the attic. And no, those don’t signify my biggest finds to date. In amongst some of Columbus Early Learning Center’s historical documents, I uncovered a Finding Aid from the Ohio Historical Society, which led to a field trip! So I was definitely guided to this treasure. A Finding Aid provides a brief description of an archival collection’s contents so that one might determine its usefulness at a glance. An online search and a few phone calls later yielded confirmation that indeed, the Ohio Historical Society had four boxes full of documents, photos, and newspaper clippings pertaining to the former Westside-Eastside Day Care Association from 1895 to 1971. I was thrilled! I also might be the first person to ask about it since 1975, the year it was donated.

So this past week I met with a collections specialist about donating more materials to the historical society and perused the existing collection. Importantly, the collections specialist and I discussed how best to preserve information in a digital format (recall my last blog post) for the greatest chance at its continued accessibility in the future. He suggested a flash drive of some sort. I’m beginning to wonder, in this vast digital age, if paper hard copies will end up being the best option in the long term. There’s just something about their tangibility . . .

So where do the quarter, pencil, and four boxes come in? Well, you’ve probably figured out that the four boxes are the wonderful troves of historical information at the Ohio Historical Society. The pencil was important because you can only use pencil in the archives. Imagine the disaster that an ill-timed ink explosion could cause to 125 year old documents. And last but not least is the quarter I borrowed to lock up my possessions. You cannot have any bags or purses larger than a microfilm (very small) container while perusing the collections, so the staff have a supply of quarters they lend you for the lockers if, like me, you have no change on your person. How thoughtful!

A quarter, a pencil, and four boxes later, I have a wealth of new, primary source information about the learning centers of the past century. I may have struck gold!

This Wednesday, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation at the Youth 2 Youth conference held here in Columbus.  The performance, titled “The MANufactured and MISSrepresented Image,” brought to light the negative gender stereotypes which pervade media and empowered the youth audience to be critical consumers of media and positive voices in their community.  The coolest part about it was that the entire production was written and performed by high school leaders in the Youth 2 Youth program.

These students were inspired by the documentary film Miss Representation, which addresses issues of gender in the media, to find a way to find a way to communicate this message to the youth audience.  Months of hard work went into staging the production which was accompanied by a high-quality multimedia presentation, costumes, and props.

Their work paid off.  The performance was very well done and the audience was energetically engaged throughout.  By incorporating raps, skits, video clips, music and lots of audience participation the show was very entertaining and perfectly tailored to the teenagers watching.  Peers are powerful influencers and the messages that come from peers are often viewed as more credible because they share the same experiences.  The impact of peer-to-peer communication was apparent on Wednesday as the teen performers elicited thoughtful responses and raucous cheers from the crowd.

One segment of the presentation was an especially big hit, and my personal favorite.  Boys were seated on one side of the room and girls on the other.  On stage, two performers took turns asking questions to their respective sides of the room.  The audience was directed to stand if the question applied to them. “Have you ever hidden tears because you were afraid people would think you weren’t manly?” “Have you ever dumbed yourself down to protect a man’s ego?” In each group, almost everyone would stand.  It demonstrated that we all face the negative ramifications of gender stereotypes.

Next, the performers asked if anyone would like to say anything to the other side of the room.  Several girls and boys stood up and shared what they wanted the others to know. “Don’t judge girls on what they are wearing.” “Not all boys are 6’2” and play sports.”  It was cool to see the boldness of these teens, but even cooler to hear the room’s applause in support of their peers’ remarks.  There was an atmosphere of such respect and enthusiasm.

It was encouraging to see teenagers engaging with issues that are complex and challenging.  It was also a privilege to be there as a representative of the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio who has helped to make this program possible.

At the end of the performance there was a recap, an activity that drove it all home.  The performers passed out fans that were printed “I’d Buy It” on one side and “Not Buying It” on the other.  Then advertisements from magazines were shone on the screen and the audience voted with our fans whether we were “buying it” or “not buying it.”  Ads that were degraded or limited the roles of women or men were met with boos and orange “Not Buying It” signs held high in the air.  It was a great way to practice being critical consumers of advertisements.  The performance was remarkable not only because it was pulled off by high schoolers, but because it exposed the often limiting messages of gender in the media and empowered a group of teenagers to demand a change.

If you haven’t yet, like the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio on Facebook to see what some of our other cool grant partners are up to!

We’re three weeks into our nine week program and I’m no longer a visitor trying to keep my head above water in the sea of children, staff and activity that is my workplace.  Sure, I’m still trying to keep my head on the right side of the water line, but I’m certainly not a visitor anymore.

Now that I’ve settled in a little bit, I’m starting to get a clearer picture of what my job will be.  It isn’t all kissing babies and shaking hands.  No, apparently working as Program Coordinator for a summer camp involves more than showing up and playing with the kids.

I’ve recently started taking on larger roles in the other areas of my job description.  While they were all doomed to be less enjoyable than spending time with the AMAZING kids in our program, I’m still excited to tackle each of them in turn.  The only problem is the various aspects of my job refuse to take turns.  It’s a little bit of everything all of the time.

This week I’ve thrown my weight into scheduling visits from “special guests” for the multiple sites that make up the Hilliard Free Lunch Summer Camp for Kids.  So far, we’ve had a fantastic kite making experience with Miss Bev Meyers as well as visits from the Norwich Township Fire Department, Officer Ron Burkitt of the Hilliard Police Department and Mr. Bob of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.  But we want more.  Two visitors a week is our goal.  So, phone calls and emails have been my bread and butter.  If you have a question about our program, I have the answer.  Who we are, what we do, where we do it and for how long, how we work and why.  Crafting emails, making phone calls and leaving voicemails could easily take up half of every day.  Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of time. 

We’re three weeks into a nine week program and the days keep coming faster.  Each day, I get better at multitasking, better at finding pockets of time to switch gears and take on a different task.  So, my head is above water and I’m learning how to swim.  Now it’s time to just keep swimming.

Hello again! During the past couple of weeks at Alvis House, I have been doing some Internet research to gather information about environmental trends that may either be currently affecting or will affect Alvis House services in the future. This week, I am attempting to take all of the Excel charts, tables, cited information, and thoughts scribbled on post-it notes and organize it all into one big cohesive and concise document. Right now, I feel like I am swimming in information, so I am excited to have one central location for all of my thoughts (versus this mess that is currently my desk!).

One of the aspects that I love about my project for the summer is that I get to go around the organization and interview the heads of various departments and programs in order to comprehensively understand what Alvis House does, who is affected by its services, and how it all operates. Today, I have three one-on-one sessions scheduled, and I am very curious to find out what insights I gain from each of them. Two are with people who work in the administrative office and who I have met before. The third, however, involves a field trip! I get to go visit one of the Alvis House re-entry centers to interview the person who runs the programs there and to get a feel for how the centers work. Last week, I sat in on almost two full work days’ worth of orientation sessions, in which new halfway house employees get a crash course on what Alvis House does, its mission, and their role in the entire operation. I learned more about corrections in these two days than I have in all of my research days combined, and so I am very much looking forward to seeing everything that I’ve learned in action.

Bridget

I can’t believe we’re entering the third week of the fellowship! The time has flown by but so far my experience at Columbus Collegiate Academy has been great. My first week at CCA was mostly comprised of learning the ropes and figuring out my role in the recruitment/student retention process because that is the first objective I will be working on this summer. As I mentioned in my last post, Columbus Collegiate Academy is a free-tuition, public charter middle school with two campuses in Columbus. The first CCA School (located on the east side) opened in 2008 and the second school (located in Franklinton on the west side) opened last year. Both schools are relatively new and despite recognition for their high academic achievements, recruiting and enrolling students is still a main priority. I think most people associate high performing charter schools with a lottery enrollment system. While this is sometimes the case, most new charter schools have to concrete evidence of their academic excellence and gain respect and recognition in the community and among potential students and families; and this takes time. In Ohio, charter schools who have reached their total enrollment capacity thus having more applicants than spots by a certain date, I believe its April 30^th, must utilize a lottery system. CCA is in the beginning stages of this process and in just a couple years the Main Campus will mostly likely have more applicants than spots. However until that time, recruiting and enrolling students is a huge priority. Along with CCA’s Student Recruitment Manger, Brett MacAdoo, it is my primary responsibility.

CCA West on Dana Ave

CCA West recently acquired Dana Ave Elementary School in Franklinton and will be moving out of The Boys and Girls Club Westside. This is a very exciting acquisition and will give CCA West much more space and flexibility in a building of their own. This news was recently announced so getting the word out to potential students and parents is crucial.

Daily, Brett and I work on a variety of targeted enrollment strategies to recruit students. The easiest way to access large numbers of students is mailings to every outgoing 5^thand 6^th grader enrolled in Columbus City Public Schools. CCA has sent over 7,000 letters to students and their families and recipients are regularly calling to make appointments.  Almost every day we have families coming in to both campuses to take a short tour, learn more about CCA and have the opportunity to turn in an application. With all the work that Brett has done and recently the work I have contributed too, CCA’s Main campus is utilizing a waitlist for 7^th and 8^th grade and is getting very close to a waitlist for 6^th grade. CCA West still has a little ways to go, but we are getting more interest daily. One of the projects I worked on this week was to go door to door of houses we believed had outgoing 5^th graders who previously went to Dana Ave Elementary (which is CCA West as of 7/1). Going door to door in Franklinton was an eye opening experience that I enjoyed very much.  I went to about 30 houses in all, of which I got 7 or so leads to follow up with. All in all I think it was a good utilization of a targeted strategy and we will see where these leads go to in the next few weeks!       

“Doing Business in the Cloud”

This was the title of ICDC’s (Increase Community Development Corporation) June workshop that featured a local authority on the subject.

The event also doubled as a networking opportunity for small business owners.  I was surrounded by creative, highly motivated people and channeling my inner “techie” at the same time.

Was this a dream? No- this was week two.  Awesome.

After the presentation ended, the entrepreneurs were given a chance to socialize.  I could barely contain my enthusiasm concerning the intricacies of cloud based security or the limitless opportunities to synthesize an organization’s marketing and administrative functions all from a single application.

I mean, who could not get excited over this stuff?

After mingling with several individuals and feeling confident in my networking ability, I glanced around the room and noticed an older gentlemen sitting stoically in the corner sipping on an orange Fanta.  Sensing another opportunity to figure out what makes these entrepreneurs tick, I casually approached with a welcoming smile and offering my best business handshake.  He shook my hand, returned the smile, and immediately gave me his business card without uttering a word.  I returned the gesture by giving him my card and verbally introducing myself.  I was cut short as the man finally spoke:

My updated business card.

“You remind me of Conan O’Brien.  We’ll be in touch.”

Needless to say, I was taken aback.  I quickly tried to determine an appropriate response, but before I could say anything in return, the gentlemen strolled out of the event.

—

Small business owners face surprises every day that force them to quickly determine an appropriate response.  The reaction to this slim window of opportunity that entrepreneurs are accustomed to is a critical component which defines the success of most small businesses.

I have learned that in order to keep up with this rare breed known as the “entrepreneur,” you have to think quickly, use your best judgment with the information you have, and execute your decision promptly.  Time is their most valuable asset.  Come prepared or politely move along.

—

Within 5 minutes of returning to my desk after this interesting interaction, there was already an email waiting for me from this gentlemen with the title- “Lunch next week- Great meeting you.”

This guy is good.

Fifty-nine citizens, eleven businesses, and an insane amount of high fives later – week two at Junior Achievement flew by!

This week was Junior Achievement BizTown Summer Camp, so it was my opportunity to see BizTown in action. My role in the entire process was to work as Junior Counselor – basically I had the privilege of acting as a camp counselor and enjoying the entire BizTown experience.

Mayor Spears was sworn in on Thursday morning.

On Monday the campers took a tour of BizTown and filled out their job applications. That night the citizens were assigned a job. It was a giant puzzle of students and roles. We chose our mayor because on Monday morning he took the initiative to shake each counselors hand upon meeting them (professional development lesson from a ten-year-old: first impressions are everything). 

On Tuesday and Wednesday the campers worked to create marketing materials and merchandise to be sold in their respective shops. Sprinkled throughout the day were supplemental activities that taught campers about investment or business tactics in general.

I primarily worked with Donatos and City Hall. It was awesome watching these fifth graders take total ownership of their businesses down to coming up with a slogan (“It’s always Donatos Time”).

On Thursday and Friday, BizTown ran itself. The shop employees worked together to create product displays and determine the appropriate prices for the merchandise.

Our attorney showing off his patriotic planter display. He helped with retail while solving the Case of the Missing Teddy Bear!

From the morning until the afternoon, the citizens ran the town using their job checklists and running errands from shop to shop.

Our lovely Donatos staff serving a delicious lunch!

For lunch, citizens would pay $2 of their BizTown earnings for hot meals (donated by Donatos and Raising Cane’s! Yum!).

My favorite part of working in BizTown was watching the youth collaborate. They were so engaged with the experience and all were working for the common goal of making the town run. They would hold each other accountable, follow-up, and make adjustments as they found necessary.

I am so happy this week fell so early into my fellowship. It was wonderful opportunity to see BizTown in action and really see the impact the experience had on these campers. I feel much better informed as I move forward in my summer projects.

I am looking forward to the rest of the summer, but I am sad that this week of camp is over, it was so much fun to get to know the other staff and the campers.