Daniella & Laura's Birthday Celebration Invitation!

 You are officially invited to Daniella Levine and Laura Levey's Birthday Bash Celebration!

Interns for Impact: JAZMIN LOCKE

JAZMIN LOCKE
Photo by: Viviana Mauri, Communications Intern.

Hi there! My name is Jazmin Locke and I am the first intern to be featured on Catalyst Miami's blog, this is exciting! I must then be responsible for paving the explanation of what an intern at Catalyst Miami may be doing. Primarily I'd say it is being patient and receptive of the different assignments thrown at me and holding my breath to not exclaim, "Wait are you sure you want me to do this?" In just these two weeks I have noticed that Catalyst Miami places great confidence and enthusiasm in their interns, both believing in our creativity and our initiatives.

As a student in Environmental Sustainability at Mount Holyoke College, I am excited to get the opportunity to work with Lynn Fiala in improving Farmers Markets' efforts to reach people across Miami. While reading Request for Proposals, paying close attention to local politics and countless e-mails, I am gradually learning the steps it takes to bring Farmers' Markets from across Miami together to collaborate with one another, share resources, and increase the availability of locally grown food. Locally grown food is not easy to find across the county, particularly in designated food deserts where supermarkets cannot be found within a 10 mile radius. This collaborative is to work toward closing these gaps.

Here with three other Posse Scholars of Miami, I have the support of my peers in a new professional setting, where I can learn what it means to be myself in a progressive environment. This opportunity is providing me the experience that I will use in the environmental field in the future.

Democracy Summer: Advocacy is in Season

By Bianca Mijares, Catalyst Miami Intern

 

Catalyst Miami’s “Democracy Summer” is an advocacy training designed to strengthen the understanding, commitment and skills of nonprofit staff and board. We will help nonprofits meet their missions by incorporating advocacy and policy analysis into their strategic planning. Participants will leave understanding the importance of engaging constituents and clients in leadership development, capacity building and strategic planning. Participants will leave with tools to protect services and organizations through client engagement. Democracy Summer is an 8-part training series taking place July 7 through September 1, 2011. We will enroll up to 25 advocates. Be on the look out as Catalyst Miami will begin contacting potential organizations this week!

Strategy session to fight budget cuts

Last Thursday, more than 80 people came to HSC to attend a community forum with county budget officials and discuss last year's budget cuts and the budget for next year. After narrowly avoiding complete elimination from the budget last fall through a quick organizing effort, community organizations are ready to collaborate early on to stop the county from further diminishing their funding. It was awesome to see the interest of so many different organization in the room: from the Girl Scouts to Belafonte Tacolcy to the guardianship program. The meeting set the groundwork for a powerful coalition to come together this summer. I'm confident the county commissioners will hear our message loud and clear: no more cuts for community-based organizations!