Overview
This past week I worked to finalize a nomination for KIM Association. Salvatore at KIM Association has been a co educator with Loyola University John Felice Rome Center (JFRC) students for several years. The community partner co educator award is given to a non-profit community organization that creates an educational environment for Loyola students. As the most recent intern at KIM, I had the opportunity to nominate my supervisor for this award.
Challenges
The idea to complete this nomination came after our first COVID-19 update in Rome. At this time, our school was still in session in Rome. Since then, there have of course been so many things that have changed. We moved out of Rome, I had to say goodbye to the kids at KIM. I have been through a bunch of challenges. Many of which I will talk about in a later post.
Resolutions
The only way to get past such a big change so quickly is to start working. I am grateful for my time at KIM. I learned so much about what it is to be a strong non-profit that changes people's lives every day. I learned how to work cross-culturally, and in another language. I worked to write about this in KIM's nomination. I had such limited time at KIM, and yet it is the community lunches, afternoon coffees, and time playing games with the kids led me to believe in their mission. I tried to express within this nomination how much KIM felt like home to everyone who lived and worked there. How, on my first day, I was told: "Welcome to the family".
I remember one of our first conversations in our internship course was about managing the divide between work and family, especially in Italy. Although the people at KIM never quite became family, I know KIM would have felt like a second home if I were there for the full time. That's what makes a strong non-profit; The ability to welcome in all people, no matter their background, and give them a safe space to call home. The nomination was a great way to reflect on my educational experience at KIM. I can't wait to continue working with KIM remotely in the upcoming weeks.
Learning Objective Progress
My time working at KIM in person helped me to grow and learn about learning objective three.
3. Demonstrate increased knowledge of international non-profit relations.
I now have a greater understanding of the role of the KIM association in relation to the United States and to Italy.