September Blog Post

September

This past month has been pretty busy: college essays to work on, scholarships to apply to, schoolwork to fulfill...but nonetheless, I've made time to learn more about my topic and do some hands-on activities with the organization I'm volunteering at.

Native American Ceremonial Staff donated by
local Native American community. 

Recently, our organization took a trip to a local farm (at Pomona college) where we helped with various tasks, such as: planting, weeding, tilling the soil, and doing a little bit of harvesting from last season's crop.

It was really nice to see so many people come out and be willing to help. With this type of effort, we were done in under two hours.

Recently, Uncommon Good witnessed the completion of a new office building for it's staff members as well as the community. The build was amazing. Instead of using a conventional stick-frame design, the architectural firm in charge of the project, CEDG (Claremont Environmental Design Group) used...older building techniques. The office is constructed entirely out earth, more than 50% of which was already on-site. By using methods such as cooling chimneys, thermal mass, natural lighting,  and grey water systems, the building is immensely eco-friendly and cheap to maintain. What's more is that the community helped in the actual building process.

Native artwork on the walls of Uncommon Good's
New office building.

Thus far, I've learned a couple of important things about non-profit work and keeping a non-profit organization in order. First off, because non-profits financially rely on donations and fundraising, a good public image must be maintained. Websites should be updated frequently and public relations should be handled with care. Secondly, although government sponsorship can be good, it is wise to be wary, because things can turn bureaucratic pretty quickly.

I plan to expand my borders by volunteering at other non-profit organizations so that I may learn not just about community-aid and environmental foundations, but also about others, such as health and legal-aid non-profit foundations.

Second Interview Questions

Second Interview

1. My mentor is Carlos Carrillo
   
2. Questions I will ask:
1. What type of family were you born into?
2. Where did you go to college and did you enjoy it?
3. What types of friends did you have and did they help you through school?
4. What is the most important skill you've acquired?
5. Which accomplishment(s) of yours are you most proud of?

Blog 5 Project Reflection and Working EQ

Pentagon

1) One positive thing that has happened as a result of the research I've done is that I've become more knowledgeable about non-profit organizations. Prior to researching, all I knew was that they weren't profit oriented and that their main goal was to help the community/people. I am now familiar with the inner-workings of a non profit organization and the many types of non-profits there are out there.

2) "The Open University Launches New Creative Learning Initiative" This article really put into perspective just how much a non-profit organization can accomplish. The "Open University" is a massive online database where students and other scholars can share information and learn for free. This is amazing to me because it provides and excellent education for no cost at all.

3) One of thing that has worked out for me/my senior project has been the summer mentorship. Direct/ hands on work has definitely helped me understand what one does at the office of a non-profit organization and how it differs from the activities performed in the office of a profit-oriented company.

4) The only thing that hasn't really worked for me so far is the way I do research. Eventually, I'll find something interesting and relevant, but I just feel that it takes way too long to get to that point. I'd like to hone my researching skills to the point where I can find what I'm looking for almost right away.

5) a) A question I might want to study this year (as a working EQ) could be: What are the fundamentals for success when working with a non-profit organization?
b) I'm not 100% sure of where I'd like to mentor, but I'm thinking that a non-profit law firm or a non- profit news organization would be the most adequate.