2019 was another successful year of supporting young leaders and Brooklyn non-profits through our Summer Fellowship!
In our eighth year we’ve had another wonderful group of Fellows, bringing our total count of Hope Fund Alumni to 40. These incredible college students continue to work to create a better world, and many of them plan to stay in touch and support the Fund by attending Advisory Board meetings, volunteering to be on the 2020 selection committee, and leading workshops at next summer’s orientation. All of them have made an impact in Brooklyn and are now part of the family of activists and leaders that Hope continues to bring together.
Mariame Keita worked with Brooklyn Defender Services
My short time interning at Brooklyn Defender Services in the Adolescents Unit has shown me the impact that I can make in the life of young adults, whether that be by teaching him or her about proper etiquette, preparing them for an interview, applying for educational programs, finding jobs or even something as simple as providing clothes or giving them a swipe on the train. For our clients behind bars, it was an amazing opportunity to not only write them letters, but to send them books and clothes. Working with my clients has taught me that we should not be so quick to judge adolescents when they make a few impulsive decisions.
Jonathan Alleyne worked with Bedford” Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation.
My name is Jonathan Alleyne and I had the pleasure of being placed at Bedstuy Restoration Plaza, a nonprofit that provides social, financial and health services to the residents of Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. I worked in the Economic Solutions Center with my supervisor Blaine Arthur where I worked in a research capacity gathering information on nonprofit organizations that provide job training and placement to young adults. This summer (2019) I had the great pleasure of working with some of the best people in the world!
Gus R. came full circle to give back to her community in Brownsville through a new location for Brooklyn Community Services.
Every action, big or small, matters when it comes to social impact. I learned the importance of teamwork in the nonprofit world – nothing gets done alone. We need people to help people, and this summer taught me that nonprofits cannot make progress towards their mission without the help of communities.
Brianna Boyce worked with the HOPE Program
My summer experience working with The Hope Program was amazing! The program does phenomenal work with helping low-income New York residents establish stable employment. The participants of the program need assistance in obtaining employment due to barriers that they cannot control, which is one of my main passions. One of the main lessons I took away from interning at the Hope Program, is that you’ll never understand anything outside of your own experience. To me, it’s basically a euphemism for “Don’t judge what you don’t understand.”
Jordan Powell worked with VOCAL-NY.
This summer I had the pleasure of interning at VOCAL-NY. At VOCAL, we are committed to combatting the drug war, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, mass incarceration, and homelessness. From movie screenings to town halls, I really felt like I got to know people. The office threw me and the other intern a going away party at the end of the summer where we celebrated over pizza and cake for hours on my last day. I’m counting down the days until I see everyone again —admittedly in less than a month as I am coming to visit for our annual gala!