Foundations in Social Impact!
If there was one thing about high school I wanted to continue pursuing in college, it was working with community stakeholders to deepen my sense of place. To that end, Dartmouth Center for Social Impact (DCSI) aims to create meaningful connections between Dartmouth students and local organizations, enabling us to make a positive impact in the Upper Valley community. As a Foundations Scholar at DCSI, I have had the opportunity to develop my skills, passion, and action in tackling pressing social issues in our community.
I first became involved with DCSI during the "Winterim Impact Intensive Internship," where I worked on voting disenfranchisement in hometown Istanbul, Turkey (click here for more info on my Winter Break Internship!). This experience piqued my interest in social impact work, and I knew I wanted to continue my involvement with DCSI. That's why I applied to be a Foundations Scholar during my fall term at Dartmouth.
Foundations is a two-term program designed for first-year students, providing them with the opportunity to learn about and engage with local organizations. During the winter term, our weekly sessions focused on skill-building to effectively tackle local issues. In the spring term, we were divided into small groups and assigned a local organization to consult in the Upper Valley.
My team has been working with Junction Arts & Media, a local news outlet, on the question of civic engagement. Our focus group is students of a nearby high school. For our project, we have been fully immersed in the community, iterating on solutions to increase civic engagement at the high school level. It has been incredibly rewarding to work with the students and community members and to see the positive impact of our work.
Through my involvement with DCSI as a Foundations Scholar, I have found it extremely fulfilling to be an active member of the Upper Valley community. I have been able to apply the skills and knowledge I have learned to real-world situations, and I have seen firsthand the positive impact that our work can have on the local community.
Overall, the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact is a fantastic resource for students who are passionate about social impact work. As a Foundations Scholar, I have been able to engage with local organizations and work on meaningful projects that make a difference in our community. I am grateful for this opportunity and look forward to continuing my involvement with DCSI throughout my time at Dartmouth.