Final CIIP 2021 Program Booklet | Page 20

Community Partner : Central Baltimore Partnership Intern : Suzy Schlosberg Site Supervisor : Aaron Kaufman
What is Central Baltimore Partnership ?
Formed in 2006 , the Central Baltimore Partnership ’ s mission is to galvanize the renaissance of Central Baltimore . We pursue our mission by partnering with neighborhood organizations , non-profits , educational institutions , businesses and government agencies .
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Supported scheduling , logistics , marketing , and vendors for the 2021 Community Connect Outdoor Programming series at four rotating Central Baltimore green spaces Collaborated with Baltimore ’ s Promise and CHARMCare to identify and catalogue current emergency food providers , healthcare providers , and out-of-school time providers Consolidated community garden programming resources , grant opportunities and training curriculum Wrote and published the first installment of CBP ’ s Greenmount Life Opportunity and Wellness Initiative newsletter
If I were to describe my internship at CBP this summer in one word , I would say “ unexpected .” As a rising sophomore , the three months I spent on campus in the spring had left me with a sense of detachment from Baltimore ; I hadn ’ t begun the process of seeing , feeling , and learning about the city . Going into CIIP , I assumed that my experience would be different from some others in the cohort — I ’ d be interning remotely back home in Chicago . I didn ’ t know what to expect . I knew I would try my best to support the work of CBP , but would I feel the deepened attachment to Baltimore that I had wanted ? The answer : yes . Through the projects that I supported this summer , I felt like I was piecing together puzzle pieces of Central Baltimore . With the Outdoor Programming series , I worked to activate four green spaces in our catchment zone , which gave me an understanding of how and where community-organized events take place . To strengthen CBP ’ s inventory of food , medical , and youth resources in Central Baltimore , I mapped out major medical centers , out-of-school-time providers , and other programs and services onto two maps , which we were then able to share with all our partners — that too , diagrammed for me a picture of the city .
Even with the greatest challenge of this summer — the remote nature of my internship — my supervisor Aaron and I were able to think of creative ways we could take advantage of my location . One of the central questions we asked is how to foster a sustainable food ecosystem in Baltimore , and part of exploring solutions is to turn an eye towards what other major U . S . cities are doing to address food injustice . I scheduled a site visit with a food collective in Chicago , the Urban Growers Collective , to see if there are replicable models we could bring back to Central Baltimore . In the end , that visit inspired some ideas for an experiential-based food workshop series we could host at our community gardens during harvest days . My internship has surprised me with how much closer I feel to Baltimore , and I am more excited than ever to return to campus in the fall .