When I got the listserv announcement about spring internships with APPLES, I’m quite sure what I expected to get out of. While I realize that was only six months ago or so, it’s difficult to remember the expectations I had going into the semester. Theater Delta seemed to be the perfect mixture of my interests – dramatic arts and social justice. In just four months, I worked in almost every capacity the organization has – researcher, data analyst, script developer, videographer, etc. The list goes on and on, and all of those responsibilities taught me a great deal when it comes to working on the logistical side of a non-profit. I learned that service organizations need help in all capacities, and that no matter what your strengths or interests are, you can and will be an asset to your organization.
I’d say the biggest success I had with Theater Delta was writing a successful literature review! As a mathematics major, I think very analytically, and numbers are almost essential for me to fully comprehend something. When I was tasked with putting together a literature review on driving cessation, I was hesitant and skeptical of if I would do a good job or not. Research in social sciences is far from my forte, which made this an intimidating task. However, the research being social science made it an easier task in many ways. Unlike research in physical sciences which could possibly require extensive background knowledge in the field, these articles were written in very clear and succinct terms, while still serving as an intellectual argument. The only real background knowledge required to understand the subject is knowing what dementia is and some of its side effects. Once I realized that the material was something I was more than capable of understanding and synthesizing, the rest of it just fell into place. My supervisor was pretty impressed with my final product, and that was nice to hear considering how apprehensive I was about the initial assignment. The biggest challenge was just a minor logistical thing in the grand scheme of things, but a lot of it was because of my communication with Ben. He travels a lot with this organization, and as the only staff member, I’m can’t work when he’s out of town. I’ve talked to him before about trying to think of assignments for me to take care of during times like this, but he never really gets back to me. Even now, I still have fifteen hours or so of my award that isn’t scheduled because we just don’t have times that coincide, and he just never gives me assignments to work on at home. I guess I’m partially to blame for this, but I’ve been pretty insistent on getting him to find work for me outside of the office. We scheduled …show more content…
Theater Delta doesn’t advocate for either side of an issue when presenting it to an audience, as it relies solely on the facts and the scientific research available on the topic. I think the interactive theater format could be used to talk to communities about controversial topics in global service such as voluntourism. The scene would present the audience with all of the facts on voluntourism, the pros and cons of it, and what each side has at stake on the issue. By not advocating for either side, it allows each audience member to form their own opinion, which is critical for these types of
I’d say the biggest success I had with Theater Delta was writing a successful literature review! As a mathematics major, I think very analytically, and numbers are almost essential for me to fully comprehend something. When I was tasked with putting together a literature review on driving cessation, I was hesitant and skeptical of if I would do a good job or not. Research in social sciences is far from my forte, which made this an intimidating task. However, the research being social science made it an easier task in many ways. Unlike research in physical sciences which could possibly require extensive background knowledge in the field, these articles were written in very clear and succinct terms, while still serving as an intellectual argument. The only real background knowledge required to understand the subject is knowing what dementia is and some of its side effects. Once I realized that the material was something I was more than capable of understanding and synthesizing, the rest of it just fell into place. My supervisor was pretty impressed with my final product, and that was nice to hear considering how apprehensive I was about the initial assignment. The biggest challenge was just a minor logistical thing in the grand scheme of things, but a lot of it was because of my communication with Ben. He travels a lot with this organization, and as the only staff member, I’m can’t work when he’s out of town. I’ve talked to him before about trying to think of assignments for me to take care of during times like this, but he never really gets back to me. Even now, I still have fifteen hours or so of my award that isn’t scheduled because we just don’t have times that coincide, and he just never gives me assignments to work on at home. I guess I’m partially to blame for this, but I’ve been pretty insistent on getting him to find work for me outside of the office. We scheduled …show more content…
Theater Delta doesn’t advocate for either side of an issue when presenting it to an audience, as it relies solely on the facts and the scientific research available on the topic. I think the interactive theater format could be used to talk to communities about controversial topics in global service such as voluntourism. The scene would present the audience with all of the facts on voluntourism, the pros and cons of it, and what each side has at stake on the issue. By not advocating for either side, it allows each audience member to form their own opinion, which is critical for these types of