Current Organization:
Albany Park Neighborhood Council
Year attended Midwest Academy:
What were some of your favorite memories and activities while attending Midwest Academy session or Internship?
The initial five day training was an eye opening experience for me. Developing a concrete theoretical background to organizing was very powerful. Seeing the theories quickly put into practice throughout the internship was a huge personal development experience. Having the opportunity to see everyday people grow and develop into powerful and dynamic agents of change was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Being able to reflect with a group of new organizers together was so important. The lessons that I learned in those first nine weeks showed me that organizing works.
How has the training at Midwest Academy prepared you for your current position?
The internship provides as much of an accurate snapshot of an entry level organizer experience as possible in a concentrated time period. I witnessed first hand that everyday people have the capacity to bring change to their communities. Seeing my brand new leader take on a speaking role for the first time in his life at a city-wide planning meeting in front of 200 people just a week after I started the internship, had me hooked!
I knew next to nothing about organizing before starting the internship, and by the time my nine weeks were done, I knew that there was nothing else I wanted to do as a profession. The Midwest Academy internship was my window to the world of organizing, and provided helpful experience when starting my carrear!
Do you currently use the Midwest Academy Strategy chart in your current work?
Yes. The Midwest Academy training fine tuned my ability to think strategically about my organizing campaigns. Effective strategy is of course instrumental to effective organizing, and the principals within the strategy chart are constantly on my mind when thinking about moving issues forward with APNC's leaders.
Please tell us about your professional achievements and community involvements?
As APNC's education organizer, I have been able to utilize the principals of community organizing to develop a grassroots education reform model that is unique and exciting. Using the experiences of parents, students, teachers, and administrators APNC's leaders have been able to foster a neighborhood wide education plan. The plan is not developed by policy experts, or central office mandates. This plan was developed from the struggles of concerned parents who want to see their kids succeed. By students who see their friends drop out everyday, and by teachers who find themselves exhausted from being pulled in many separate directions while their students continue to struggle.
Similarly, as APNC's health care organizer, I have witnessed leaders who have been taken advantage of by a broken hospital system, stand up and demand what is rightfully theirs. APNC's health care leaders know what a just and proper health care system should look like.
Utilizing the local expertise of the community drives the work. This can be applied to schools, housing, immigration, or any other issue that community member demand improvement on. When providing leaders the proper tools, they have unlimited capacity. Organizing has the potential to bring out the best in people!
