My name is Lilith, and I’m a rising senior in the Newcomb Scholars Program doing a dual degree in Social Policy and Practice, Political Science and Studio Art, as well as doing a minor is Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship (SISE). Born in Germany, and raised in Seattle, I showed up in New Orleans for the very first time on Move-in Day. It has been a bumpy ride, but I have fallen madly in love with New Orleans, and hope to stick around for some years following graduation.
What brought me to New Orleans was my passion for incarceration policy, and what has made me want to stay is the work I have been able to do with Amy Fottrell, Brendan Lyman and Jess Roberts, three students I met in my social policy class my freshman year. All angered by the challenges facing those reentering after prison, we founded Roots of Renewal, a holistic community development nonprofit, dedicated to the reintegration of young adults returning to their neighborhoods. Our first program, Brick by Brick, is a work-training program for formerly incarcerated young adults in which, over three months, participants learn construction skills by renovating a blighted home in the Central City neighborhood.
Although I have been working with this organization for the last two and a half years, this summer I will be taking on a new role as the Opportunities Coordinator, which is my dream job! Over the next months I will be spending much of my time networking with other local organizations and collective action initiatives (such as EMPLOY) to build stronger relationships and develop potential pathways for the young men we work with. After having finished our first cohort in January, we are also doing a lot of preparation for our next round, including refining our business model. Likewise, our team will be working on strategic planning to see where we are, where we want to be in the next year, and the years after. Personally over the summer I want to focus on more effective communication and personal advocacy to create an awesome work environment, as well as thoroughly develop my new ~*amazing*~ role as the Opportunities Coordinator!
Our program, which uses construction as a means to develop technical, professional and personal skills in young men in New Orleans may not be the first place one would expect to find a predominantly female staff. However, in our time, the women on our staff have found it very empowering to break into a male-dominated business (although frustrating and intimidating at times), as well as important. In working with young men everyday on a construction site over the three months of our program, I found that it also presented our krewe with new perspectives on women in the business and in the working world. Further, as a young woman, being a part of the leadership of a nonprofit challenges me and pushes my leadership skills every day.
While my internship officially “starts” on June 4th, our staff have been busy bees. I just finished up with the 11 service learners that I had, half of whom were working on fundraising with me, and the others who were surveying in Central City using Poverty Stoplight, a surveying method from our partnership organization Fundacion Paraguaya, which aims to connect households with resources that are lacking. Since our cohort’s graduation, I have also been keeping in touch with participants and we will be having a reunion next week. I cannot wait to see all the guys together again!
Working with Roots has honestly been one of the most impactful and important experiences in my life, and has made me fall in love with this city and the people within it. While I miss being on the work site every day, surrounded by great guys and wonderful neighbors, I am so excited to bring in our next cohort over the next months, and make the experience even more positive for them.
