This past summer was the inaugural one of a new program for St. Olaf students called the Johnson Social Innovation Summer Internship. The program gives students the opportuntiy to address social problems in the Twin Cities or Northfield.
This past summer, three students participated: Maren Gelle ‘10, Ryan Anderson ’10 and Hashim Yonis ‘10.
Gelle was involved with the Leaders for Social Change program in 2008, and Oles Advancing Social Innovation and Sustainability last year, which piqued her interest in social issues leading her to the Johnson Social Innovation internship.
“Both were great opportunities, but JSI was particularly appealing due to its inherent independence and creativity. I realized that entrepreneurship is much more complex than simply coming up with an innovative solution to a social problem,” she said. “This summer, we faced real-life challenges of entrepreneurship every single day.”
Gelle focused on the “lack of environmental education in today’s public school system.”
“I assumed that I would spend my summer writing curriculum, but after perusing the Internet, I realized that the problem isn’t so much in available materials, but rather in the mode of delivery. So, I turned to social networking,” Gelle said.
Gelle said she had to overcome several obstacles, such as No Child Left Behind, class sizes and standardized tests. The answer Gelle came up with was a networking website called Greenboard for high school students with an interest in environmental issues.
The premise of the program is to bring high school students around the country together.
“Imagine a student in New York who convinced his school to start a recycling program. That student could make a movie, take some pictures, or write a blog about his project. Then, he could share his method, his feats and failures, and give advice to millions of high school students via Greenboard. A student in Minnesota or Nevada or Mississippi could then institute a recycling program in her school. And then, she could add comments to the New Yorker’s account on Greenboard and thus build a better resource for future students starting a recycling program,” Gelle said in a proposal.
The Greenboard program is also on Facebook because of its ability to share photos and videos and to promote discussions.
Gelle majors in history and American studies and says that her studies impacted her internship.
“History does not repeat itself. But it does build on itself. So, understanding the past offers a better future. In American studies courses, we discuss social norms and values, and often imagine ways of challenging the status quo,” she said.
The Johnson scholarship is designed for students who are interested in gaining “entrepreneurial skills, leadership development, networking opportunities, and new venture creation experiences,” and for students who have a self-proclaimed passion for making a difference” and want to develop “a lifetime commitment to service.” Students who are accepted to the program receive a $5000 stipend at the end of the summer, and $1000 for academic credit.
“JSI pushed me out of the comfortable St. Olaf bubble and the often critical college classroom conversations,” she said. “But JSI forced me to go beyond critiquing the present education system and figure out a way to make change within that system.”
Gelle strongly encourages other students to apply for the program. To find out more information about the program, contact Kris Estenson at the Center for Experiential Learning.
“By the end of the program, I realized how much I had learned, not only about social entreprenuership and the process of making change, but also about myself and how I intend to act as a change agent in the future,” Gelle said.
She also said that Kris Estenson Johnson wasvery helpful throughout the processes and helped provide guidance she needed during the summer.
“They are a great resource on campus that everyone should utilize,” Gelle said.
The program was founded by Mark and Laura Estenson Johnson ’82 and is open to rising juniors and seniors. The program was modeled after the Wallce J. Estenson Entrepreneurial Internship program created in 1996. Students must be enrolled in St. Olaf for the semester following.
Editor’s note: Maren Gelle is a copy editor for the Manitou Messenger
southwor@stolaf.edu
Innovations spawned from internship
Program offers opportunity to address Twin Cities’ social issues
Published: Thursday, October 1, 2009
Updated: Thursday, October 1, 2009 16:10
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