How did you meet ATD Fourth World?

I was doing my social work masters degree at Columbia University in New York and ATD was my internship match. The team in New York was looking for someone who was capable of creating visuals, using Photoshop and Illustrator. I interned for two semesters starting in the Fall of 2014.  Then after the internship, I got an offer to work on the communications team and I took that offer and stayed ever since.  

What have you done with ATD Fourth World? 

As part of the national communications team, I spend most of my time building communications strategies and creating content for ATD Fourth World USA and supporting local teams in their communications. I work on creating the content for all the national publications including online and printed, managing social media platforms, and creating and managing the website. I support local teams in their communications by creating the flyers and invitations, for example. Sometimes I work on larger projects, more themed or concept-based projects, like the Poverty Myths. 

As part of the New York team, before our communications expanded, I used to spend much more time doing the local work as well. I used to contribute to the work with children and families such as Story Garden. I helped the local teams planning out events and supporting the Fourth World Activists when needed. For example I’d accompany them when they were visiting a social worker and overall build friendships with them. That really affected my work and my life overall. 

Both types of work were able to reinforce each other: Because I had a relationship with the Activists and I worked with children, I was able to bring those experiences and what I learned to our communications materials.

As a “solidarity employee,” it’s very rewarding to support what the Volunteer Corps members do.  They can work more closely with the Activists because I am in a position to take that work and present it to the outside world. 

Why did (and do) you decide to work with ATD Fourth World?

For my social work internship, because it was policy concentration, I knew most of the work I would be doing would be on the computer. I was looking for a position where I could also have interactions with people. So ATD sounded like a good balance where I could experience both. During my internship I was going to Story Garden and working on the visuals. 

During my internship, I was able to spend more time doing the in person local work than I do now. I miss it but I’ve learned to find meaning and value in the communications work I’m doing now. There was a point where I decided to invest more time and energy in order to do it well. Seven years ago I was just doing work given to me. Now I find it’s a strength, combining social justice with nonprofit marketing work. 

What has been transformative? How have you and/or your life changed?

I stayed after a year of internship because before joining ATD, I had been very used to a fast-paced and accomplishment-focused life. I thought that that was what made life successful. It took a good year to build a deep understanding, but with ATD I was able to learn otherwise. I learned that every day needs to be intentional and that meaningful connections are what makes life successful. I learned to be grateful for small, everyday successes. My educational background is in social work and I’d thought of my work as a service, with provider and client relationships. With ATD, I really understood what it means to build relationships with people from different backgrounds than mine and be able to support them when needed. That experience was transformative, it really changed how I view the world. That’s why I decided to stay. 

How has my view of the world changed? I am really able to see the transformation and changes that you see in one person are so valuable and these changes can spread to the society. This is in contrast to how I viewed my world before because I was focused on big projects and big achievements but they don’t really come if they don’t come from bottom to top. So with that, the numbers of what you do aren’t important any more. If you see a small positive change in one person then that’s meaningful enough. 

What are the highlights of your work with ATD Fourth World? What are/were the most important/favorite projects you’ve worked on?

Overall, I’m most proud to have been able to expand our communications and build a branding for ATD Fourth World USA.  I’m happy to have established a language to describe our work, and to share more creatively with the public. Overall, I’m proud of that. More specifically, I'm proud of the work we do on the printed newsletter that have focused themes. For example, Modern Methods of Tackling Poverty,  Creating Justice in our Democracy, Dignity at the Center of Solutions to Poverty, Racism and Poverty. The printed newsletters really go in depth.  Poverty Myths was also one of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on.  

I participate in the Festivals of Art and Learning every year and that’s definitely a highlight of my year, because you can witness the creativity that people in the community have. It’s fun to be able to play with children. It’s also a time for me to work on creative projects. When we brainstorm on the activities for the Festivals, I can contribute. Last year I did Korean calligraphy writing with children. I taught them the Korean alphabet and wrote their names in the Asian traditional method.

How have you shared your work with ATD Fourth World with other people? It’s all of what you do, but how to do you share it outside of your job? 

I share it through my life, in my conversations and interactions with people. For example, if there is a discussion in my community about a social issue, that’s really when what I learnt from people in ATD comes out.  

What are you looking forward to being part of next with ATD Fourth World?

Through my work with ATD, I’ve been able to find my strength: I’m able to present social justice work in creative ways. I’m excited to work more on creative projects so that the work and values of ATD Fourth World gets more known in the U.S. Not just creative in individual ways, but also brainstorming and thinking about it with others as part of the creative process. I’m excited about #povertytruths.