Week Four: What challenges and/or difficulties have you encountered and how did you go about resolving them? Speak to a specific challenge you have encountered and some of the ways that you tackled the problem.
There haven't been specific challenges that I've encountered with my day to day work, but related to the content of my work, it has been extremely enlightening to fill in my knowledge gaps on the US criminal justice system. It's hard to learn all the ins and outs of it in two months, so I have tried to read books/articles on re-entry and court-related matters. Reading has been helpful and I've immediately learned a lot about the challenges of prison re-entry and the impact of judging on sentencing. I've also reached out to others that work here to learn about specific topics, which has helped a lot—talking to them has made it easier to digest the books/articles.
Week Five:
What new skills and/or knowledge have you gained from your summer experience? Have you met anyone who has been instrumental in shaping/helping you conduct your project? Briefly, how has this person impacted you? What have you learned about leadership from this individual, and how might it influence your actions, work, and self in the future?
I've learned a lot about criminal justice and the many actors involved, including the government, nonprofits, researchers, and more. My supervisor connected me with the Publisher of the Marshall Project, who I interviewed for WKCR 89.9FM. I have also been connected to other organizations in New York in the criminal justice space; I have been looking into tutoring for Petey Greene, a non-profit that helps incarcerated individuals. Though these are external actors/activities to my work, they are helping me learn about criminal justice and what it looks like in the real world.
This sounds incredible! Do you plan to stay involved with the same organizations during the school year, or are you interested in founding your own branches of these programs at Columbia?
Week Five: What new skills and/or knowledge have you gained from your summer experience? Have you met anyone who has been instrumental in shaping/helping you conduct your project? Briefly, how has this person impacted you? What have you learned about leadership from this individual, and how might it influence your actions, work, and self in the future?
On the practical side, I have learned to work with a lot of different programs in new ways (including but not limited to Polaris, a library site; Raiser's Edge, a finance site; Adobe InDesign; YouTube; Instagram; and Blackbaud, a general organization site). I have also learned a lot about how a real nonprofit functions - it requires a lot of intercommunication to make sure things don't get done twice or not done at all. I have been working a lot with the head of Events, who is not technically my boss but who has been offering me a lot of advice on getting work done (do it early in case you make mistakes and have to go back!), on working in a library (the patrons come first, as do the donors) and on life in Paris in general (don't take the train after 11pm because they don't come as frequently). I think that her advice has taught me that leadership is very site-specific, and it can't really be taught; you just have to absorb knowledge from others and be willing to pass it on. There is no such thing as "general leadership skills" except being polite, patient, and a clear speaker.
Week Four: What challenges and/or difficulties have you encountered and how did you go about resolving them? Speak to a specific challenge you have encountered and some of the ways that you tackled the problem.
One challenge I have encountered so far is maintaining my mental health while dealing with the subject matter I see every day. Something we discuss a lot in the office is vicarious trauma, and how interacting with clients and learning about their traumas can negatively impact our own mental health. This is a problem I am currently facing, and though I have not completely tackled the issue, I have learnt how to cope better with the feelings I experience after interacting with clients and reading over files. A lot of the cases I read tend to be about substance abuse, sexual assault and family violence, which are all very heavy topics, and I have noticed that calling clients dealing with these issues and learning about the perpetual injustices faced by First Nations people on a daily basis does affect me mentally. The way I am learning to manage it is by taking breaks from work when I need to and talking to people at the office about it, as well as venting to my family when I need to. Talking to other people at VALS has been really beneficial to tackle this problem as they have all gone through it too, and the people still working there are the ones that have robust systems in place to support their mental and emotional health.
This sounds very difficult, but it also sounds like you're dealing with it in an excellent way. Do you think you are learning anything about the ways in which their systems to support mental health differ from those in place in similar institutions in the US?
Week Four: What challenges and/or difficulties have you encountered and how did you go about resolving them? Speak to a specific challenge you have encountered and some of the ways that you tackled the problem.
I have had a pretty big problem with the language barrier - I can't really talk to people, so it is hard to make friends, and it is difficult if I'm lost. I had to deliver some messages for my work, and I got mega lost looking for the building where I was supposed to deliver the message. I couldn't read the street signs, and the two people I encountered (two men working for a moving company) could only speak French! I took Spanish in school, but that wasn't much useful... but I worked it out through a complicated series of hand gestures, a partially-working Google Translate app, and a lot of smiling and nodding. It was nice to feel a connection between these people and myself that overshadowed even the language barrier. I have also been teaching myself some short French phrases - just things like "where is the bathroom" and "can i have this, please?" The most useful one has been "Merci" or "Pardon" when I bump into someone on the train.
My research advisor is really flexible, so I typically work Monday-Thursday from roughly 9 AM to 4:30 PM (but this is VERY flexible). However, this past Monday was the Bank Holiday in Ireland, so I had a longer weekend. :) But my typical day mostly consists of independent research - looking up articles, reviewing them, taking notes, etc. Several times a week I will meet with my research advisor to check-in and she will offer some advice and guidance on next-steps and research strategy. Additionally, since I am working at a mental health charity, there are numerous volunteering opportunities and events- so if I want a little research break I will help one of my colleagues with preparing for these events.
Around 11 AM everyday, everyone in the office stops work and sits down in the break room for tea time, where we discuss just about anything ranging from the finale of Succession to what mental health work we are currently working on. Roughly around 1 PM I will have my lunch break. Since the Mental Health Ireland HQ is located in Dun Laoghaire, it is right along the coast, so I will often take a walk along the coast for my lunch break.
Additionally, at Mental Health Ireland they are really big proponents of Co-Production, so at every stage of the development of mental health campaigns, programs, research, etc. they consult those that it directly impact, those with lived experience. They really emphasize doing research with others, not for others. So, I am currently involved in a handful of Co-Production groups that I meet with periodically to review and discuss my colleague's work.
Also, since the office is along the coast, we have a really nice view of the coast from the office (I often get distracted looking out)
Photos of Dun Laoghaire/Mental Health Ireland HQ: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LuLrQcJLv115Diag8
This is amazing! Outside of working hours, do you meet up with your co-workers and travel around?
Week Three: What does a typical day look like this summer? Aside from a narrative description, upload a photo, video and/or other media submission!
I wake up, take the Paris Metro (40 min, two trains, plus some walking...) to the American Library in Paris. I arrive and receive a project - usually, something to do with donor outreach, or updating the newsletter, or researching upcoming art-related events. I work, then take a break at 1 or so to walk to a boulangerie to buy the most interesting-looking sandwich I can find. Then I head back and keep working until around 5, when I leave and head to Reid Hall to continue working or to attend the ongoing events (some examples: a talk with artist Anselm Richter, a book launch, a concert!). I meet some people in the Columbia Neuroscience program for dinner, or I go for a jog and stop at a crepe place along the way. I get back to my dorm and read one of the four books I have checked out from the library at the moment, and then I fall asleep (way too late!). The weekends are mostly spent at museums (up next this weekend: Picasso, the Pompidou, and maybe the Petit Palais if I have time). Here's a photo of me on the way back from the library, waiting for the bus next to the Eiffel Tower:
If your project connects with your research from last summer, explain the ways in which in which it picks up on themes, issues, or questions that are important to you. How are you expanding on your project from last summer? How is your understanding of this topic evolving?
My project continues the themes of settler colonialism, injustice and connection to land that my project last summer focussed on, but applies it to the present day. It is continuing to answer the question I have of how settler colonialism still impacts Indigenous communities. But, rather than looking specifically of the role of literature in telling us about the history of settler colonialism, I am instead looking at what legal cases show us about the current continuation of settler colonialism. My understanding of this topic is subsequently evolving. Though I know about how settler colonialism continues to impact First Nations peoples in Australia, my knowledge of how unjust the Australian legal system is towards Indigenous Australians is growing with every day I go into work.
Do you think that the narrative of present-day discrimination towards Indigenous Australians is acknowledged in a similar or different way to the U.S. understanding of discrimination towards the Indigenous people of America?
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Week Six:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19BfNjixPXeR0Ao2KVkyAs7x-sthjFBV5/view?usp=sharing
Week Four:
What challenges and/or difficulties have you encountered and how did you go about resolving them? Speak to a specific challenge you have encountered and some of the ways that you tackled the problem.
There haven't been specific challenges that I've encountered with my day to day work, but related to the content of my work, it has been extremely enlightening to fill in my knowledge gaps on the US criminal justice system. It's hard to learn all the ins and outs of it in two months, so I have tried to read books/articles on re-entry and court-related matters. Reading has been helpful and I've immediately learned a lot about the challenges of prison re-entry and the impact of judging on sentencing. I've also reached out to others that work here to learn about specific topics, which has helped a lot—talking to them has made it easier to digest the books/articles.
Week Five:
What new skills and/or knowledge have you gained from your summer experience? Have you met anyone who has been instrumental in shaping/helping you conduct your project? Briefly, how has this person impacted you? What have you learned about leadership from this individual, and how might it influence your actions, work, and self in the future?
I've learned a lot about criminal justice and the many actors involved, including the government, nonprofits, researchers, and more. My supervisor connected me with the Publisher of the Marshall Project, who I interviewed for WKCR 89.9FM. I have also been connected to other organizations in New York in the criminal justice space; I have been looking into tutoring for Petey Greene, a non-profit that helps incarcerated individuals. Though these are external actors/activities to my work, they are helping me learn about criminal justice and what it looks like in the real world.
This sounds incredible! Do you plan to stay involved with the same organizations during the school year, or are you interested in founding your own branches of these programs at Columbia?
Week Five:
What new skills and/or knowledge have you gained from your summer experience? Have you met anyone who has been instrumental in shaping/helping you conduct your project? Briefly, how has this person impacted you? What have you learned about leadership from this individual, and how might it influence your actions, work, and self in the future?
On the practical side, I have learned to work with a lot of different programs in new ways (including but not limited to Polaris, a library site; Raiser's Edge, a finance site; Adobe InDesign; YouTube; Instagram; and Blackbaud, a general organization site). I have also learned a lot about how a real nonprofit functions - it requires a lot of intercommunication to make sure things don't get done twice or not done at all. I have been working a lot with the head of Events, who is not technically my boss but who has been offering me a lot of advice on getting work done (do it early in case you make mistakes and have to go back!), on working in a library (the patrons come first, as do the donors) and on life in Paris in general (don't take the train after 11pm because they don't come as frequently). I think that her advice has taught me that leadership is very site-specific, and it can't really be taught; you just have to absorb knowledge from others and be willing to pass it on. There is no such thing as "general leadership skills" except being polite, patient, and a clear speaker.
Week Four:
What challenges and/or difficulties have you encountered and how did you go about resolving them? Speak to a specific challenge you have encountered and some of the ways that you tackled the problem.
One challenge I have encountered so far is maintaining my mental health while dealing with the subject matter I see every day. Something we discuss a lot in the office is vicarious trauma, and how interacting with clients and learning about their traumas can negatively impact our own mental health. This is a problem I am currently facing, and though I have not completely tackled the issue, I have learnt how to cope better with the feelings I experience after interacting with clients and reading over files. A lot of the cases I read tend to be about substance abuse, sexual assault and family violence, which are all very heavy topics, and I have noticed that calling clients dealing with these issues and learning about the perpetual injustices faced by First Nations people on a daily basis does affect me mentally. The way I am learning to manage it is by taking breaks from work when I need to and talking to people at the office about it, as well as venting to my family when I need to. Talking to other people at VALS has been really beneficial to tackle this problem as they have all gone through it too, and the people still working there are the ones that have robust systems in place to support their mental and emotional health.
This sounds very difficult, but it also sounds like you're dealing with it in an excellent way. Do you think you are learning anything about the ways in which their systems to support mental health differ from those in place in similar institutions in the US?
Week Four:
What challenges and/or difficulties have you encountered and how did you go about resolving them? Speak to a specific challenge you have encountered and some of the ways that you tackled the problem.
I have had a pretty big problem with the language barrier - I can't really talk to people, so it is hard to make friends, and it is difficult if I'm lost. I had to deliver some messages for my work, and I got mega lost looking for the building where I was supposed to deliver the message. I couldn't read the street signs, and the two people I encountered (two men working for a moving company) could only speak French! I took Spanish in school, but that wasn't much useful... but I worked it out through a complicated series of hand gestures, a partially-working Google Translate app, and a lot of smiling and nodding. It was nice to feel a connection between these people and myself that overshadowed even the language barrier. I have also been teaching myself some short French phrases - just things like "where is the bathroom" and "can i have this, please?" The most useful one has been "Merci" or "Pardon" when I bump into someone on the train.
Week 3:
My research advisor is really flexible, so I typically work Monday-Thursday from roughly 9 AM to 4:30 PM (but this is VERY flexible). However, this past Monday was the Bank Holiday in Ireland, so I had a longer weekend. :) But my typical day mostly consists of independent research - looking up articles, reviewing them, taking notes, etc. Several times a week I will meet with my research advisor to check-in and she will offer some advice and guidance on next-steps and research strategy. Additionally, since I am working at a mental health charity, there are numerous volunteering opportunities and events- so if I want a little research break I will help one of my colleagues with preparing for these events.
Around 11 AM everyday, everyone in the office stops work and sits down in the break room for tea time, where we discuss just about anything ranging from the finale of Succession to what mental health work we are currently working on. Roughly around 1 PM I will have my lunch break. Since the Mental Health Ireland HQ is located in Dun Laoghaire, it is right along the coast, so I will often take a walk along the coast for my lunch break.
Additionally, at Mental Health Ireland they are really big proponents of Co-Production, so at every stage of the development of mental health campaigns, programs, research, etc. they consult those that it directly impact, those with lived experience. They really emphasize doing research with others, not for others. So, I am currently involved in a handful of Co-Production groups that I meet with periodically to review and discuss my colleague's work.
Also, since the office is along the coast, we have a really nice view of the coast from the office (I often get distracted looking out)
Photos of Dun Laoghaire/Mental Health Ireland HQ: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LuLrQcJLv115Diag8
This is amazing! Outside of working hours, do you meet up with your co-workers and travel around?
Week Three:
What does a typical day look like this summer? Aside from a narrative description, upload a photo, video and/or other media submission!
I wake up, take the Paris Metro (40 min, two trains, plus some walking...) to the American Library in Paris. I arrive and receive a project - usually, something to do with donor outreach, or updating the newsletter, or researching upcoming art-related events. I work, then take a break at 1 or so to walk to a boulangerie to buy the most interesting-looking sandwich I can find. Then I head back and keep working until around 5, when I leave and head to Reid Hall to continue working or to attend the ongoing events (some examples: a talk with artist Anselm Richter, a book launch, a concert!). I meet some people in the Columbia Neuroscience program for dinner, or I go for a jog and stop at a crepe place along the way. I get back to my dorm and read one of the four books I have checked out from the library at the moment, and then I fall asleep (way too late!). The weekends are mostly spent at museums (up next this weekend: Picasso, the Pompidou, and maybe the Petit Palais if I have time). Here's a photo of me on the way back from the library, waiting for the bus next to the Eiffel Tower:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QeaD7iMZ12sgV1CttqQEx6f746f6EEuz/view?usp=sharing
Week Two:
If your project connects with your research from last summer, explain the ways in which in which it picks up on themes, issues, or questions that are important to you. How are you expanding on your project from last summer? How is your understanding of this topic evolving?
My project continues the themes of settler colonialism, injustice and connection to land that my project last summer focussed on, but applies it to the present day. It is continuing to answer the question I have of how settler colonialism still impacts Indigenous communities. But, rather than looking specifically of the role of literature in telling us about the history of settler colonialism, I am instead looking at what legal cases show us about the current continuation of settler colonialism. My understanding of this topic is subsequently evolving. Though I know about how settler colonialism continues to impact First Nations peoples in Australia, my knowledge of how unjust the Australian legal system is towards Indigenous Australians is growing with every day I go into work.
Do you think that the narrative of present-day discrimination towards Indigenous Australians is acknowledged in a similar or different way to the U.S. understanding of discrimination towards the Indigenous people of America?