Meet Katie

During the summer of 2004 I participated in a program called Hands of Peace, which brought 20 teenagers to the Chicago area from the Middle East in order to foster long term peaceful coexistence among Jewish-Israelis, Arab Israelis, and West Bank Palestinians. As an American participant, I not only was able to gain valuable knowledge of the conflict plaguing those in the Palestine/Israel region, but I also became exposed to cultures different from my own, ultimately allowing me to recognize our common humanity. It was my experience with Hands of Peace that aroused my interest in learning about different cultures and my commitment to promoting public understanding of cultural diversity.

I just finished my junior year at the University of Notre Dame, where I am pursuing a double major in Arabic and Political Science. In order to explore the various cultures I had been learning about throughout my classes at school, I set off to Morocco last summer to continue my Arabic language studies and gain first-hand experience of Arab culture. I had such an amazing experience in Morocco that I decided to go abroad yet again, this time to London, giving me the opportunity to travel extensively throughout Europe and experience the many cultures Europe has to offer. I was able to learn so much during my time abroad and am excited to develop my knowledge and understanding of cultural diversity-in the city I call home- while simultaneously gaining experience with non-profit work through my internship with the Chicago Cultural Alliance.

Meet Justin

Hi, I am interning with the Cultural Alliance until September 2009. This summer with the Alliance I am working on the development of a joint services plan for our core members. I am also working with the Field Museum on crafting a civic engagement program for our members.

I graduated in May 2009 from Columbia University in New York City with a B.A. in History. Over the past summers, I have worked with the National Endowment for the Humanities in its Federal-State Partnership office and also with the Illinois Humanities Council. With the IHC, I compiled a resource database that was used in the Council’s 2008-2009 year-long series All Consuming: Conversations on Oil and Water.

In October, I will start at Oxford University, pursuing M.Phil and D. Phil degrees in early modern European history. My main scholarly interests are in seventeenth-century English cultural and intellectual movements, particularly the relationship between literary history and gender relations.

Away from academia--and trying as much as possible not to sound like a Lonely Hearts ad—I scuba dive and play club-level tennis. And, owing to Chicago’s active summer life, my cultural calendar while I’m here will certainly be full!

Meet Ritwik

My name is Ritwik Banerji and I have worked with the Chicago Cultural Alliance through the Indo-American Center, Indo-American Heritage Museum, and as a board member of the Alliance. Given the number of entities I have just named, I would like to say that my relationship with the Alliance has been as gratifying as it is confusing to explain to other people!

For the past two years, I have been working at the Indo-American Center as their youth program coordinator. Unlike the CCA, the Indo-American Center is an organization primarily focused on social services, rather than arts or culture programming. While most of our programs focus on social service needs of our community, a few programs, including ESL, seniors, and youth, always seem to be a space where culture is very much a part of us providing a quality social service. In this capacity, the youth program became more engaged in the work of the CCA. A highlight of this work was the gardening project of last summer where we brought together the cultural heritage of South Asia (and Latin America) through various gardening and horticultural awareness activities.

From my experience of working with youth development in a social service context, there can often be a tension of how to proceed around the question of developing more cultural activities or more services. What do we pursue next – classical dance classes or a full-time legal clinic? While these two are definitely very divergent paths for an organization to pursue, when working with young people there is a line between “service” and “culture” that often blurs. For example, our recent series of hip-hop production workshops for teens seem to function as both a social service and a cultural activity. When teens are with me making beats, they are not getting high or getting into other kinds of trouble. But my goal is more than just “saving” them from illicit activities. I’m particularly interested in how they understand their experiences as young, Pakistani, Muslim men going to high-school in an outlying neighborhood of Chicago. While none of them are great wizards of qawwali or any other South Asian musical art, the music we make is a reflection of a culture that was born there and is growing up here. As I “serve” them, we also provide a place for them to create.

To me, it is just as important to create culture as it is to preserve it. This is why I have always wanted to keep abreast of activities happening with the Chicago Cultural Alliance. I have continually seen a benefit for my program, and most importantly, the many young people that we have been able to work with.

Meet Cara

I grew up in Harrison, OH (near Cincinnati, for those of you unacquainted with Ohio's small towns), the oldest of six children (which proved a valuable way to gain important people skills). During high school, my family hosted an Irish student in our home through a program called the Ulster Project, an exchange program which paired Northern Irish teens from Protestant and Catholic families with students in various cities throughout the U.S. The goal of the project was to promote tolerance, friendship, and understanding between two historically troubled religious groups. I spent a month that summer with a group of American and Irish teens, participating in outings, picnics, and talent shows, as well as community service projects and serious discussions about relevant political and social issues. That experience sparked a lasting interest in and desire to learn about other cultures.

My educational background is in music: I received my bachelor's degree in piano performance from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI and then attended Yale to pursue a PhD in music history. After many grueling hours of coursework, student teaching, and completing my dissertation, I decided to pursue a non-academic career that would incorporate my love of the arts and education. Last summer, I moved to Chicago to find work in the vibrant arts and culture community here. Following a freelance research position with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, I began my internship at the Alliance, which has been a phenomenal opportunity to learn the ins and outs of non-profit work. I enjoy the challenge and flexibility involved in tackling many different types of projects, from event planning and grant preparation to writing for the Alliance newsletter and blog. Perhaps my favorite aspect of this internship has been the chance to meet and interact with so many fascinating people and to get to know my new, adopted hometown through the eyes of Chicago's diverse communities.

Angeli's bio

Having grown up as the child of immigrant parents, I was always interested in global affairs and traveling. It helped that my parents took us all over the world to visit different cultures. I decided to expand upon this idea and spend my entire university career abroad in Scotland at the University of St Andrews. I enjoyed myself studying in another country so much that I will be starting a double masters at Peking University in Beijing and the London School of Economics in International Affairs.

I have enjoyed working at the Chicago Cultural Alliance immensely because I am able to learn about the numerous ethnic communities in Chicago and how they have joined to form museums and the Alliance. It has been especially interesting to see how the economic downturn is affecting the communities in Chicago, when the larger media mainly ignores this subject.

While I did not know that much about social networking when I started this internship, I feel confident enough now to hold a workshop to instruct people on how use these sites more effectively. We continually hear about a generational difference in these communities, and social networking is just one way to try to reach out to the younger generations.

My work on the Talking Im/migration includes attending a very interesting workshop on telling immigrant stories, and a lot of work with Rebeccah and Mario and Rosa at The Field Museum.

I have learned a lot about working in a non-profit, and working with the many different ethnic communities in Chicago. I will be sad to go!