Building Bridges

Hi! My name is Alissa Berman and I am a senior Anthropology major and Indigeneity, Race and Ethnic Studies minor. This summer I am an intern with Commitment to Community (C2C), Blue Mountain Action Council’s (BMAC) community building initiative. BMAC does work in various parts of southeastern Washington but C2C focuses on low income communities in Walla Walla. We have an office in Walla Walla but spend a lot of time in neighborhoods at block parties, administering surveys, and supporting the community.

In my time here I have helped plan and assisted at several workshops including a community block party, financial security workshops, and our story and survey collecting projects. Although the projects tackle different community issues, they all work together to realize C2C’s goal of community building by encouraging pride in low-income neighborhoods and giving people the tools to advocate for themselves when seeking to better their neighborhoods or personal lives. BMAC offers a wide range of services and C2C works to connect neighbors to other services that may help them which we communicate through our other programs.

My specific duties range from day-to-day depending on the schedule, but I, along with other WIG recipients and C2C interns Grace Canny and Lucy Hennessey, often help with organizing various workshops and events, and administer surveys to learn more about how C2C is already functioning in the neighborhoods. For example, at our financial security workshops, I help put binders together for the participants, support the presenter by gathering materials and checking time, and answering participant questions before and after the workshop. At the block parties, I help with set up and take down including communicating with community organizers that have booths at the block party, and check in neighbors as they arrive. The surveys and story collecting (longer, individual interviews), create great opportunities to build relationships in the community and do outreach for other events we put on. The information we collect through these methods informs our projects, our concerns, and brings us away from the office and into the community.

This has been and will continue to be an important part of my Whitman career as I have spent time in communities other than the Whitman community and began to learn more about the city I live in. This other experience of Walla Walla enriches my Whitman career as I have a greater understanding of the social and economic makeup of the city and feel that I am part of a larger community. Being part of both communities is a valuable experience and I’m really grateful to have this opportunity to meet people I otherwise would not meet, connect with people outside of Whitman College, and begin to develop professional skills along the way.