Grace Canny, Senior Politics major, shares about their internship with the Blue Mountain Action Council’s Commitment to Community Program in Walla Walla, WA
“Hi! My name is Grace Canny, I am a rising Senior majoring in Politics, and this summer I have been interning with Blue Mountain Action Council’s Commitment to Community program here in Walla Walla.
One of my main tasks this summer is to help collect stories from neighbors across C2C’s three target neighborhoods, to understand their feelings about engaging in their neighborhood and get a sense of what needs C2C can help address. The topics discussed in each interview can range from uplifting to heart wrenching, and I feel very honored to be included in such an intimate and meaningful project. We will schedule an interview with a neighbor at a time that works for them and we usually meet in their home so they feel more comfortable. I will be the notetaker, and one of my supervisors will be interviewing, with a recording device to capture any other missed details.
From the recording and my own interview notes I am tasked with creating a written summary of the interview based around our 6 standard questions. We often meet with neighbors who speak Spanish, and so I have been able to practice my Spanish listening skills when writing the summaries. C2C’s goal is to collect about 30 stories from neighbors and identify some common themes across the neighborhoods, as well as notice trends within any given neighborhood. Sometimes after each interview, we identify some needs an interviewee may have pointed out, and try to brainstorm some ways we could help.
I really value how the interviewing process has introduced me to other community members in Walla Walla. My role as a member of this community can feel very temporary, and it can be challenging to insert oneself into both the college environment and the greater community within four years. Since moving to Walla Walla, I have missed this sort of connection that I had fostered in my hometown.
C2C also co-hosts community parties with the City of Walla Walla, and this has been another event that’s helped me make broader connections. Once a month, C2C, The City of Walla Walla, and many other organizations, along with community members gather to provide resources, perform outreach, and relax with each other in one of our public parks. There is live music, a DJ, free food, yard games, and Dilly bars for families to enjoy. At these events, I have been tasked with registering attendees, and it has been exciting to remember some familiar faces!
Besides feeling more connected to Walla Walla, I am grateful for the opportunity to be immersed in the careful and invigorating work of community organizing. More broadly, I am learning a lot about working inside a local non-profit like BMAC, which is what I would like to do after graduating Whitman next spring.”