The Iantern (Or What I've Learned Working In A Non-Profit For The 1st Month)

I was an Iantern once before for Volunteer Services Board (a now defunct organization at school that is now Get Involved) and I worked sometimes hard, but I didn't get as much out of it as I needed to because I was unsure of what to do and how to do it. I chalk that up as a learning experience, but that was 3 or so years ago and I kind of had a lot going on. Now with jobs as my main focus for the summer and a clear idea of what to do, I am able to understand my roles as an Intern or Iantern with a non-profit, the Self-Advocacy Leadership Network. The Self-Advocacy Leadership Network or SALN for short, is a state-wide non-profit that focuses on helping people understand their roles as a self-advocate. Some of my roles have been a project manager, helping out with computer-related items, giving personal calls to people, attending meetings and events on the weekends, meeting individuals of high importance that are behind what we do, and creating better bonds with the board, among other things. Some things are learning experiences, like the ethical decisions on what to do when someone is out-of-sorts over something that was done or when I have been trying to ethically be authentic with the calls at high-stress times. There hopefully will be future interns from U of I, Boise State, and Idaho State, and each of them will bring different things to the table. My communication values and communication piece changes dramatically the landscape of SALN and their help with what needs to get done for everything is a variant that I can make over the summer and it gives me some cred when I look to become an officer in the winter. People are flawed, so there is going to be conflict, but it's trying to foresee what to do with the conflict and handling it well that changes what landscape I have yet to do and what people are still trying to piece out for the future landscape. As someone with autism and a long-time future officer hopefully, I can't imagine someone better for the Internship of SALN. Next week's blog: the top 10 accomplishments volume 1 of 3