The Social Transformation Fellowship has taught me about the logistics of creating a large-scale social change project, and the cooperation and support it takes from so many others (individuals and organizations). I learned the specifics of budgeting, the significance of learning from relevant stakeholders, and the importance of networking.
It was incredible to work with peers who are also so driven to create social change, and I think being around people with similar determination is invaluable. I learned from my peers and implemented their advice into my project, and hearing about their respective projects each week was genuinely motivating.
Even though I’d had experience with community engagement practices, the workshops really helped me frame my own project through the lens of effective community engagement and were extremely useful in order to construct the different components of my project.
Having professional guidance was also extremely helpful to my project. Fatema was great in answering all of my partner, and I’s questions and had great insight into what elements we might want to change or ways to improve our existing ideas. This kind of mentorship really helped me to build comprehensive, inclusive, and achievable project goals.
Overall, my greatest takeaway from the STF Fellowship is that it really does take a village in order to build on these ideas and make them a reality. The support and advice I’ve received from my peers and mentors have been invaluable to me not just for my project but have taught me that an idea may be yours, but it takes a community to become a reality.
By, Emma Cordova, Camelin McKay
