Week 1

Week 1 of the fellowship is officially over! This past week has been an incredibly welcoming experience and has me incredibly excited for the rest of the summer fellowship. This week, I attended many meetings to meet those involved in coalitions that WHEDco is a part of and to meet the WHEDco staff overall. I was nervous about meeting community leaders and staff as I was unsure of how I would fit into these spaces. However, the meetings and spaces were nothing but welcoming and comforting, as some of the staff and organizers who attended these meetings, were non-binary like me.

These meetings have also demonstrated the intense amount of work that goes into organizing, advocacy, and spreading the influence of a coalition. Whether it be through making flyers, or contacting elected officials, or inquiring about placing ads throughout the city, those involved in the Bronx People’s Platform demonstrate consistent dedication to building a better Bronx and strengthening the coalition. What I also saw throughout these meetings were their openness to each other’s different ideas and opinions, which would eventually result in either compromises or a solution that involved a little bit of everyone’s ideas. While I have just started at WHEDco, there were a few things I did want to suggest during meetings but was anxious about whether they were either good ideas or if it was too soon to share my opinions and ideas. Reflecting on this past week, however, I realize that an outsider’s perspective could be exactly what these meetings need and while they may not use my ideas, my ability to speak up and voice my opinions will demonstrate my desire to help organizations involved in the coalition and the South Bronx

Through community events I’ll be attending, this Saturday and next Saturday, I’ll be able to not only meet many more community members, but I’ll also be able to meet more of those involved in the behind-the-scenes action of the coalition. I’m excited to become a familiar face to staff, community leaders, and community members throughout this summer. This first week has been incredibly eye-opening and has helped increase my interest to work with organizing and advocacy organizations and/or coalitions. I’m excited to continue attending Bronx-wide coalition meetings and expand my knowledge on coalitions in general.