Greetings Readers, Welcome to the Weekly Word Edition 3. The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of growth, collaboration, and authenticity as we came together for the annual retreat and workshop #3. The editorial staff is excited to feature intern reflections, bios, upcoming events, as well as recaps from the retreat and workshop #3 in this week’s newsletter. As always please feel free to send us your reflections, upcoming opportunities, helpful resources, and general musings on the nonprofit world. Much Love, Ashanti Gosha- Weekly Word Creator Lauren Martinez- Lead Designer Misha White- Content Editor
Crystal Camargo
University of Denver Graduate
Crystal is a recent graduate from the University of Denver (DU). This spring she received her B.A. in Gender & Women Studies (GWST), Spanish and International Studies with departmental distinction in GWST, and with the completion of her honors thesis. During her time at DU, Crystal served as the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar Chapter Coordinator, as well a Pioneer Initiative Outreach Visit Coordinator at the Center for Multicultural Excellence. She also studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Crystal’s future goal is to work for a nonprofit that strives to empower women or Latinas through education or media literacy. Currently, Crystal works as the Community Initiatives and Investment Intern at The Women’s Foundation of Colorado. She is excited for this opportunity to learn about the dynamics of a non-profit organization. Outside of the academic and professional world, Crystal enjoys traveling, reading, watching movies, having in-depth conversations, and spending time with family and friends. One word that describes Crystal is “curiosity”. She is often curious and is constantly thinking, observing, questioning and admiring her surroundings and interactions. Crystal’s favorite superhero is not one you can read in a comic book or see in any of the Marvel movies, as her favorite superhero is her dynamic duo parents. Crystal’s parents emigrated from Mexico and broke through cultural and linguistic barriers to provide their daughters with bright futures. Their decision afforded her many great opportunities and shaped who she is today.
Ashanti Gosha Colorado State University
Ashanti Gosha attends Colorado State University as an Ethnic Studies Major with a minor in French. She loves to explore the ways ethnic groups are treated in society, their role in their communities, and in the global community, and ways in which those groups fight the constraints placed on them. While at CSU she served as the treasure of Africans United, and enjoyed learning about various cultures via food, music, and conversations. This upcoming semester, she hopes to improve her French comprehension skills and learn about their customs as she studies abroad in Lyon, France. Ashanti’s superhero is her mom because “she works hard and, no matter how tough it gets, she remains a supportive woman who understand the importance of giving a helping hand”. One word that describes Ashanti is “indecisive”; with many interests she often finds it hard to commit to just one thing for long periods of time. Her hobbies include reading, learning French, listening to music, and relaxing through social media interaction. She serves as the Community Leadership Intern at The Denver Foundation, and hopes to gain a greater sense of leadership, teambuilding, and community involvement during the summer. In the future, she hopes to work with or create a nonprofit that helps uplift and encourage women of color, as well as traveling to France to continue her French studies.
Lauren Martinez Regis University
Lauren is the oldest of five children, and although it has its challenges, there’s nothing she enjoys more than sleepovers with her sisters and attending her siblings’ athletic games. In the summer, Lauren loves to go deep into the Rockies to fish, camp, and ride ATV’s with her family. When she is not in the Rockies, she enjoys spending time in the city trying new restaurants. Lauren considers herself an old soul depicting her favorite movie as “It’s A Wonderful Life” and considering Smokey Robinson and Santana to be her favorite artists. Her personal hero is her grandfather, Wayne Medina, because of his role in the lives of so many underrepresented youth that he has worked with for over 35 years. The word that describes Lauren best is “versatile” because of the adaptability she has learned throughout her life. Lauren uses her versatile nature to communicate in many different contexts. Lauren Martinez begins her senior year this year at Regis University majoring in Communication with a Sociology minor. Currently she is interning at The Denver Foundation as the Communications Intern. This priceless experience provides Lauren the opportunity to connect her communication skills to the unique needs of a nonprofit and philanthropy. After her 2016 graduation, Lauren plans to be a part of the nonprofit sector. Lauren has great hopes that her work will be meaningful, rewarding, and valuable to the team she joins.
Paloma Rodriguez Metro State University
Paloma is a business student at Metro State University. During the school year, Paloma runs her own Taekwondo business. She is also an apprentice at a Christian Urban Leadership program called Issachar and she volunteers at Save Our Youth, Hope Academy, and Christ Lutheran Church youth group. Working at these locations prepares her to run her own nonprofit geared towards helping at risk youth. After graduation, Paloma plans on moving to California to pursue her masters in Social Work at Azusa Pacific University. She currently interns at Heart and Hand Center where she works with kids all day, is a resource for families in need, and learns the behind the scenes work of a nonprofit. During her free time Paloma enjoys watching Netflix, eating chocolate, and kicking people in the head during Taekwondo competitions. Matching her high energy kicks is her love for the movie Mulan as she depicts Mulan as her favorite "superhero." Paloma views Mulan as cute, nice, and innocent, but she can beat someone up. A word that best describes Paloma is "fighter." Not just because that is what she does, but because how she shows up in life. Paloma never gives up, and will fight to make her dreams come true.
Talaya Banks
University of Northern Colorado
Talaya Banks is a rising sophomore at the University of Northern Colorado. She is currently studying Psychology and Anthropology. In her free time, she loves to watch Grey’s Anatomy, create vision boards, practice yoga, and have brunch with her sister and mom. Her favorite book, written by Sharon Draper, is Tears of a Tiger. On top of her free-time activities, Talaya is relentless about trying new things! When asked about her spirit animal, she compares herself to a caterpillar because of their plant diet and constant transformational state.
2015 Leadership Retreat “Examining Our Power, Advancing Equity for All, and Creating Expressions.”
Leadership Retreat
The first day of the intern retreat was an emotionally stirring experience as we supported each other through dyads, collaborated on terminology, and learned from the activities of the day.
We continued our growth on day two of the retreat as we learned about cross cultural communication, discussed creative expressions, walked with silent leadership, reflected with the cohort, and closed as a tightly connected community. We grew closer, stronger, and more aware during these two days and we cannot wait to continue our learning this summer. Behind tab 4 is an article written by Daniel Escalante, one of the wonderful facilitators, which describe terms in Latino communities. Please take the time to continue learning about racial equity by reading the article. Special thanks go out to our wonderful facilitators: Carla Mestas, Adrienne Mansanares, and Daniel Escalante. Big thanks to all the guest speakers who took time out of their busy schedules to attend. And lastly a big thanks to Ashanti Gosha for her attention to detail, thoughtfulness, and overall energy during the intern events.
NPIP Learning Workshop III
Last week’s workshop included profound presentations from Dr. Edie Moore Jr., and Dr. Abby Ferber, centered on privilege. Dr. Moore traced how far, as a culture, we have come with racism, privilege, and acceptance. This created conversations about who has power and how we can create lasting impact through small actions like student organizations and drawing attention to micro-aggression. The conversation connected back to our previous work focusing on transformational leaders as we explored whether we are born leaders or if we become leaders. To continue our learning Dr. Ferber began with an activity where we selected beads based on our privilege. The activity helped unpack our privileges and confront the advantages we have over others. We continued into conversation on micro-aggressions and what it means to be an ally. By the end of the workshop, we gained an understanding of the value of being an ally, acknowledging our own privilege, and speaking out against oppressive words and actions. We are now able to walk away with the confidence to question societal structures, and continue our work as inclusive leaders, breaking the cycle of oppression. Please take the time to read the articles enclosed behind tab 5. They reemphasize and shed further light on our learning in workshop 3 and throughout the summer. Some of the topics behind tab 5 include, but are not limited to: definitions, being an ally, daily effects of white privilege, gender inequality, and transformational leadership.
Site Visits
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On July 18th, the Hope Center will be having their 2015 Community Carnival from 11-4pm.
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On Monday, July 20th, at 9am, GrowHaus comes together with community members and volunteers to pack boxes with food for families in the community. At 10:00am a cooking class is taught and volunteers are welcome to sit in and participate in the food preparation. After all the boxes are set, then deliveries happen via bicycles. Please email Miguel at miguel@thegrowhaus.org to sign up for this wonderful opportunity and we hope to see you there!
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On August 1st - Denver Days is an initiative Mayor Michael B. Hancock created to help neighbors get to know neighbors and get involved with their communities. As part of this initiative, Ink Monstr & the Sun Valley Community Coalition Presents: The Sun Valley Community Block Party for the 3rd annual Denver Days! We cordially invite you to join us on Holden Place on August 1st from 12:00pm to 5:00pm for food, fun, games, and giveaways. We will provide a variety of family oriented activities such as a crafts table, live art demonstrations, yard games, music, jumping castles, food, drinks and back to school raffles.
Upcoming Events
NPIP Workshop IV
July 23, 2015 9:00am-3:00pm Vickers Boys and Girls Club East Entrance 3333 Holly St. Denver, CO 80207 For fun: August 1st- 9th Annual Youth Arts Festival
Barrett Elementary School Grounds
10:00am to 1:00pm
Hopscotch: It is a partnership between RedLine, Radian, and Mile High Connects and will feature Agustina Woodgate's installation of hopscotch in 7 different locations in the city. July 19 - Sunday
LOCATION: Sun Valley/Lincoln Park
ADDRESS: Fairview Elementary School - 2715 W 11th Ave, Denver, CO 80204
July 21 - Tuesday
LOCATION: Children's Museum
ADDRESS: 2121 Children's Museum Dr., Denver, CO 80211
July 22 - Wednesday
Final Location: Confluence Park
2250 15th Street, Denver, CO 80202