The following week

The week following the internship was interesting. I did not come back the rest of last week because I had to change my schedule around so much that I couldn't attend the normal internship times. Showing up at YCAP was a new experience, this was because I did not know what exactly to expect any longer. I was no longer working on the Community Connect Event since it had just finished. What I ended up doing here this week was sending out Thank you notes and helping write down different responses that people had with attending this event. I also got the privilage of helping my supervisor with her next project, which is teaching families how to stay green at a safe shelter YCAP owns.

Community Connect

This specific week was the week of the community connect event. This event is what my internship was based around. It was crazy how quickly it came an went. On Wednesday, I was at the First Horizon Church from 8 in the morning till 7 in the evening. It was just a wee bit hectic. The main responsibilities that I had was to make sure the kitchen was running smoothly. Since we were serving paper bag lunches it allowed me to start making food earlier. I had 100 bags ready an hour ahead of time and then after sandwich were constantly being made. That day we made about 450 sandwiches. We only stopped making meals because we ran out of food. This demonstrated how many people attended this specific event! I am so glad that I got to take part of the event.

The week before the Big Event

The week before this big event have been hectic, crazy, and gone by too quickly. Looking back at the week, I can not explain how nervous I have become. I constantly double checking everything we had was accountable and that I would not mess up on the day event. One of the craziest part of this week was we had business contacting up, making the number of tables we needed increase by 15 and we already estimated 5 extra tables. This made it more exciting and nerve wracking. This week was filled with us running around doing all different errands. I cannot believe that it was completed, this had to be one of my busiest weeks this year!

Learning to teach, the most mundane breakthrough

I have no idea why it took me so long to figure it out, but the answer to my obstacle when it came to figuring out how to teach the use of the scheduling program was ridiculously simple. I walked in to the internship not knowing how to use the program in the least, but I just had to jump in and figure it out. Rather than have the scheduler watch me work the program, we ended up getting the most recent month's schedule, and sitting down in front of the computer. She was the one who was working the computer, and in the beginning, I had to tell her where to click, what to type, and show her where things were showing up as we went along. It felt like even though she was beginning to understand the program and computer it would take far too much time, and we wouldn't finish on time. We kept working, though, and by the end of the day it seemed like she had picked it up really well. I left in considerably higher spirits than I'd been in quite awhile.

The next time I showed up, it was like we started over again. I couldn't figure it out, why didn't she remember everything she had so adeptly been using the last time I was in? My nervousness was misplaced, however. That day was even more productive than the one before; I hardly had to coach at all. Boring? Yes. Incredibly rewarding? Most definitely. I finally felt successful in my work (concerns about the compatibility between the current system and computer program aside). I was trying to figure out a way to avoid having to relearn the program again the next time I came in, and decided to come in more frequently so the information was fresher on both of our minds. It worked, and the most recent time I went in, I felt more superfluous than ever. While it was a little frustrating just sitting there feeling useless, when I could be working on other projects with that time, the fact that I am becoming useless is a good sign. I'm still really worried about how running reports and printing schedules is going to go, and if I'll be able to get that finished before the semester ends, but I'll just have to keep at it until we get to that point.

And now, we're all caught up on my internship. More later this week,

Kelsi

The second week!

This second week has been pretty low key. I have been getting used to making calls and filling out paper work. Some bigs seem that happened to me this week was that I got a donation of 10 cases of water bottles! Getting these donations allow me to feel great whenever I get someone to commit to coming or a possible donation.

Starting at the internship!

This is my first real work life experience. I so far have loved it. There have been many new adventures that I am not sure how to react to, but I am constantly learning. My responsibilities are to find new nonprofit businesses and invite them to attend the Community Connect event, invite partners(last years non profits organizations), find hair dressers, be in charge of the cafe, and get donation. These tasks work on my communication skills.

So much solitude, and unable to teach.

I didn't mind all the solitary work much, to an extent I found it relaxing (though after about four hours it felt like a chore). By the time spring break rolled around I felt I had figured everything out about the program, but still didn't know exactly what their needs were in relation to the program. I knew that they would have to make some changes in how they scheduled (for example, instead of having a full month's schedule to hang on the bulletin board, they could only print off one week at a time), but didn't know exactly what that would look like, or even if those changes could be made.

I wasn't around during spring break, so it was a couple weeks before I went in to begin teaching them what I had figured out. However, at that point, between a stomach bug that was going around, and some family commitments, there wasn't anyone around that I could work with. Instead, I spent even more time in solitude, making small adjustments to the data I had been putting in, and trying to figure out back doors to making the program do what I wanted it to, rather than what a typical doctor's office would need. One thing I had a bit of trouble with was the night caregivers. They don't work normal hours, and if we put their schedules in during the night, the printouts were tiny and almost completely illegible. I ended up deciding that they would just have to be content with the night shifts scheduled for the daytime before they actually started. It made sense because that's how they had been writing it on the old calendars.

I had no idea how I was going to start teaching and explaining this program to the woman in charge of scheduling. We ended up jumping in and sitting down and I went through everything, but had the hardest time explaining it all. How do you explain how to run a report, when someone doesn't even recognize those words in a computer context? There were about two weeks when it all felt pretty hopeless. She didn't seem to be picking up what I was saying, and I couldn't figure out how to say it so she would understand. I felt like the biggest failure, and started to get really anxious about being able to finish the internship so that they were happy with the work that I'd done. Really the only decently-productive thing that came out of those weeks was the fact that I learned a LOT more about how their scheduling works, and what their needs are, just from the questions she was asking about the program. However, me knowing what they needed and actually being able to deliver were two terribly and terrifyingly different things.

More to come,

Kelsi

A semester (or part of one) in an evening

I have a tendency not to devote attention to something if there is not an immediate and pressing need, or if there are other items that are more prominent in their timeliness. As a result, here's my semester internship (more or less a few mundane details) in one post.

For my internship I am working at Rock of Ages Valley View Retirement Village outside of McMinnville. It's a Mennonite-run facility that has been constructed more or less from the ground up in the past 40 years or so. All I really knew walking in to my first meeting with my supervisor was that I'd be working with their scheduling system, and moving it from a handwritten method to a computerized method. I wasn't really overly nervous about it at first, because I am comfortable with computers and working in an office setting. When I walked out of that meeting, however, I was substantially more anxious. First, while I was prepared for an office professional dress code, I was not aware that I would not be allowed to wear slacks, or any kind of pants, for that matter. I decided I wouldn't let it be an issue, that I could work with it and get used to it. The most unsettling revelation was that the person who was in charge of all the schedule not only was not familiar with computers at all, but had no idea that there was even going to be a switch to a computerized system. All I could think was "Oh dear. This is going to be a long semester. I hope she doesn't end up hating me. I hope she doesn't already hate me."

The second time I went in was considerably better, because I was able to meet the CEO of RoA and sit down with my supervisor, and the woman in charge of scheduling, and learn about how their organization is run and the types of services they provide through their M.A.I.D.S. program (Mennonite Assisting In-home Development for Seniors). Since none of them knew the program they had for use, my first task was to figure out how it worked and put in the client and employee information. We ended up deciding collaboratively that I would spend the next few weeks putting in a previous month's appointments and figuring out the simplest shortcuts so I could then pass that information on to my supervisor and the other office women.

The next few weeks were... well, in a word, boring. I went in, spent anywhere from four to 6 hours alone in a room in front of a computer. There was a window, but the only view I had was of the roof of the same building across a small courtyard, with a sliver of cloudy sky above it. I got a lot more comfortable with having to wear a long skirt every day, and spent some time chatting with my supervisor about the history of RoA and their philosophy behind the care they provide. I was a little surprised to learn that the Mennonites at RoA are far more conscientious about the environment than most people I encounter on a daily basis. In retrospect, this makes sense, given the fact that many of them are traditionally farmers. It was one of those small heartening things that made me feel like maybe my major isn't useless after all. It was nice to be able to make the connect between my major and my internship, because there isn't much natural overlap there to begin with (Computer scheduling and environmental studies generally don't go hand-in-hand).

We'll continue this later.

Kelsi

Now it's REALLY started!

Hello! I am thankful to say that I have officially started my internship! I had met with my advisor before (she is fantastic) as well as had broad ideas of what my work was going to entail but then there was like a month of no communication between my advisor and I so I was stagnant, not being able to move forward. However, that is all solved now.

I met with my advisor last week  - we clarified my role and goals of the internship, she gave me contacts and sent an email out to a group of people we will be collaborating with, and then I was able to ask a few questions and get the permission to start a few items.

Since the meeting I was able to get on top of some research and emails contacting people for meetings. I have began my grant research, my "understanding non-profits" research, and my outlines for papers and my powerpoint presentation.

I also met with a man who is a member of the Co-op who gave me helpful information on phases of business planning as well as information of turing an organization into a non-profit. He was very supportive and he really encouraged me to take on this project and run with it because he feels there is no right way to go about it but that just to simply be innovative with the purpose of creating positive help/change for those who are hungry and homeless is a wonderful thing.

Oh, and in reference to the article we read and discussed - I thought it was a neat example of incorporating passion and career into one's life and although I realize not everyone feels this way or knows this yet, I felt as if I already knew/understood the importance of having a career that supports my passions. As service, empowering communities, and community project planning are passions of mine, I know I need a career that will support me in living out these passions - I want a life where my work is my passion, not where my passions lie outside of my daily activities.

Until next time!

Cheers,
Lacey

Greetings!

Hello Fellow 2011 First Federal Internship Participants ~

I am looking forward to processing our internship experiences with one another. I think our actual internships combined with our blogging, seminars, the reading, and our end of the year presentation banquet will provide for positive experiences in preparation for future endeavors.
For my internship I am collaborating with the McMinnville Cooperative Ministries in creating a small, local, non-profit cafe with intentions to provide meals, coffee, and a social gathering space for the homeless, low income, and entire McMinnville Community. With intentions to use local farmer's good and home-roasted coffee from Guatemala, I am helping transition a Saturday breakfast for the homeless at the Co-op into a more permanent, more resourceful community building space in McMinnville.
I am not exactly sure what the end result will be or what my exact objectives are at the moment because my roles are not quite defined. However, I am in the process of solidifying them with my advisor and through self-relfection. My advisor is Courtney McHill and she is great; not only do we have a positive and friendly relationship thus far, we communicate well together, as of now she does not micro-manage, and we are enthusiastic to collaborate with other community members in building something different to create positive effects.
My goals for this week and weekend to be finished by Monday are:

• create a set weekly time for Courtney and I to meet
• prepare my brainstorming lists for the near meetings with community members whom I will be collaborating with  - make sure I have innovative ideas as well as room in my ideas for their ideas and contributions
• finish my research on other smaller community outreach cafe-type projects
• attend the Saturday breakfast at the Co-op in order begin further connecting with the community and observing the current breakfast program we intend to transition

Thank you for taking the time to read this - if you have any feedback please comment, all is welcome!

Cheers,
Lacey

Welcome to the First Federal Internship Blog

This is First Federal Internship, to be posted on weekly by FF interns.  Links, pictures, concerns and the enjoyable parts of your internships and projects are all welcome!