Meet Summer Interns in New York City
ATD Fourth World New York welcomed four new interns for the summer! Coming from very diverse backgrounds, they have brought new energy and ideas into our projects. Meet Carolyn, Ibrahim, Crystal, and Andy, as they share what about ATD Fourth World interested them to start this internship and the projects they are working on!
Carolyn Chun
Hello! My name is Carolyn Chun and I am 19 years old, currently a rising sophomore at Cornell University. I live in New Jersey, and so I have always loved coming to New York City with family and friends. Now that I’m interning with ATD Fourth World, I am very excited to be able to learn and work in this busy city environment.
I really wanted to do something meaningful to me during my summer after a freshman year of college. Summer offers great opportunities for me to gain new perspectives and real-life experiences. As I’m still exploring my interests, I have always had a heart for helping others and engaging with service learning. After reading about ATD Fourth World’s eye-opening and empowering mission to work with people in poverty rather than simply for them, as well as their passion for building togetherness, I was eager to join the movement and gain new experience of working for a cause that genuinely changes people’s lives.
Currently, I am helping to facilitate and plan for the upcoming Festival of Arts and Learning by helping to decorate banners and posters, and also to prepare many different workshops for the Festival. In addition, I am forming meaningful bonds with the children at the Story Garden in Brownsville on Saturday's. Also, I am working on the MAP Project by gathering contact information for academics, practitioner conferences, and partner organizations, and helping to spread and follow-up on people who can help or are interested in the MAP campaign in order to connect with others to join the movement.
Even though I am only here for a short time, I hope that I am able to make a difference by helping others to take action against poverty and push the movement forward.
Ibrahim Tahir
Hello! My name is Ibrahim Tahir and I currently attend John Jay College in Manhattan, New York. I’m double majoring in Political Science and Urban Affairs and one day hope to become a politician in my own right or a diplomat. I actually come from a pretty diverse background; my mother is from Ecuador and my father from Pakistan. That makes me fluent in Urdu, Spanish and English! During my free time I enjoy working out and spending time with my family and friends.
ATD Fourth World’s core mission really drew me towards the organization. I remember during my interview mentioning the fact that I’ve seen what poverty looks like not only in America, but I’ve seen it in both of my parents’ home countries. ATD Fourth World’s mission of a world without poverty is something I knew from the start I wanted to be a part of and I’m privilege to be a part of the organization.
During my time with ATD Fourth World I will be assigned to diverse projects ranging from the community level (local actions with children in Brooklyn, including the preparation of the Festival of Arts and Learning in Brownsville) to the international level (advocacy work at the United Nations: following political negotiations, attending briefing meetings, note-taking, assisting with events preparation, supporting the ATD Fourth World delegation coming in July for the High Level Political Forum at the United Nations).
Crystal Lee
I am an undergraduate who is attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice. I major in Criminal Justice and aspire to be is a police officer, because I want to promote safety and support for families as well as communities. I have great respect for tribulations police officers who help communities in each neighborhood to become a safer place. I currently work as a New York Police Department Cadet where I gain more experience of how a police officer works.
I applied for this internship was I was interested in how ATD Fourth World works together to face a common goal worldwide. Eradicating poverty is a major problem that many people are facing, and ATD Fourth World makes a major impact on the basic human rights. It shows that bringing in people with lived experience of poverty to be present at meetings such as the ones at the United Nations, can present a real change that many organizations cannot do. ATD Fourth World's approach of how we should all work together in dignity instead of one person working on their mission to eradicate poverty demonstrates the unity of working together. Gathering the experiences of those who live in poverty and empowering children, parents, and communities is a great deal that we all need to do. This awareness that ATD Fourth World brings makes people less afraid to reach out to anyone who can provide assistance.
The projects I will be working on are the Festival of Arts and Learning in Brownsville and the conferences at the United Nation for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17th. I will invite schools in Brownsville to the United Nations, to share their experience and knowledge on empowering children because this year’s theme is based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. I will be trained on the workshops that will be introduced to the schools and for the Festival’s activities.
Andy Sarabia
Hello! I am Andy, I am a lower Junior at John Jay College of Criminal justice, majoring in Forensic Psychology with a double minor in Computer Science as well as Digital Media and Journalism. I am a strong advocate for the youth as well as for LGBTQ+, women, People of Color and environment. After hearing about ATD Fourth World and their commitment to helping children and those living in poverty, I felt that being a part of their team for the summer will allow for me to experience one-on-one how I can advocate for these people and to learn how to help out in some way, shape or form. I am currently working on the Festival of Arts and Learning and the communications side for the High Level Political Forum.