Community Partner : Village Learning Place Intern : Em Ambrosius Site Supervisor : Annie Malone
What is Village Learning Place ?
The Village Learning Place is an independent non-profit library that houses educational programs , enrichment opportunities , and informational resources for Charles Village and throughout Baltimore City . It is our belief that libraries are not only a repository for books , but also serve as community centers focused on the personal and professional growth of their patrons .
51
Worked as a Teaching Assistant in the LINK Summer program with the 5th / 6th and 3rd / 4th grade groups Attended LINK Summer Orientation Supported office tasks by stuffing bags to send home to students and with data entry Cataloged and organized book donations that accumulated over the last year Attended field trips with students to Outward Bound , Living Classrooms Harbor Sailing , the National Aquarium , Rawlings Conservatory , the Baltimore Zoo , and Fort McHenry
I came into this summer wanting to learn as much as I possibly could about education and the city of Baltimore . Coming from a background as a camp counselor , I wanted the fun and excitement that I got from working with those children but also wanted to work with students and a community that had a greater need than the upper-middle-class children from back home . But community work isn ’ t about me , it isn ’ t about my self-righteousness or something that I can put on a resume ; it ’ s about working for the community and getting a better understanding of the people and what they need . Just a day into orientation my goals for the summer were shattered , I had a lot to learn this summer and I did .
Working with the Village Learning Place , I mainly assisted with their summer program LINK ( Let ’ s Invest in Neighborhood Kids ) while also helping out in their community library . The VLP was originally an Enoch Pratt Free Library that was closed in 1997 , but the residents of Charles Village rallied to still have a library in their community and formed the Village Learning Place . Their library is still used readily by the community , just at diminished hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In addition to the library , the VLP hosts many adult programs and get-togethers as well as the LINK summer and after-school programs for children . I feel as if I only got a glimpse of what the VLP does for Charles Village , since everything was on a much smaller scale as they slowly reopened .
My summer has been full of ups and downs . We have had difficulties with students attending and engaging with our programs . I had to learn to take space for myself to be able to be present with the students . But I have had the best time getting to know the staff at VLP and I hope to keep those relationships for a while to come and to see the full impact of the VLP ’ s community outreach .