In our ninth year we’ve had another wonderful group of Fellows, bringing our total count of Hope Fund Alumni to 45. 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 2021 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.
Check Out the 2020 Summer Fellowship Recap Film
Uprose
“This week I was able to work on a debate UPROSE was hosting for the Assembly person race in District 51. I helped with the wording of the questions being asked and participated in run-throughs prior to the event. Leading up to the event, I was able to reach out to various media outlets to try to get them to cover the event. During the event, I helped with the social media and live-tweeting of content from the debate. It was a very informative experience to be able to work on the backend of an event like a live debate. I also continued to make calls and conduct surveys on the underlying health vulnerabilities and affect of COVID in Sunset Park.”
Legal Aid Society
“On Wednesday, another intern and I attended a meeting with the rest of the training staff in order to resolve all issues with Zoom prior to the scheduled Zoom Mock Trial. This meeting made evident to me again, the amount of effort LAS trainers were inputting into our virtual time together, as the manner in which they translated the tangible world into the virtual world seemed to be incredible difficult. Their efforts were entirely admirable, and my increased comprehension of Zoom technicalities is something I will be using in the future.”
The Hope Program
“This week involved learning about case story summaries and how we will use the client information to hopefully afford them with a grant which could really allow them to continue to progress on their journey. In addition to this, my week also consisted of census calls, outreach calls, and continuing to help prepare resumes. I love being able to not only learn from my mentor but to learn from the other interns because they are graduate interns, so I feel like that brings a unique perspective for me. I think this whole experience is teaching me so much and already helping me gain new skills I did not previously have.”
Brooklyn Community Services
“For the Community Conversations project, I worked on creating the sign up sheets for each neighborhood and researching about how the participants would be able to receive virtual visa gift cards. I’m excited about the first conversation and getting to hear from community members more directly even if it’s through Zoom.”
Brooklyn Defender Services
“I am going to be the technical support for Brooklyn Defender Services’ Circle of Support session next week. The Circle of Support is a support group that formerly incarcerated folks can join and speak about their challenges and emotions related to navigating a society post-incarceration. Service providers will attend the sessions to be a listening ear as well as provide resources. The main goal is to allow folks to have a safe space to talk freely about what they are experiencing. I am honored to be able to participate because I see and value the importance of how support circles can be a form of healing and relief for folks.”