Josh McGrew | CIIP 2023 Blog Portfolio

Going through orientation this past week has been a fun yet thought-provoking experience which has challenged me to think about my position as a Hopkins student in the context of my partnership and interactions with Baltimore. Monday’s presentation on engaging with Baltimore Communities and Jessa Wais’ presentation on the relationship between Hopkins and Baltimore resonated with me the most and emphasized the importance of open-mindedness and humility when interacting with communities during my internship. The Life Design Lab’s presentations Thursday morning were important to me as well and provided an opportunity to reflect on the various aspects of my identity and how it affects my lifestyle, values, and views on the world.

My favorite part of orientation was definitely the scavenger hunt around the city. Not only did our orientation group get to learn how to use the various transportation systems around the city, we also got to visit historic landmarks, try food from new places, and connect with each other more. What surprised me the most was the number of conversations we had with other people as we went from place to place. Multiple individuals engaged in brief conversations with us and asked about our thoughts on the city and the work we would be doing this summer, which allowed us to learn more about their experiences and perceptions toward Hopkins students.

I also had a productive conversation with my internship supervisors when I met with them on Friday. I wasn’t expecting them to be so easygoing, but once I got out of a professional mentality I understood how important it will be to be myself during the program. The youth I will be dealing with have been dealing with lectures throughout the school year and need a different kind of experience, so I need to be able to relax and not take things too seriously. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be helping with planning and logistics of the program, but I am looking forward to starting work on Monday. I hope that I can make an impact this summer and support my partner in furthering their mission.

This week, I began my work with the Greenmount East Leadership Project by designing fliers and brochures for their upcoming events and programs as well as contacting potential partners for the Youth Empowerment Academy in July, the main portion of my internship. Until the start of the Youth Empowerment Academy, I will be working in a hybrid capacity and meeting with my supervisor as needed to provide progress updates and exchange materials.

When we did meet in person, the experience was not only an opportunity to learn about my responsibilities throughout the summer and provide updates on my assignments, but learn more about my supervisor’s values and the organization’s mission. From the staff to the community workouts to the youth and family programs, there is a powerful story and core value that guides each aspect of the organization. I hope to continue reflecting that passion throughout my work this Summer.

I also managed to do a lot of networking this week as I began to create a curriculum for our Youth Empowerment Academy. The Academy will be a five-week program that aims to help youth in the city develop important life skills, learn the importance of physical activity and mental health, and explore their personal and career interests. As a part of the program, we’re trying to bring in people from all over the city to speak about their careers, skills and experiences, so I’ve been communicating with a list of contacts over text, phone and email. We’ve even managed to make new connections in person by putting up the fliers I made! In the coming weeks, I’ll continue to make preparations for the Youth Empowerment Academy by following up with potential partners, planning for college visits and other field trips, making workbooks for the youth, and outlining the other parts of the Academy’s curriculum. I’ll definitely be busy over the next month, but everything I’m doing now is going to further the organization’s mission and impact multiple lives.

My second week with Greenmount East Leadership Project has been busier than the first. In the process of securing guest speakers and workshops, I’ve been both following up with those I’ve spoken to over the past week and reaching out to multiple potential partners. Additionally, I’ve been planning campus tours, a trip to DC, writing applications for grants, and creating a pre-program survey and workbooks for the youth in our summer program. Trying to fulfill all of these responsibilities on my own has been a challenge, but I’m making significant progress each day. So far, I’ve managed to get times and dates for the majority of our guest speakers, schedule our campus tours and trips, write drafts for grants, and outline the pre-program survey. The one thing making things difficult is the time it takes for people to respond. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days for people to respond, some only communicate by one method, and others haven’t responded at all. As a result, I have to stay on them in order to secure dates and fill up our programming. Our program starts in just a few weeks, so I just have to focus on everything within my control and hope that it all works out soon.

Adjusting to the hybrid work environment has been going well. Some days I’ll need to meet in person, but others are spent making calls, sending messages, and writing from my apartment. Sometimes I’ll get calls or messages at odd hours and weekends, but I appreciate not having to commute every day and being able to work in the environments I’m most comfortable with for right now. Once our summer program starts in July, I’ll be fully in-person to help run things alongside my supervisor. For now though, I’ll continue my work on the aforementioned assignments as usual.

My third week with Greenmount East Leadership Project has been very productive, and we’re now one week away from the start of the Summer Youth Empowerment Academy, which is the main portion of my internship. This week, most of our guest speakers have been secured, our college tours have been planned, a pre-program survey has been made, and multiple potential grants and funding have been identified. As we continue to finalize our plans for the Academy, I will need to finalize our workshops, apply for grants, create program workbooks/itineraries, and help prepare the other aspects of the program.

One challenge I faced this week was having to rearrange our guest speaker schedule to make room for workshops and a designated day of the week for health and wellness. Many of our speakers had been scheduled before we decided to make a wellness day, so I had to find potential dates to move our speakers to and reach out to them to confirm their availability. Fortunately, all the speakers I had to move were able to speak on their new dates and times, but it was a bit hectic trying to get everything back in place.

Another challenge I anticipate for next week is the creation of a program workbook for our youth. As a part of these workbooks, I have to create background pages for each of our guest speakers and workshops so that the youth will be able to read about them and take notes. In order to achieve this, I had to reach out to everyone I contacted over the past month to get them to send in their information, but I have only heard back from a few individuals so far. One thing I’ve learned about keeping up with a list of contacts is that everyone is different when it comes to the ways they communicate and the time it takes for them to respond. I will have to keep in touch with everyone throughout the week and hope that I will have everything I need from them by the end of the week.