Katie Healy, Johnson Intern

T.G.I.F.

While most people welcome Friday as the end of the work week, for Johnson Interns it marks the beginning of a new partnership with Public Allies of North Carolina. Public Allies is a secular, non-profit organization established in 1992 for the “advancement of young leaders to strengthen communities, non-profits, and civic participation.” Members of this national Americorps program are placed with local non-profits throughout the Triangle area and come together on Fridays for workshops in community building. Each Friday morning Chris, Katie, Marsha, Sarah, and Tim all pile into Chris' 'brand new' 1989 Nissan Sentra and head to a leadership training session in Durham. Provided no breakdown, we arrive at 9 a.m. and meet up with 14 Public Allies for a full day of presentations on topics such as communication and problem-solving, volunteer coordination and appreciation, working with youth, or why Chris' sense of humor consistently fails to meet any acceptable standard of quality. OK, well maybe not the latter part, but the point is that the voice each Ally or Johnson Intern brings to the training session is just as important as the presentations being given by local civic leaders. Public Allies strives to create a community where “people of different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences can work together and share responsibility for improving their own lives and the lives of those around them.” As a faith-based program, the Johnson Interns contribute to this diversity and create a forum within the training sessions for collaboration between religious and secular programs in social justice work.

In the spring, interns will take what we've learned on Fridays and apply it to a Team Service Project, where, with guidance from Chapel of the Cross parishioners, we will seek to provide a service or create a program that meets a need within the community. The interns are very excited to be involved in the first year of this partnership between Public Allies and the Johnson Intern Program. We thank the Chapel of the Cross and Mary Agnes Rawlings for this incredible opportunity. Please feel free to catch any of us after Sunday services to find out more about this promising collaboration!