Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

Despite the ups and downs inherent in office culture, I have legitimately enjoyed working at Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services (ETSS). I am greeted by hugs almost every day. My coworkers are always generous in sharing their cultures with me. (Today, for example, the Director of Adult Services brought in his wife’s rice jollof to share, sparking an office debate on which west African country makes the dish best.) I am constantly learning and reflecting on how, as an outsider to a community, I can work with community members to create effective events and programming.

When I attend Fellows learning sessions, I am taken aback and challenged by how much I have yet to learn about nonprofits and mobilizing for social change. During the sessions I take notes, writing down jargon to research, recommended books, and the best practices used by local leaders in the field. Sometimes, I wonder how I could have such a large gap in my education, but I am grateful to even be pointed in a general direction of what I need to learn.

While I have been overall enjoying my experience in this program, I wonder: Is a career in this field enough to fulfill and challenge me? As I see the more practical uses of my fields of study, I see the ways in which I could do research for a Masters thesis that would tailor my areas of interest and scholarly experiences to take into account the need to have a job post-graduation and the current trends in the nonprofit world. During learning sessions, so many research ideas surrounding hot topics like the effectiveness of social enterprise, the roles of corporations as agents for social change, and the ways in which progress in programming is quantified and measured run through my mind. With these topics, I see real life applications, the potential for a tangible career.

Then, I think to what I would study, research, and write on if I did not think of the future or being viable in the job market, and it’s completely different. I find myself attracted to Walter Benjamin, memory, desire, the sociology of emotions, and research conducted in more sensitive, humanistic terms. I think of conducting research and writing in a way that is nonlinear or like a film that has no clear beginning, end, or concrete conclusion. And I know that these research desires are not necessarily viable, possible, or applicable to anything in the real world. I see inherent value in this kind of research and writing, but do others? Is there a way to marry the need for more practical, conclusive research on topics that most immediately affect our lives with the more abstract, experimental types of writing and research I find myself attracted to? And, just as importantly, will it make me happy?

I have begun to interview the BGCC summer fellows.  The compassion and devotion demonstrated by the words of the fellows has been inspirational.  As a person who does not work with the BGCC year-round, I have a deep understanding of how this work influences people.  People in youth development are not only positively influencing the kids in which they serve; they are also being positively influenced in their personal and professional development.  This is the ideal model of service-learning.

This is something that is parallel to the work at the Columbus Foundation and one of the reasons I decided to study community partner led service-learning programs.  Fellows learn as they work, and make a major difference in the community.  I know my research will support the BGCC in recruiting and retaining excellent staff members who want to make a difference WITH (not for) our community.

These are my reflections at the end of the BGCC summer program.  I still have 3 more weeks to make an impact.  I look forward to collecting and preparing the data in a manuscript/ report format.  My impact will reside in my ability to articulate the experiences of the BGCC fellows.

I’ve taken a variety of community development classes at college, many of which include failures of previous development work and lessons to be learned for the future. This field addresses the causes of problems, and potential solutions, that are relevant to entire communities, not just individuals. To summarize what I’ve learned to be true of strong, socially responsible development in three years of these classes thus far:

• Good intentions do not equate to good outcomes. If anything, good intentions can be blinding in the quest to achieve good outcomes.
• All stakeholders of a project are important, regardless of their status on society’s totem pole. All voices need to be heard for everyone to benefit.
• Technical projects and outcomes are meaningless without considering necessary cultural and social changes and adaptations.

These points might sound simple and intuitive, but they are much harder to adhere to in real life. I’ve been thinking of these concepts over the last week or so, as the work that I’m doing feels like a small-scale version of the projects I learn about in these community development classes. There’s a problem, help is called on, resources flow to address the problem, and then a solution is implemented. In this situation, the problem of data organization and communication led to this fellowship being created, with 10 weeks of my work flowing into creating a solution to this problem.

Equipped with this knowledge, have I followed through on these concepts for the data management tool that I’ve created? I’ve been reflecting on this over the past few weeks, as I continue to learn how much I didn’t know, and realize how much is yet to be done for this project. I’ve learned that it’s hard to get every person to sit down and give me the time to solicit input, when the value of this tool is not the highest of immediate priorities. Our staff go above and beyond in the energy that they put into their jobs, and there simply isn’t enough capacity to achieve the seemingly endless tasks that need to get done. This tool is useful only in theory, unless there is guidance and consideration in moving past the initially steep learning curve. Without strategic implementation, it is more than likely that this tool would collect dust on its digital shelf. Finally, supporting the mission of Local Matters is the end objective of my work – but there is no way for me to guarantee this cause and effect relationship to be true.

Am I considering every stakeholder? Am I being considerate of every social aspect of the organization that this tool might touch? There is no perfect example of community development, nor Is there a perfect example of project development. So, to answer my question from the last paragraph, I don’t think I’ve been able to completely follow through on these idealistic principles. Rather than seeing this as failure, I’m learning how to discern between idealism and pragmatism. This lesson has been a source of struggle for me, as I have previously felt that not achieving my ideals is a betrayal of my values. However, I’m beginning to understand the importance of doing my best with my given resources and environment, and that everyone around me is trying to do the same. This understanding has lead me to look back to my classes on community development with an additional layer of insight, and look to my professional future with more realistic expectations of myself and others.

For most of the fellowship, I questioned what my role was at The King Arts Complex. I knew the description that the Columbus Foundation gave us and the open-ended expectations that were bestowed upon us, but in practice, my role got lost in the commotion of day to day operations at the camp. It wasn’t until I returned after a few days away that I saw the true impact of my role when someone forgot to order the breakfasts for the kids on Monday.

If you want meals on Monday, you have to order them on Friday from Columbus Park and Recreation and no one did. Usually, my supervisor is around to make the decision to go pick up the meals, but she was out sick. I sprung into action scambling leftover snacks of pop tarts, go-gart tubes, and whatever else I could find. Discombobulated breakfast was created and served in less than 10 minutes. I realize how minor this may seem, but for me, it felt like the most important thing in the world. It showed that I had something to contribute to the flow of the day. I was not just taking up space. I would see just how much I contributed as the day went on and situation after situation occurred and I was asked to step in and help. I realized how much one person’s absence can really hinder a nonprofit that is understaffed and just how many hats one person can wear. Until that moment, I didn’t notice the weight my head had accumulated from my own mini-hats.

Another key part of this week was seeing how much the people around me trusted me as a leader and as an artist. As the weeks dwindle down in the Summer Arts Camp, the campers are preparing for their annual Final Production. This year was one of the most stressful to plan because of last-minute budget issues prior to the start of camp. A small group of us on the camp staff have been taking on script writing and songwriting as we struggled to throw together something beautiful yet feasible. With the script finished and the other elements in motion, the idea of having a rap cipher to start the production was brought to fruition and yours truly was placed at the forefront of making it happen. As a Creative Writing major and self-proclaimed rapper, I should have known this day would come, but I was shocked by the trust the staff had in me to work with their students on something as tedious as this. Assisting in the choosing of the beat and creation of the entire flow of the cipher, it was empowering to do what I love with the kids and see them get excited to participate. Rap often gets a bad name because of the new wave of artists who neglect the activist roots of the genre. Having the opportunity to challenge the negative notions about an art form that I believe to be one of the most empowering for marginalized people was truly the highlight of my week and taught me the power of my own voice in any space.

Here are some photos of the kids jotting down their raps and making art for the final production.

Hey everyone! I cannot believe that I am at the halfway point of the fellowship. The weeks have truly flown by and this week was no different. Week 5 was particularly fascinating as I had the opportunity to shadow at the Columbus Cancer Clinic, which is a service of LifeCare Alliance. The clinic provides free or low-cost mammograms and cancer screenings for colon, prostate, skin, and cervical cancers. Dr. Katherine Cyran is the breast radiologist who reads mammograms and performs ultrasounds and biopsies right in the clinic. This streamlined care is essential to making sure patients do not get lost to follow-up. In this setting, patients can get their mammogram taken, read by Dr. Cyran, and counseled appropriately. Dr. Cyran provided valuable mentorship as a physician who works in the non-profit world. I got to speak with her about how she splits her time between private practice and non-profit work. This is something that I am really interested in pursuing as an aspiring OB/GYN. I would love to have a private practice while also working a couple days a week at the local public health clinic, free clinic, and/or non-profit agency — it would be the best way to combine my passions for clinical care and public health.

On Thursday, the fellows went to the Columbus Commons Concert! I really enjoyed getting to know my peers a little bit better while enjoying good food and even better weather! The fellows are a wonderful group of passionate individuals and I’m so lucky to have gotten to meet them.

On another note, my first piece was posted to the LifeCare Alliance blog this week 🙂 Feel free to take a look and learn more about diabetes! See ya next week!

After having the opportunity to briefly speak with the Columbus Foundation Governing Committee earlier this week, one question has continued to prod at me: “What would you, as a young person, offer as advice (to older generations of leaders)?” 

My answer at the time was lacking. While I told the committee that I hoped that they, as more established leaders, would continue to ask questions and consider different opinions when making decisions, my more thought-out advice is far more direct. An “established” leader has many assets to offer a community. In the case of philanthropists, one common thread is a significant source of funding. Money speaks. Consistent donations and continuous giving speaks CLEARLY. Decisions about where money ought to be awarded directly impacts the integrity of programming a community receives. Leaders must always remain intentional about their decision to give, and more specifically, to which programs they give.

My hope is that leaders will continue to support well-established nonprofits which have a history of making tangible, data-driven impact on their communities. My advice, moving forward, is this: leaders, you have the capability to drive change with dollars. This means you have the ability not only to continue to support institutions which are impactful, but to question the ones which are not meeting the needs they claim to. Ask questions of these organizations. Demand data and reporting which reflects positive change. Most importantly, if interesting alternatives to established nonprofits are offered (startups, smaller or new nonprofits with niche expertise) that you believe in, fund them. Keep an ear other leaders and advocates in the area of need that you fund- the more often you are open to discussion of how to solve these issues, the more innovative solutions will arise.

Podcast link: https://soundcloud.com/user-110817248/tcf-blog-week-7/s-TOrnU

Podcast transcript:

I have implicit bias.

You have implicit bias.

We all have implicit bias.

And we all can learn from it.

On Tuesday of this week, the Fellows took on the Board. We paraded in, smiled for a bit, introduced ourselves (which I completely botched)…then they fired a few questions at us. One of the board members asked us a question along the lines of what we would think about or say to a CEO top businessman executive like himself if we were seated next to him on a plane.

Cue the fellows side-glancing, no one knowing quite how to answer.

To paraphrase my answer, I said something like “because of the way I was raised and grew up, I have some predisposed notions and judgements about the big corporates, but I would do my best to save my assumptions and really get to know them because they may be doing good for the community with their money, and I would encourage them to make sure they’re creating space at the table for all voices to be heard.”

And I stand by that answer, but I think I felt pressured not to say how I really feel, which would have been a lot more harsh.

My gut reaction is to think “you’re part of the problem!” But I don’t know that. I don’t know where they came from, who they are, what they do…but I do know that regardless of all that, I do believe if you have a lot of money, you should be helping people.

I think the reason why were uncomfortable answering this question was twofold:

One side is that it felt like a test, and we don’t want to be disrespectful. I mean, this is the Board of the Columbus Foundation, and we are the fellows! It’s hard to respectfully say “well as long as you’re trying to be a good person than it’s fine to be rich.” But obviously, these people are working on a board for an amazing cause, so we can assume that they are putting their money where it matters.

On the other hand, we were in the room for all of 5 minutes. I think if we had been given more time to warm up, mingle, sit in a smaller room around a table and chat, we would have been much more inclined to give honest and insightful responses.

Me, on the job, behind the camera, at Per Scholas, Per Usual. 

Bringing this conversation back to my original theme of bias, this event really just got me thinking about my implicit bias, and how I do automatically judge rich people. I believe that as long as we are cognizant of our biases, that is the first step to getting over them. If we pretend like they do not exist, we’re erasing any chance of growing beyond them. And all I’m trying to do in this life is grow. 

See you next week.

Guess what!! The Columbus Foundation Fellowship Outings are the most fun ever!!

Since the CIT program ended last Friday, I was assigned every day of this week to help around with different groups of kids in Camp Chaverim (K-3rd grade camp). Prior to the program ending, one CIT told me that he would be staying until the end of camp to volunteer. However when I came in this past Monday, I saw two additional CITs volunteering. They all loved their experience at camp as a CIT and therefore have decided to remain until the end of summer as well! As the CIT coordinator it was very rewarding for me to see three out of nine CITs choose to spend the rest of their summer with the campers that they began their summer with.

As a counselor floating from bunk to bunk, I have been able to watch the differences between each counselor’s leadership style. Each bunk consists of 8-18 children and two counselors. The director of camp has assigned me to begin talking to each counselor to see what changes we can make for next year’s summer camp and CIT program. When speaking to one counselor who began as a CIT two summers ago, he said that he would like to see more responsibility being given to the CITs. I also completely agree with this; I noticed that the CITs were a lot more likely to be on their phones when there was an uneven ration of counselors and CITs per bunk. Typically, there was two counselors and one CIT per bunk; therefore, CITs mostly watched rather than leading activities. I would like to see CITs more involved because as of now it seems as if they are only observing and assisting with little tasks instead of really stepping into a counselor’s shoes. I have yet to talk with more counselors about their opinions of camp and the CIT program but I am excited to hear their feedback.

My seventh week at CXC is coming to a close and my work with them will be looking different in the remaining time. After some administrative movement last week, my focus has shifted from social media marketing and outreach strategies to database implementation and management. The executive committee of CXC decided on Salesforce for nonprofits as the best database option and purchased it for me to use.

This week has been spent exclusively reading and watching tutorials on Salesforce. I am familiar with programs like Excel, but this is my first time using a formal database interface like Salesforce, so it’s been a slower process than expected. I was given my first excel sheets of data this week, but I haven’t even had the opportunity to add those to our database yet because I need to ensure that it’s done right so that CXC and whoever they hire after me will feel equipped to continue my work.

I’m grateful to be getting experience in both the front and back offices of a nonprofit (so to speak) because I think that that makes my time at CXC that much more valuable. This is the first time I have been able to apply the computer science skills I acquired from research and classes to a legitimate job and it’s been really exciting.

Aside from my CXC work, I had the opportunity to meet the governing committee of The Columbus Foundation this week. Admittedly, the experience was a bit intimidating because the committee is such an accomplished group of locals, but they were extremely humble and repeatedly referred to the group of fellows as future leaders. It was such a great experience to feel such respect and so listened to by a group of powerful people. This fellowship reminds me each week that it’s just that: a fellowship. We are not treated as interns or students, but rather young adults with agency and good ideas and I think that is truly the most valuable part of this entire program.