Final CIIP 2021 Program Booklet | Page 51

Community Partner : Thread Intern : Stacey Tang Site Supervisor : Nyasha Wills
What is Thread ?
Thread harnesses the power of relationships to create a new social fabric of diverse individuals deeply engaged with young people facing the most significant opportunity and achievement gaps . Our community is committed to ending social isolation and building a more equitable culture in which everyone thrives .
Interning with Thread has been a unique and invaluable introduction to a few of the many facets of the Baltimore community . As a rising sophomore who has never been on campus due to COVID , I knew I would be missing many pieces of the larger puzzle that is Baltimore . However , extending beyond my previous role at Thread as a volunteer to an intern has been vital to beginning to complete that puzzle .
During my time at Thread , I primarily assisted with supporting Thread students as they navigated the Youthworks program , as well as managed Thread-specific worksites alongside my supervisor . Though a large amount of my work was administrative , I was still privileged enough to have the opportunity to enter virtual spaces and directly engage with students using the curriculum that I had constructed with my co-workers . By speaking with these students about topics like financial literacy , college , and career exploration , I have been able to broaden my perspective on the high school education experience and comprehend the differences between the education I received in my suburban hometown and the education experiences of the students I worked with .
Facilitated development and execution of summer school curriculum for 16 high school students focused on career exploration , personal development , and financial literacy Composed and sent emails to students in Thread , volunteers and site supervisors regarding payment procedures , scheduling and community updates using Mail Merge Conducted outreach to community organizations for weekly speaker presentations Assisted with administrative tasks such as managing timesheets , tracking attendance , responding to email inquiries and conducting surveys with Thread students participating in Youthworks programming and their worksite supervisors
Working at Thread has also given me the opportunity to engage in outreach with other community partners for weekly speaker presentations that were embedded in the summer curriculum . Hearing from them has been a valuable opportunity to learn and hear about the grassroots work being done to improve facets of Baltimore beyond education . Despite their different focuses , it was beautiful to see how their stories and paths are still relevant to our students , and created new threads in the web that holds the Thread staff and students together .
From my experience at Thread , I have taken away communication and organization skills that I am confident will help me not only during my remaining time at Hopkins , but also beyond college as I pursue a career . Thank you to Nyasha , Rose and Aaliyah for such a positive experience this summer ; your dedication to engagement with youth is infectious and is something I will carry over in all the work that I continue to pursue !
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