About

GivePulse Stats

Groups

  • Johns Hopkins University

  • Community Impact Internships Program

  • Center for Social Concern

  • CIIP 2021

  • CSC Student Organizations

  • Impacts

    CIIP Blogs (Summer 2021)

    This summer has been quite the experience – this was my first time working with kids since I started college and they really made me work hard! I was placed at the Hampden Family Center, which is a support center for families that sits right in the heart of Hampden on their main commercial street. One of the things that first stood out to me is the fact that an affluent community as Hampden would need a Family Center! However, as I worked there, I realized that even within these communities there exists massive disparities between how the Hampden community lives – at the weekly Friday food drives hosted by the Family Center, I got to see about a reoccurring set of about ten elderly citizens who were not only picking up for themselves, but for their family. I also interacted with the homeless in the area, who often relied on the Family Center for food, drinks, and toiletries. Within the kids who attended the HFC Summer Enrichment Program, which started three weeks after my placement began, there were kids whose parents were licensed doctors and were deemed gifted students, as well as those who had dysfunctional families and had learning disabilities or attention disorders. All this to say, that even within a wealthy neighborhood such as Hampden, there were still those affected by severe wealth and education disparities.

    As the summer progressed and I had to juggle the role of camp counselor enforcing the rules and responsible support system for all my kids, I made sure to address any potential issues that arose through a viewpoint of not necessarily punishing a behavior but addressing the underlying issues in an understanding way. It helped me reinforce the importance of respect not only for those who have authority over you, but those you yourself have authority over. Of course, that is not to say I was perfect at my job. This year has been very emotionally, mentally, and physically draining for me and there were moments during the summer where the exhaustion was visible on my face. However, in those times I always had my HFC staff (shout-out Pierre and Catey!) who were accommodating when I was at my limits. All in all, I had a great time this summer and was very lucky to listen to the stories of my coworkers, children, and fellow interns at CIIP!

    Made an impact on 07/26/2021

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