Intern Spotlight: Seema Reddy
As the fall semester gets underway, it’s time for students and non-students alike to consider anew how to best commit our time and how to most effectively make change in our communities. If you find yourself supporting peace and justice events sporadically throughout the year, why not make the jump to being a volunteer so we can draw on your skills and talents in a more impactful way?? AFSC’s Peacebuilding Program could not exist without the contributions of committed volunteers and interns. To better highlight these contributions, we will be featuring volunteers and interns in this blog throughout the year.
Today’s intern is Seema Reddy.
Seema began interning with AFSC back in April. She works on a flexible time frame around her work schedule based on the needs of the program. Seema participated in the counter-demonstrations when the Westboro Baptist Church came to town in the spring and will surely be involved in other AFSC events in the future. However, she mostly works behind-the-scenes to increase the program’s capacity and efficiency. She has helped organize the office, do data entry, and run errands. One of her main projects thus far has been to increase the effectiveness of this blog. She set up analytics on the blog to help us track where most of our viewers were finding out about it, so we could reach more people.
Seema became interested in AFSC’s work after meeting Tim Franzen and hearing about the Movement to End Israeli Apartheid and the Student Career Alternatives Program. When asked about her motivation to get more involved, she responded that she’d always been aware of the issues but didn’t become active until she realized Tim’s work was a “good way to live” and got inspired to get involved. Seema looks forward to the work to come and hopes to gain some things as well, like techy know-how and connections with people with similar values. During our interview, Seema commented that she was really impressed by the young people in Atlanta and that her favorite part of volunteering with AFSC so far has been meeting young people that are already so eager to be involved and open to ideas. Thank you, Seema, for all your work!
It’s that easy to volunteer! You’ve got skills, and we need ‘em! The Peacebuilding Program has many components and many needs.
- You can table at a local high school with SCAP to provide non-military options for high schoolers to consider after graduation. All it takes is a one-time training session, and we provide all the resources.
- We are always on the lookout for artists and musicians of all sorts to help out at events and fundraisers.
- Are you computer-savvy or graphic-design-savvy? Help create our posters and pamphlets.
- We need promotional people organizing via internet and on the ground to help keep momentum rolling on various projects, from the SCAP Art Contest to the MLK Justice Tour.
- You can join one of the four "Be the Change" committees to help combat the education crisis in Georgia--legislation, art, direct action, or media.
If you’d like to make a contribution to AFSC’s work through volunteering or interning, please contact Tim at TFranzen@afsc.org or Erica at erica.scap@gmail.com.
Erica Schoon
American Friends Service Committee
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