Stephanie Ho | CIIP 2023 Blog Portfolio
Posted: July 5, 2023
Week 1
The first day was virtual for me, and I was able to set up a meeting with my supervisor and we were able to talk through what my schedule would look like for the rest of the summer, and some events that I could attend if I would like. We also talked through what projects I might want to work on this summer, and while I had expressed some interests in public health work, through orientation, the perspective that I took was that I wanted to change my outlook on this program, and really be able to talk to the young people at Thread, and see what interests they may have for this summer. The topics may not be related to my interests at all, but I am happy to see what topics they may come up with, and I am excited to support them in any way I can.
Wednesday was the first day I went to Touchpoint, and where I was able to participate in ThreadHours, which is basically where the young people are free to come to the space, and connect with one another or get some of their needs taken care of. Many of the young people brought their toddlers to this space, as there is no where else they can go, so I spent a lot of the time as a babysitter for these kids. They were really cute, and just reminded me of times where I have been a camp counselor, and really tried to embody that energy again, as that was way before the pandemic. But it was such a special experience to have these kids, who had just met me, trust me and want me to play with the toy trains with them. Other than the toddlers, we also accompanied another young person to go into the mall, where she had to get her phone fixed, and it showed that Thread actually helps to support their young people in many ways, including monetarily through getting them groceries, rides places, as well as the phone repair, in order to make them feel like they are just like everyone else.
One topic that they touched upon in a meeting this week was transportation, as before this moment, they had to use a lot of the budget to order Ubers for these individuals to get to Touchpoint. However, what I took from this conversation was how can we create habits that will build self efficiency and self advocacy for these young people. This was really important because having autonomy and being able to express your needs is a skill that many people need to build, and there should be no shame or judgement in asking for these services.
Week 3
To be quite honest, there is not typical day at my placement. Everyday is unique, everyday comes with its own unique opportunities to meet new people and engage in interesting conversations. So, there is no typical day, but I will try to sum one up. Wednesdays are my more socially heavy days, in which I need to go into the office. I ride the bus from Charles Village to Mondawmin, which takes about 20 minutes. Then, I head to Touchpoint, where my supervisor and I will typically have a meeting about how our day has been and what we should try to work on for the remainder of the week. Wednesdays are also special because we host ThreadHours, which is an after school event where young people are able to come to Touchpoint, and get food, get their needs met, or just hang out with their friends. This time is usually reserved for those who are post high school, so they are older, which means that their needs are also different. During those three hours, I will try to help anyway I can. So, for example, last week I helped a young woman and accompanied her to the health clinic inside the mall. It was then that we realized that she was pregnant, but there were no OBGYNs at this health clinic, so we had to go to a different health clinic. This realization brought up an issue for me, which was an accessibility issue to healthcare for young mothers, which is a topic of great interest to me.
Week 4
I think my goals have changed as in there are so many projects that I am taking on now because I have so many different kinds of impacts I want to make. Last week, my supervisor and I had a conversation about the different impacts I wanted to have this summer, and I chose cultural and social impacts. So for these two to come together, I have added added a lot more on my plate, including focus groups. One topic that I am interested in is toxic masculinity, however, that is a very deep topic that I am afraid not many men are ready to have. But I do think that men’s mental health is a very important topic as well that is still a part of toxic masculinity because it is the belief that going through something and showing emotions makes them weak. So, I talked to a grandfather at Thread, who used to be a therapist, and asked him if he would be willing to help me facilitate some focus groups, but just for men. I want to give them a space to talk to each other and also connect with each other on topics that would not usually be brought up in regular conversation. I am leaning on the grandfather for this because I have no idea how this could play out but I am going to try next week to collect a group of young men to sit down and have this conversation. I know this will take some time, but I think that the first step is simply to initiate the conversations, that is the hardest part.
The next few weeks will be busy as YouthWorks starts up, and I will be there also supporting our Thread Ambassadors. I have a lot of fun events happening, with topics from civic engagement, to financial literacy, to immigration. I hope that these young people enjoy their time with us, and as much as they are taking in this information, I am also learning from them about their own experiences and identities. I am excited for these next coming weeks, but it will be busy and hectic, but I am excited for ride.
Week 5
I have honestly learned a lot about myself and how I navigate certain spaces with my own identities. I have learned about how aware I am about my impact on others, especially when it comes to my racial and gender identities, as well as my identity as a Hopkins student. I think that it is important to be aware of these things, in order to make sure that we navigate a space in a respectful manner, as well as being open-minded and empathetic when we meet new people. So, I think this is not only important to use this part of me in future professional spaces, but also use this when I am trying to build relationships with people in the future.
I think that Thread’s mission is also something that I would like to keep with me for the rest of my life. The mission of Thread is building a new social network, and I think that it relates to social cohesion as well as social capital. I think that especially as an introvert myself, it was very normal for me to want step away from a busy situation with a lot of people, but that is not going to get me any connections or allow me to interact and engage with new people. Through my time so far in Thread, I have had to put myself forward, and force myself to be in spaces that are not always the most comfortable, with my identities and my background and with what I am comfortable with. However, I have learned a lot from these experiences, and I know that just being myself is really important in any future spaces. While I may join professions and social circles where I have no connection to the other people in these spaces, I think what I need to do is continue to be honest to myself, to be honest with the people I am making, and making risks and trying new things.
Week 7
Intersectionality has been something that I have personally been trying to work on this entire internship. This is because I recognize that I do not have all the knowledge in order to create programs that I think the Youthworkers at Thread would like to listen to. I, of course, have my own interests in public health and sociology, however, outside of these two realms, I am not always the most comfortable explaining different topics. Therefore, it has been really interesting listening to what the Ambassadors at Thread are interested in, and seeing how I can leverage the relationships I have with different people and organizations in CIIP, in order to provide an informative and entertaining program.
The two collaborations I have been a part of have been with the Greater Mondawmin Coordinating Council, talking to Eli, who used to work for CSC and CIIP, but now is the executive director of this council. He and I were able to meet a few times in order to come up with a presentation to talk about civic engagement, as well as throwing my own spin and talking about the White L and Black Butterfly. Being at Johns Hopkins, this concept is not new to us, however, I realized that for these young people who live in the Black Butterfly of Baltimore, this information is not presented to them, and it is not something that you always think about.
The next collaboration I have lined up is with Estelle and MIMA, and this connection was inspired by Eli, but it was ultimately because one of the Ambassadors at Thread has a very strong interest in going into law, and specifically on immigration. Therefore, I wanted to bring in a specialist, that can hopefully help us understand immigration more fully, as well as facilitate a greater conversation on different resources around Baltimore, that Thread may be able to use in the case of more young people who come from immigrant families.