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    CIIP Blogs (Summer 2022)

    Lily gave to CIIP 2022

    August 5th, 2022

    Dear CIIP NHS Intern,

    Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore (NHS) is more than an organization, it’s a family. When you walk into the office in the morning, you will smell someone cooking up breakfast for the entire staff and laughter echoing through the halls as people share entertaining stories from the weekend. In the beginning, you may feel like an outsider crashing their party– but I assure you, they want you there. Everyone at NHS wants you to be included in their warm, tightly-knit family. So jump right in; try the food, talk about your weekend, learn about people, and I promise your summer will be rewarding in more ways than you imagined.

    Since you go to Hopkins, you are probably used to a serious working environment where everyone puts their head down, earbuds in, and grinds out their assignments one after the other. NHS is not like that. Although I worked in a cubicle, I always spun my chair around to face my coworkers in their section and worked off my laptop. The work you will be doing this summer is collaborative and requires discussion. Don’t be afraid to ask your supervisor and other NHS staff questions as you go. They don’t expect you to know how to do everything, so you shouldn’t expect that of yourself.
    You will likely be balancing multiple projects and assignments throughout the summer without as much structure as you are used to during the school year. There are no “due dates”, as the timeline with community work is constantly changing in response to the needs of the neighbors. Your supervisor will probably give you a list of ongoing projects at the beginning of the summer, but you will be responsible for much more than that. Tasks pop up throughout the summer as the result of community events and feedback, new house acquisitions, and more. I highly recommend keeping an ongoing to-do list of your responsibilities. Break big tasks down into smaller chunks that you can cross off as you go. This will help you plan your days and report back to your supervisor what you have accomplished so that they can assign you the next steps. Not only will this keep you organized, but it will help you see that you are contributing, despite the slow nature of progress in this field.

    My favorite part of my summer at NHS was my time spent in the Greater Mondawmin and Rosemont communities talking to folks. Your supervisor will likely take you on a driving tour of the neighborhoods NHS works in. Pay attention to it. Take an asset-based approach to your view of the neighborhoods as the organization does. Notice all of the green spaces, the new bike lane, the plethora of schools and universities, the shopping mall, the grocery store, the historic row houses, and the kids playing outside. Do not compare it to the area around Hopkins, your hometown, or the East side. Accept and appreciate the West side for what it is (the best side, obviously) and take note of the thoughtful and measured approach NHS is taking to revitalize and support the area.

    I was nervous the first time I canvassed in the neighborhood to spread awareness of NHS’ services to the community. As a young, white woman with a bright blue NHS polo, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I felt like an intruder in the neighborhood and was afraid that people were going to resent me for walking on their block. However, I followed the lead of my supervisor who greeted every person we walked by, asked porch-sitters if we could come up to share information, and sought to listen to people’s housing problems before presenting solutions. By being open and honest with the community, they were open and honest in return.

    I am so excited for you as you embark on your journey at NHS. It will seem fast-paced in the beginning, but after you start putting names to faces and see how all the departments connect, the summer flies by. I am confident that like I did, you will form relationships at NHS that will last you a lifetime. If you ever need any support, don’t hesitate to reach out.

    Good luck,

    Lily Sheth
    NHS Community Engagement Intern Summer 2022
    Johns Hopkins University ‘24
    lsheth1@jh.edu

    Made an impact on 08/01/2022 with Community Impact Internships Program, Center for Social Concern, Johns Hopkins University

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