Eva Sharon

Bachelor of Arts - Psychology, 3rd year

Non-Profit Student Board Internship, Fall 2024 and Winter 2025

Who was your community partner, and can you describe the project objectives?

Metro Cinema Society. I was to be set up with a mentor in the organization, go to an orientation, attend all of their board meetings (monthly from September to April), go to four workshops about how non-profit organizations work, go to a check-in, and create and present a project for my organization! Throughout the process I have also attended additional events for my organization, as well as a strategic planning meeting. I also began to volunteer with them as well in January to help more and see their organization from another lens! They are such a lovely community, I wanted to be more involved!

What was the biggest takeaway from your CSL placement?

It's always good to try new things! The unknown can be scary and overwhelming, but it's also exciting and really feeds into your curiosity if you let it. I came into this program not sure what to expect to be honest, but I've learned so much, met so many amazing people, and had fun too!

How can you apply any newly gained knowledge/skills to your future endeavours (courses/employment/volunteering)? 

I learnt a lot about non-profit organizations as well as how board meetings work! I feel like I could apply this to any future boards or non-profits I work with. Additionally, I was able to be a part of a very functional and positive work environment. This gave me a good example of what I should strive for in work environments in the future! I learnt a lot about being in a more professional setting and I will definitely carry that with me.

Why should students consider being involved with CSL, and how does it enhance their academic learning?

Students should be involved in CSL because you get to help people! Personally, that's something I enjoy. If that's not necessarily your thing, being a part of Community-Service Learning helps make you a more well-rounded person. You get the opportunity to learn a lot about different people and groups that strive for helping others. It's really fun and you get to learn a lot of different skills depending where you go. It can enhance your academic learning by adding more skills to your toolbox, such as teamwork or practicing leadership. One of the things I got to work on a bit was public speaking for example. You can apply the collaborative experience of CSL to courses or learning how to work better with others. A lot of what you get out of it is what you put into it :)