I have found the culture within Hope Village Revitalization and in the surrounding Hope Village community to be friendly and welcoming to each other and outsiders. My coworkers have cultivated the most comfortable and supportive environment where I always feel competent and capable. I am the youngest person at my workplace, but my coworkers have never talked down to me or assumed that I was unable to do anything because I am younger and less experienced with community work. The members of the community are always excited to meet me and hear about my work with HVR. They are so grateful to the organization for all that we do for them and the opportunities we provide. I can see that the community is close-knit and loving, as everyone knows each other very well. I must say that I do feel like an outsider sometimes, which is a bit unavoidable when you are working somewhere new, especially when you’re working within a community you are not from. It has been really interesting and a valuable experience to observe the culture of Hope Village as someone who grew up within a more rural and less diverse culture.
3 thoughts on “Week 4”
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Hi Jillian,
It sounds like HVR has done a lot of good work building a positive reputation and a rapport with the community. As you alluded to, feeling like an outsider is natural and probably preferable to getting too comfortable in someone else’s space. It serves as a reminder of who community work is for.
Hey Jillian,
I am glad that you have been having a positive experience interacting with everyone at your organization. I think feeling like an outsider, or having imposter syndrome, is inevitable when you are coming into an unfamiliar and already established space. But it seems like everyone has been supportive of you and I am sure they are excited to have you on board. Those feelings will probably falter with time hopefully.
Hi Jill!
I am so glad that yo are enjoying the people at your work place. It is so great that they support you and you guys enjoy each others company. I would love to hear more about what you do at your site and about the farmers market