Community Partner : FORCE Intern : Nina Davis Site Supervisor : Shanti Flagg
What is FORCE ?
Founded in 2010 by and for survivors , FORCE is an art and activist collective dedicated to end sexual violence and build a culture of consent , widely known for creating public art to disrupt rape culture .
I became a part of FORCE at a later part of its life : their closing . After tremendous work over the years , precisely that of the meaningful Monument Quilt Project , FORCE was financially pressured into closing its doors . It was an emotional circumstance , and a side of the nonprofit one rarely gets to see . However , it became an opportunity to contribute something that would ease the movement into this painful last stage . At FORCE , I focused on the Monument Quilt Project new-owner outreach research .
The Monument Quilt Project was a nationwide effort of which survivors and families of survivors created a sewn cloth square dedicated to their or their loved one ’ s experience . Four of these squares were then stitched together to create the final quilt . The collection grew over the years ; one of the greatest showings being that of the Monument Lawn in Washington D . C . The quilt covers experiences of differing people ’ s race , gender , culture , sexual orientation , religion , and age creating an intersectional and somewhat bonding experience of shared strength .
I developed a nationwide database of potential new owners for these quilts during my time , including artrelated institutions and nonprofits , folk art , gender violence , sexual violence , and women ’ s advocacy related entities . I then evaluated each organization against an ability to afford a quilt valued at $ 5,000 . I used tools such as placement of ‘ donation ’ buttons , number of sponsors , number of staff members , quality of their website , latest social media posts , and all-around ‘ vibe ’ of the potential placement . After determining its viability , I collect the contact information from each organization . By the end of my time , I collected over 1,500 potential placements accomplishing my goal for the project . However , this outreach research was not my only job responsibility .
In addition , I managed a portion of communications between that of potential buyers as well as quilt returns to their original creators . These moments were the most exciting and gave me a chance to further build on customer service skills and email writing . As a Monument Quilt Archivist Intern , I was responsible for basic secretarial work as well as noting every update in each individual ’ s response chain . Overall , my time at FORCE further enforced my pre-existing skills as well as introducing a new stage of nonprofit work I have never witnessed . I am incredibly thankful to my internship placement as well as CIIP .
Created a database of over 1,500 potential permanent placements covered the nation Performed basic secretarial duties Managed communications in spreadsheet updating each entry based on newest response
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