Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

This past week in Knoxville, TN the Children’s Defense Fund hosted their national training for the Freedom Schools and this summer I have been given the opportunity to work with this group of enthusiastic adults in an effort to promote education to everyone, yet focus on those who need it the most.  My site is located on Broad Street in downtown Columbus at the Broad Steet United Methodist Church and for the next six weeks five interns, one project director, and myself will reach out to 50 children promoting literacy in a fun and interactive manner.  Each morning we will start off with Harambee, which is thirty minutes of togetherness, singing, and motivation.  The children then will split up by grade level to read books, do activities, and make friends with those who they might have never known. Every afternoon we will either do more activities or take the children on a mini-field trip to educational locations around Columbus.

Tomorrow is the first day of the Freedom Schools and I have only high expectations for this summer, I can already tell, will be enriching.

Hello!

It was a great first week at Green Columbus! I spent the first few days getting acquainted with the office (its wonderfully cozy!) and my new responsibilities! Erin Chacey, my supervisor, had a great meeting this week to review my first round of tasks and our long-term goals, specifically designing and funding a supplementary education program for elementary students called Elements. The program will be used to educate the fundamentals of recycling, reducing and reusing and explore the elements of earth, wind, air and power and how they interact in our everyday lives.  I am very excited to get started on designing the program but first we have to draft a proposal and submit it to the Ohio Office of Environmental Education (OEEF) for review and approval. The approval process is a bit complicated because there are several requirements and guidelines for programs to be funded by the OEEF so I will have to learn and apply these guidelines. As we work on the proposal, I am also going to work on table materials (essentially informational sheets) about Green Columbus and its programs for community events we will be attending this and next month. I just finished my first draft of this info sheet so I will be submitting it to Erin tomorrow. In addition to these assignments, I also attended a workshop series called Training for Transition, a program that works towards creating fun and effective community solutions and resilience in the face of economic and resource instability and crisis.

The workshop was incredibly fascinating–our group explored the root of our dependence on oil, reviewed the seriousness of climate change and oil dependency, and discussed ways to shift away from the harmful practices that are negatively influencing our planet while also finding way to build bridges and reach people who understand the issues but don’t know how to contribute. Transition also works to strengthen community resilience and cooperation in the face of the instability we are facing. As someone who is educated on the importance of shifting to sustainable lifestyles but lies on the ‘less involved in a larger movement’ side, meeting a larger group of people who were discussing community rather than individual solutions environmental issues was initially intimidating but in the end a very interesting and moving experience. Transition could certainly be considered a more extreme environmental policy movement than simply those who choose to recycle or bike to work. These individuals are really about tackling the problems in a larger, community way that comes from a place of cooperation and compassion. I was worried about feeling polarized (due to my inexperience) because at times, extreme sides can be polarizing but one of the ideals of Transition is that there is not one way to solve the crisis of climate change and peak oil. However, the group does agree that a crucial way of solving the problem is making our solutions based on community and dialog. Successful Transition groups have formed all over the UK and have spread to the United States.

If you are interested in learning more about the Columbus branch of Transition (Transition Central Ohio) the organization Living Simply has links and contact info and can be explored at http://www.simplyliving.org/transition. Perhaps my favorite thing about attending the workshop was having the opportunity to meet so many wonderful new people from the environmental community. I’m looking forward to this coming week and getting more involved in the Elements proposal and continuing to learn the ropes of Green Columbus!

My name is Sarah and I have completed the first week of my summer Fellowship! I have the pleasure of working with the Columbus Speech & Hearing Center (CSHC). The center offers many programs for people of all ages. From children to adults, the center has something to offer.

When I first thought of speech and hearing, the first thing to come to mind was deafness. It never occurred to me that there are adults who suffer from stuttering or other speech problems that may prevent him/her from obtaining employment. I never thought about children who may have problems interacting with others due to a speech or hearing problem, children who may not know how to share with others, or children who need help pronouncing certain sounds. So far, the CSHC has opened my eyes to simple things that I have overlooked in my day-to-day life. Because of this, I have grown to cherish these things more than I did before. Communication is the very foundation of how we interact with each other in the world, so if someone is unable to communicate his/her thoughts, feelings, etc. it can be very detrimental to his/her quality of life.

This week I have been focusing on observing what the center does and it is apparent that the CSHC is doing great things! Next week, I’ll tell you a little about the project I’m working on…see you then!

Hello to everyone!

My first week at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center I learned that my previous work in urban conversation was no match for what I’d be learning here.  That is where we got to the title of my post,  “Audubon DUCKLING”.  Eventually I will become an Audubon Swan, but only if I can figure out the  difference between Golden Rod and Poison Ivy! : ) I’m just kidding, on the other hand I actually have been learning a lot about the importance of bringing the wildlife into urban populations–and feel it may connect well with the work in food security I anticipate I’ll be doing somewhere in the next three years.

(here is the picture of the Grange Insurance  Audubon Center)

This week, we get our first set of campers and I’ve learned that I learn best when I am teaching, so my goal is to absorb like a sponge and hopefully get the most out of all my internship experiences. Our theme of ’Amazing Flyers’ should get the kids excited and ready to learn about bird species native to central Ohio.  I feel I have been placed well, my staff is amazing and I really have been accepted as a member of the team, not the copy machine running, stapling wizard that we all picture when we think “internship”.  That is why I am proud to participate in my FELLOWSHIP and excited for all the new endeavours it will bring. Untill next time, I’ll be somewhere in a forest becoming and educator!

~Shelley

My name is Matthew Adair and I’ll be working with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Columbus as a 2011 Fellow for The Columbus Foundation. I am extremely grateful to have received this opportunity to further my career aspirations in the nonprofit and/or public service sectors. I anticipate a summer of learning and dedication.

Today was my first day working with Michelle, my supervisor, at the Habitat office. Michelle is the program director of Habitat in Columbus and she completed all of the groundwork for my position. We discussed the basics of the organization and got into some detail about my task for the summer. Formally, I will be the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI) Coordinator. The NRI, as far as I know from the first day on the job, is a pilot program passed down from Habitat International to be tested in Columbus. Habitat/I will be going in the Milo-Grogan neighborhood of Columbus to completed asset-based assessments of the community’s physical and human capital. This includes door-to-door work to gather details regarding homeownership and rentals. Reports of parcels in the neighborhood will include anything from aesthetic conditions to environmental risks.

The NRI is a new program that needs to be communicated clearly to the Milo-Grogan community. Habitat has a reputation for moving into neighborhoods and slapping up new homes. This initiative, however, is not about home construction. The NRI will be a comprehensive report on the status of the Milo-Grogan neighborhood, its positive aspects, and its areas in need of improvement. Habitat will be conducting community meetings to serve as a forum for residents to express their concerns and opinions about Habitat’s presence. The organization needs to be a true partner in the betterment of the neighborhood, not an external force mandating change.

My goals for the summer? Be a sponge. As I told Michelle today, any meeting I can tag along to would be a great opportunity for me to be a fly on the wall. Even outside of my assigned task for the summer fellowship, I want to learn all I can about government/community/nonprofit partnerships. I want to learn the language of housing policy and understand the real issues facing low-income urban neighborhoods. I cannot imagine a better organization to have been placed with for the summer.

The Columbus Foundation’s Summer Fellowship program, now in its second year, will place 11 Fellows with Franklin County nonprofit organizations for a period of 10 weeks. The class of 2011, will be engaged in influential projects to support the work of central Ohio nonprofit organizations that strengthen our community! Fellowships will begin June 13, 2011 through August 19, 2011 and each Fellow will receive a stipend for the summer.

• Download the Summer Fellowship application now. (Please note: Submit your application by March, 1 to summerfellowships@columbusfoundation.org.
• Check out the host nonprofits and learn more about the opportunities available at each site.
• For more details check the Foundation’s Fellows page.
• Read the press announcement.

Applications will be reviewed by the Foundation’s Student Selection Committee and finalists will be interviewed by the nonprofits as the final step in the selection process. Interviews will take place in April 2011.

Education is a topic that always seems to be on the ballot, but never really receives the attention it deserves. Other movements, such as gay rights, abortion, economic crises, or environmental issues always seem to overpower it, and it fades into the background. As I continue to go back and forth and all types of sideways searching for a career, I have landed back at the topic of education. It really is an unlimited area of study. Every subject and career needs taught; someone is always a teacher at least once.
Not only is everyone a teacher, but he/she is also a student. Society focuses so much on educating children, which is important and I support that of course. But I also think there needs to be more focus on adult education. There is a huge technological gap among other things, and that needs to be addressed. In working with the Backyard Conservation Course, I have become more aware of how adults need to be educated on the importance of the environment and their role in the ecosystem they live in. Parents are frequently less educated on these issues while their children learn about them in school daily. Where should old paint or medicine be disposed of? Why should I use a reusable bag? These are questions that while could be easily looked up on the Internet or in the phone book often are not. I think a more accessible and better-advertised approach needs to be geared toward adults who grew up just dumping paint in the backyard creek or flushing meds down the toilet. If more people want to do what is ecologically better and know why they are doing it, it will not just be an environmental movement, for movements come and go, but it will be a way of living.

Fast and Fabulous!  Those are the two words that have most frequently been said to me by the Fellows and by the nonprofit organizations that have participated in The Columbus Foundation’s Summer Fellowship Program.  And I can’t think of two better words myself.  It seems as if the time flew by for the program and I think we had a fabulous inaugural group of Fellows.  Initiating a program like this is not easy the first time around.  Lots of questions regarding everything from whether each fellow and nonprofit are the correct match?…….What do we do about sick time?……What if the payroll schedule doesn’t fit?……..and…. What happens if the Fellow and nonprofit can’t work together?  Thankfully these were not issue for us.  The good thing is that some of our Fellows have done such a great job the nonprofits want to figure out how to keep them on!  There is no better compliment to a program like this, or to the Fellows that represent it in the nonprofit community than the desire to create a permanent relationship.  We are already looking at next year and we are hoping that the next class of Fellows will measure up to the excellent class of 2010!.  Well done!!!

–Sandi Smith

Celebrating at the Summer Fellowship Finale Reception: