BRODY BOWL
When I was a Resident Assistant, I was on a committee of other RA's who put on the annual Brody Bowl event. Throughout the year, we have a points system where residents can attend events or donate small items (i.e. pencils and water bottles) to earn points for their building. Each building also has its own mascot as well as its own color.
The Brody Bowl event is a year-end culmination that includes neighborhood partners, sports tournaments, tie dye, games, and is generally a stress relief for all of Brody neighborhood (six buildings) just before finals week. As a founding member of this committee, I have worked each year in various roles. I have planned logistics, contacted partners, balanced the budget (upwards to $6,000), and acted as an undergraduate advisor to the group as a whole. Each year our attendance has gone up, starting from 200-300 students circulating throughout the day to 500+. Alongside this growth, Brody Bowl encompassed a wider variety of activities and intricacies. With the feedback of the planning committee as well as residents, we have been able to revamp the event each year in order to better serve our community. Our vision is that all of Brody will be united and feel like they have a place on the larger campus. Watching everyone interact the day-of, whether it is the volleyball teams playing each other or the residents who paint the large "Leave Your Mark" banner and end up talking for the first time, we are successful each year. |
BLACKOUT DAY
blackout day was a 24 initiative I did on my floor (about 50 residents). Starting Sunday night, I went into the community bathroom and put black paper on all of the mirrors, writing inspirational quotes as well as alarming statistics about body image and eating disorders. On the white board, I explained that for 24 hours, all of the mirrors would be blocked off to encourage each individual to reflect upon how often they use the mirror and for what purpose. I asked that all of the black butcher paper to be kept up until 8 PM the following Monday. (I was pleasantly surprised that no one had ripped it down in a fit of frustration.)
Monday at 8 PM, the floor-wide event occurred. I ordered baked goods and provided crafts, and at least 20 residents came to eat and enjoy the space. It was easy to talk to residents about the impact of having the mirrors blocked off, which led to other conversations regarding body image and personal reflections. Throughout the week, I continued to have residents come and talk about the impact of the paper on the mirrors and what they realized when they read some of the statistics. The event was successful in that residents remembered it, and education was snuck into engaging visuals.
Monday at 8 PM, the floor-wide event occurred. I ordered baked goods and provided crafts, and at least 20 residents came to eat and enjoy the space. It was easy to talk to residents about the impact of having the mirrors blocked off, which led to other conversations regarding body image and personal reflections. Throughout the week, I continued to have residents come and talk about the impact of the paper on the mirrors and what they realized when they read some of the statistics. The event was successful in that residents remembered it, and education was snuck into engaging visuals.
"GET CONNECTED" AT EDGEWOOD
During my time at Edgewood United Church, I served as the Communications Intern. While I came in thinking I would be running social media as an outreach tool, it quickly became clear that there was much work to be done with internal communications and understanding of the tools at hand before any campus outreach was possible. I interacted with the Communications Task Force in order to put a few things in place, particularly to centralize the communication from the many task forces, committees, teams, and councils to the congregation, to each other, and to the wider community.
The result was setting up relatively straightforward Google Forms to streamline information to the Members Only webpage as well as get into the newsletters that were regularly printed and emailed out. There are some Edgewood members who are very tech-savvy, but a majority of them are ages 65+ and struggle when using new technology. We had a Saturday blocked off where all of the church leadership--staff and volunteers--gathered together to learn about the new avenues. I ran this section of the training day, and within a couple months, we also had a "Get Connected" Sunday where members and friends could come and receive individual help and attention for the various platforms Edgewood is on.
Throughout this process, I redefined the role of the intern to take on more responsibilities and have more autonomy within the role.
The result was setting up relatively straightforward Google Forms to streamline information to the Members Only webpage as well as get into the newsletters that were regularly printed and emailed out. There are some Edgewood members who are very tech-savvy, but a majority of them are ages 65+ and struggle when using new technology. We had a Saturday blocked off where all of the church leadership--staff and volunteers--gathered together to learn about the new avenues. I ran this section of the training day, and within a couple months, we also had a "Get Connected" Sunday where members and friends could come and receive individual help and attention for the various platforms Edgewood is on.
Throughout this process, I redefined the role of the intern to take on more responsibilities and have more autonomy within the role.