What is LINK?
At Animas High School, juniors have a 3 week period in which we are out of school, getting real world experience. Over the course of these 3 weeks, students work and gain experience interning at a business that they choose. At the end of this, each student does a project the utilizes all of the skills they have learned.
The Hive
I spent these three weeks at a local non profit called The Hive. The Hive is a sober community space for all ages with an indoor skatepark, art room, and frequent events. The Hive's mission statement is, "To provide an inclusive, safe space for youth and community members to develop and discover their true selves by providing passion-based exploration through creative expression, mentorship and leadership opportunities." More can be learned at https://www.thehivedgo.org/
Reflection
Throughout my 3 week internship, I learned the importance of time management when working for yourself. I did my internship through The Hive, and this was almost entirely focused on my project. The project was to organize a fundraiser for Cyrus Lewis, a fellow junior who suffered a broken neck, putting him in a wheelchair, in November 2021 in a skiing accident. The event itself took place on Friday, May 20th and consisted of a viewing party for skiing, snowboarding, or any other action sports videos created by locals, and a raffle. I designed posters/flyers to advertise the event and to get submissions while learning about social networking to get the word out. Another major piece of my internship was gaining experience with non profit organizations, as every job I have had leading up to this has been at either restaurants or retail establishments. I was able to see the process of organizing fundraisers and programs.
In addition I was part of a meeting to design a role playing summer camp with a similar playing style to Dungeons and Dragons, but in real life. We brainstormed characters and stories for this that would highlight a social issue and offer a solution. This process was something very different from my previous work experience because I have usually had a task to do rather than playing a role in designing my own schedule and creating those tasks myself. It was very beneficial to have this experience because it made me realize that I feel much better and productive when I have this freedom, but I do not yet have the experience and skills to fully utilize this. There were definitely times when I did not know what to be working on and because my schedule didn’t have me in person for much of the time, I know I could have been more productive. This said however, when I got started on something, I wouldn’t stop until it was done as well as I could. Having something to show for my effort is huge for motivation and I don’t generally get that from school, but when I am doing something that I love to do and for a very good cause, I am much more motivated.
The event went as well as I could have hoped for and we raised the most amount of money in the history of The Hive at $1200 in just over an hour. It was a very meaningful and touching experience for many people who had not seen Cyrus since his accident, and a very beneficial welcome home, as he had not been in Durango.
In addition I was part of a meeting to design a role playing summer camp with a similar playing style to Dungeons and Dragons, but in real life. We brainstormed characters and stories for this that would highlight a social issue and offer a solution. This process was something very different from my previous work experience because I have usually had a task to do rather than playing a role in designing my own schedule and creating those tasks myself. It was very beneficial to have this experience because it made me realize that I feel much better and productive when I have this freedom, but I do not yet have the experience and skills to fully utilize this. There were definitely times when I did not know what to be working on and because my schedule didn’t have me in person for much of the time, I know I could have been more productive. This said however, when I got started on something, I wouldn’t stop until it was done as well as I could. Having something to show for my effort is huge for motivation and I don’t generally get that from school, but when I am doing something that I love to do and for a very good cause, I am much more motivated.
The event went as well as I could have hoped for and we raised the most amount of money in the history of The Hive at $1200 in just over an hour. It was a very meaningful and touching experience for many people who had not seen Cyrus since his accident, and a very beneficial welcome home, as he had not been in Durango.