Skills for Social Impact: A Day in the Life of a Civic Innovation Fellow
Hi, my name is Leah Moody - welcome to a day in the life of a Civic Innovation Fellow! This morning, I woke up a bit early and went on a quick run around my neighborhood before getting started with my day. Some Mondays, I work from home, as enFocus has a hybrid work structure. However, today I wanted to go to the office, so I made myself a coffee to go and headed on my way! Once I got to the enFocus office, I spent some time checking my email, getting organized, and creating a to-do list. I had a question about one of my projects that I needed to ask a stakeholder, so I made sure to get that email sent out first thing.
After I worked on that project for a bit, I decided to help out another enFocus Fellow with organizing some supplies from a recent event. Although it was not my project, I had some extra time and was happy to help out - enFocus has a very collaborative culture, and I’ve found people are always willing to answer questions or lend a hand when needed!
After I helped them for a while, I got back to working on my project. My project manager and I met at the end of the day on Friday, so there were some things that we had discussed that I wanted to address (typically, we meet on Thursdays, but last week we rescheduled because I was attending a South Bend Young Professionals Summit, which I used my enFocus Professional Development Stipend to attend!). Thus, I spent some time working on the project deliverables we had discussed, as well as finalizing an agenda for a meeting with our sponsor that afternoon.
Around noon, I took a break from that project since I had a kickoff meeting for a different project I had just been assigned to. As part of this new project, I will be applying for a grant - this is a skill I have been wanting to develop, so I am really looking forward to getting started!
“One great thing about enFocus is the schedule flexibility it allows for.”
As long as it doesn’t conflict with any of my meetings, I can take a break for lunch whenever I want! One of my friends from college works nearby, and we have gotten into the routine of eating our lunches together once or twice a week. We have a table we like to sit at outside the enFocus office, so today we took full advantage of the nice weather! I enjoyed a sandwich I made with some ingredients from the Purple Porch - it's a local natural foods co-op, and one of my favorite South Bend hidden gems.
After lunch, I spent a bit of time preparing for the afternoon’s meetings, and then I headed over to Marshall County to meet with my project sponsor on-site. First, I facilitated a committee meeting of a group of project stakeholders who are contributing to the design stage of the project. Then, my project manager and I met with our sponsor for a weekly check-in meeting about the project’s progress. After all of that, it was already about time to head home for the day!
After going home and eating dinner, I went for a walk around my neighborhood, which I try to do every evening if I can! Then, I attended an online Spanish class that I recently enrolled in. On other nights, you might catch me grabbing tacos from one of South Bend’s many great Mexican restaurants, volunteering at Our Lady of the Road, or wandering around Trader Joe’s - it just depends on the day! There is always a lot of great stuff happening in the region, so I love to stay up-to-date on what's going on and attend anything that strikes my interest!
“Every day as a Civic Innovation Fellow looks different, both during the workday and beyond. Regardless, however, every day is full of interesting, engaging work that positively impacts the region, as well as lots of opportunities to enjoy the many wonderful things the region has to offer. ”
Thank you for joining me for a day in my life!