When I first heard about the internship offerings at Planned Parenthood, it seemed like a perfect fit for me. As a bio-engineering student at Penn, I'm interested in working in global public health, specializing in women's health. I've always been interested in all kinds of women's issues, from human trafficking to street harassment to reproductive justice. I've always been passionate and sometimes angry about these issues, but I had no way to channel this energy to bring about tangible change in the world around me. I could always talk about these issues with my friends and share my opinions on social media, and bringing awareness is a definitely huge step towards creating change. I still wanted to do more, though. This internship gave me just that-- an opportunity to take action about the issues I care most about, and to create real change in my community.
I've been a Campaign Organizer intern with Planned Parenthood PA PAC for almost a month now. In that month, I've done all kinds of things, from planning and carrying out phone banks, canvasses, and visibilities, to tabling at events to more mundane tasks like data entry. I've come to realize that every task creates its own change, no matter how small. Phone banks inform people about crucial issues, and canvasses and visibilities are instrumental in reaching out to and forming connections with our supporters. Even entering supporter cards into the VAN, tedious as it can be, helps to build the grassroots support system that we rely on.
My favorite part of this internship so far has been tabling at events. I've been to two so far-- the Clark Park Music and Arts Festival on Baltimore Street and the AIDS Education and Awareness Cookout in Fairmount Park. These events have been filled with good music, good food, and amazing people excited about good causes. I've met activists and supporters from every possible walk of life, and the energy they have for their work is so inspiring. I really enjoy talking to our supporters at these events-- it's truly energizing to know that we have so much support from our community. I'm really excited to see what else is in store for me this summer!
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