Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

It did not take me long to understand the selfless, assured matriarchy that steers Muslim Family Services of Ohio. Tucked away in an unassuming building filled with chiropractic and dental offices, MFS is a bustling ground-story homebase for the wider Columbus community. With the month of Ramadan in full swing, I was swept into an organized chaos of interfaith understanding and unconditional generosity. My pre-determined role with MFS Ohio is to set up a comprehensive marketing platform across the organization’s various platforms. To this end, I was tasked with first understanding what were the day-to-day happenings at the office. This seemed easy enough, but rest assured – as a master of many trades, I can confidently say that no two days are the same at MFS Ohio. Welcoming refugees, newcomers, and asylum seekers as well as community members that seek various family support, every solution is tailored toward individual and collective needs. Yet, my advisor Nicol and social worker Christy were quick to welcome, discern, and rectify community needs.

Eager to learn and connect with our many clients, I open the main door that brings a new or familiar face to MFS. As-salāmu ʿalaykum sister. Initially hoping to take a backseat observant role, I realized this space asks for active involvement from every party that enters it. Soon enough, I was helping support an ESOL class for refugee and immigrant sisters, filing immigration papers for an aspiring baker and her kids, and shuttling food boxes out the door and into the hands of our clients.

As I recollect on what exactly MFS does, it’s hard to find the words. I realized the patience my fellow coworkers share in trying to provide families basic needs of survival. I’ve seen the fruits of this emotional resilience and applied practice with clients gleefully coming in, meeting my coworkers with embraces, and recounting the long day at work. Work that MFS helped secure for them. In a nation that struggles to move past issues of tolerance, MFS readily accepts this host of challenges to help those neglected, marginalized, and disadvantaged in our community. I’m humbled to be a part of this team, and gearing for another week of thinking on my feet.

Before this week, I had never been to the Columbus Foundation. I walked into the front doors on Monday with no idea what to expect for the summer because, like the Columbus Foundation, I had never been to my work site at The King Arts Complex either. Filled with anxiety about my own capabilities as someone who is only a few months over 20, I walked into my work site with the most artificial confidence that I could muster up.

It turns out, my confidence was more organic than I realized. The first conversation that I had was with my supervisor about the difficulty of running a program with a small staff that is relatively older in age. She talked about resources and reconfiguring numbers to make the budget work. She talked about challenges and changes. However, the most important thing she talked about was hope. Hope that creativity and care could get any job done. The last thing we discussed was the theme of the Summer Camp I would help coordinate: Black Superheros. After discussing the logistics of how it would run, my supervisor told me something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. She said, “We all have our own unique set of  superpowers, use them.” That was all I needed to hear to believe that there was a reason I was placed in this position. I was ready to get to work.

The rest of the week was filled with many tasks and responsibilities. I quickly learned that my presence was welcomed and trusted at The King Arts Complex. After only knowing the staff for a few hours, I was trusted to create programs and curriculum for the 8-week summer camp. I made calls to places I never knew existed and asked for opportunities that I never knew were available. I saw firsthand how passion could make miracles out of paper mache. I saw how a community could come together through art. I saw supervisors that resembled superheroes. I saw possibility. After all of these observations, I found my superpowers and I can’t wait to use them next week!

Meeting my fellow Summer Fellows on Monday was an intimidating experience for me. I felt as if everyone lived lives as if they are the most interesting persons in the world and that icebreaker activities turned into a space for listing out interests, accomplishments, and hobbies that expressed how well-rounded of people they are. I felt very shy in the midst of all this. I felt old, recurring feelings of self doubt throughout the orientation, and I kept asking myself, “Am I enough?”

My feelings of unease and worry disappeared when I met the entire staff at Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS). Everyone there has shown me so much kindness and help as I have navigated understanding office life, the organization itself, and what I will be doing with ETSS this summer. I will be helping ETSS with their implementation of their Summer Enrichment Camps at eight sites in central Ohio, and I will be helping organize and coordinate their annual Youth Summit on August 3. The work I will be doing puts me in a position to work through challenges in creative ways, and I feel confident in doing this kind of work. I already feel as if I have been a help to several people, and I am happy that I feel comfortable with the organization and the work I will be doing.

Reflecting on this past week, the orientation, and work with ETSS, I feel as if I have learned that I am someone that prefers to showcase my talents, skills, and experiences through my actions and not necessarily through my words. I also see the need to put my experiences into words — how can someone trust me to do good work if I do not feel comfortable articulating to others what I have done in the past? I have always hoped that the passing of time would give me more confidence and insight to know what to say and the appropriate time to say it, but I think I need to put in the practice, as well.

Hi everyone!

Firstly, I want to express how excited I am for this summer opportunity. My first week at the Huck House has been incredible.

My name is Emily Long, and I recently graduated from Ohio State with my undergraduate degree in Public Management, Leadership, and Policy. This fall, I will be returning back to Ohio State for my masters in city and regional planning.  Over the past four years, I have fallen in love with Columbus. Through many opportunities, I have gotten to know the people who make the Columbus community so special.  These are passionate people who are driven to make our city the best it possibly can be. I am fortunate to have learned from so many inspiring leaders.

I love people. If you talk to my family, friends, coworkers, I am an extrovert. I am always interested in listening to everyone’s story. This is exactly why I am so excited about being at the Huckleberry House. For those of you who may not know, the Huck House is a 24/7 youth crisis shelter. I will be spending my summer helping to create an operations management plan for Project Safe Place. Safe Place helps youth in crisis get from where they are, to the Huck House.  If a youth in crisis goes to a designated Safe Place site, there will be people there to help transport the youth to safety.

Over this past week, I have been collecting information. Listening to stories. How do the youth get to Huck House? Do they feel safe? Where in the city are they coming from? All of this listening will help me build a better program. I want to plan with these children and not for them. The Huck House is filled with caring people who want the best for our children and our communities. I can’t wait to keep you all updated on Safe Place as our summer kicks off!

Hello!

My name is Michaela Master, I’ll be entering my fourth and final year at Ohio State in the fall to get my degree in Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability (EEDS), and a minor in City and Regional Planning. This is a multidisciplinary program in the School of Environment and Natural Resources that features economics, policy analysis, community development, business theory, and general systems thinking on environmental, economic, and social issues. Sustainability isn’t about making the world greener – it’s about understanding how our social systems fit within our ecological systems, and how to strengthen both for the wellbeing of all life on our plant.

For the next 10 weeks, I’ll be interning with Local Matters, a nonprofit whose mission is to create healthy communities through food education, access, and advocacy. This will result in a long-term goal of equitable access to a sustainable food system and a community free of food-related chronic disease. There are a TON of amazing programs that Local Matters oversees to make this vision a reality: engagement with people who are young, old, sick, healthy, well off, impoverished, you name it! Through Local Matters, people are empowered to eat healthily, affordably, and deliciously – thus nourishing the mind, body, and spirit. I’ve spent the majority of my week wrapping my head around all the ways that the organization touches the community through their wide variety of programming, which occurs mostly in Columbus as well as a few satellite locations throughout the region.

My main project while at Local Matters will consist of consolidating and optimizing their storage and organization of program evaluation data. This need is multifold: the grant writing process relies on this data to prove the impact of programs (and thus the need for further funding); the program coordinators need this data to continuously improve the execution of the curriculum, rather than solely reflecting after students graduate from the classes; and the organization leadership needs to have a better general idea of where the strengths and weaknesses of the programming are. I’m working to create a dashboard that will be used for all of these purposes, which will enhance the overall efficiency of the organization and thus allow more time and resources for serving the community.

Week 1 was all about keeping my eyes wide open and absorbing all that I could about Local Matters – I cannot wait to utilize this understanding through my work this summer and contribute to such an incredible organization!

Podcast link: https://soundcloud.com/user-110817248/tcf-blog-week-1/s-EraYY

Podcast transcript:

“Howdy howdy. Madeline’s the name, non-profit is the game.

Born in Phoenix, raised in Columbus– I claim the 614 as home. I attend the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati as an Electronic Media Major. In the fall I’ll be starting as a graduate student in the Master of Arts Education Program, still at UC. What am I going to do with my life, you ask? Good question. Let me know when you find out. Ha-ha. As of right now, I know that I am passionate about arts and media education, and I want to fight for solid arts education programs. I think you might be able to catch me in a couple years in Seattle working for a non-profit organization that works to bring arts programs to city schools. We’ll see.

Now that you know a little about my interests, let’s talk about my Columbus Foundation placement. *Intense movie trailer voice* TechCorps, whose vision is a technologically literate society in which all K-12 students have equal access to the technology skills, programs and resources that will enrich their education today and prepare them for college or career tomorrow.

So what does that mean in terms of action? Techcorps is all about integration into education. The goal is to bring additional technology resources to schools to students and teachers throughout the country.

What a whirlwind this week has been. My first day was ~also~ the first day of training for staff working our summer camps, which continued all week. So, what did this mean for me? I was completely thrown into one of the busiest office weeks of the summer, and I wouldn’t rather it have been any other way.

~Training~

I walked into a room full of bright eyed staff members mid-training, stood in the doorway for a minute, and promptly decided I was in probably in the wrong place. I walked around for a little bit, realized there was nowhere else the office could possibly be, and looked like an idiot coming back in the door. “Hi, I’m not sure where I’m supposed to be,” I asked the group. A woman answered, “are you Madeline?” I smiled. “You’re exactly where you need to be!”

And she was right. I feel right at home here already. I was immediately welcomed onto the staff and the transition was smooth. I was graciously welcomed onto the team and I continue to be reminded that I am important and of value in the organization. I am so excited to learn from my work here and make an impact on the future of TechCorps.

This week I got a taste of basically everything I’ll be doing this summer. Equal parts office work and fieldwork, but focusing on the latter. I was extremely excited when I was handed the office camera on Friday. I have my own equipment that I’ll take with me when I visit sites, but I was asked to take pictures in the office for the last day of the training. This is what I love to do, and I can’t wait to do it for an organization that does so much good for the community. Cheers!”

Starting to plan out social media campaigns!

Hello all! My name is Megan Simmons, I am a rising senior at The Ohio State University. I study Political Science and Public Policy Analysis, with minors in City and Regional Planning and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies. This summer, I will be working in grants management and development at City Year Columbus! City Year is a national nonprofit which deals with urban education issues, with a focus on schools with high risks of dropout. Each year, a team of AmeriCorps members are selected and sent to Columbus to spend a year working with students in these schools on language arts and math competency, as well as attendance and behavioral issues. In Columbus, there are seven schools where City Year members are stationed for the year.

If there is one word which I could use to describe my experiences at City Year thus far, it would be ubuntu. A shortened proverb from the Zulu tribe in South Africa meaning “I am a person through other people. My humanity is tied to yours”, City Year’s organizational culture is centered around this word, continually practicing support and togetherness.

The concept of ubuntu was first demonstrated to me upon my arrival at the City Year offices. I was warmly welcomed by everyone, and was taken in immediately as a member of the team. In this first week, I have been wholeheartedly included as part of the City Year Columbus office as we prepare for the City Year 2017-2018 AmeriCorps Graduation, celebrate AmeriCorps field day, and wrap up the school year with AmeriCorps exit interviews.

I have begun to better understand the far-reaching impact of ubuntu in City Year culture by observing the ways in which it influences the interactions between City Year AmeriCorps members. Each morning, AmeriCorps members meet as a team and then have time to take “ubuntu walks” , where they are paired up with time to walk and talk to one another. Having just taken my first ubuntu walk this morning, I can appreciate the way which this small activity helps develop genuine bonds between AmeriCorps members. Not only was the ubuntu walk a wonderful way to energize AmeriCorps members in the morning, but was also a great way to discuss the experiences members had over their year of service.

Until my time City Year, I have never experienced a nonprofit organization that has such a defined set of values which it is centered around. Ubuntu is practiced by each employee and AmeriCorps member, keeping a focus on serving the Columbus student population every day. As the summer progresses, I hope to also learn to practice ubuntu in my work, and to continue to delve into how City Year values are evidenced in the work which the Columbus team produces.

Hello everyone!

My name is Mason Hickman, my pronouns are they/them/theirs and I’m a rising senior in Political Science and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University. During my fellowship with The Columbus Foundation, I will be working as the Field Organizer for the Equality Ohio Education Fund!

The mission of Equality Ohio is to advocate and educate in order to achieve equal opportunity and prevent discrimination for all LGBTQ+ Ohioans. Growing up, I endured severe bigotry due to my sexual orientation and gender identity. Just like many others in the LGBTQ+ community, I feared that I would not be able to live a full life because I would be treated as a second class citizen. We have come a long way, but there are still battles to be won, and I am so grateful to be working alongside some of the most fearless activists.

My first week at Equality Ohio was exciting as I’ve been getting to know the whole team. On my first day, the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision came out where the Supreme Court sided with a baker who refused to sell a cake to a same-sex couple. From there, we held an outreach event on my very first day so that we could let individuals know that this ruling was not a reason to lose hope. As a previous intern at Planned Parenthood, I am very familiar with outreach events because they’re a phenomenal way to connect with the community. This week I also had the opportunity to travel to Dayton to see firsthand how Equality Ohio’s curriculum is taught to businesses, giving them the tools they need to create a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ employees. Part of my work this summer will be modifying this curriculum to make sure it’s the most effective that it can be. When I’m not working on that, I’ll be organizing fundraising events as well as volunteer outreach events.

Needless to say, I am incredibly lucky to be part of such a great team that has such a passionate mission. I am really looking forward to what I can do for this organization over the next ten weeks, and all that I will learn while I am here.

Equality Ohio folder