Hufsa Ahmed

I partnered with Ignite Afterschool, an intermediary organization with a statewide network of partners who work together to increase funding for and access to high quality out-of-school time programs in Minnesota.

My main project this summer was creating a new and improved online advocacy toolkit for Ignite’s network. Having had prior experience with advocacy, I really enjoyed exploring and reflecting on all avenues of effective advocacy, and then working to create tools for the ones that fit the needs of the afterschool community. One of the highlights of this project for me was designing and facilitating a comprehensive and interactive brainstorming session with Ignite Afterschool’s Policy Coordinating Council. I had the opportunity to hear and learn from experienced leaders in the afterschool network about their visions for afterschool advocacy in Minnesota and how they believed existing needs around advocacy could be addressed in a toolkit.

I also worked on a mapping project to assist Ignite in determining how to distribute funds from a federal grant they received to increase access to STEM careers in Minnesota. My project involved compiling research on schools, businesses, agencies, regional industries, community organizations, afterschool programs, and more as Ignite seeks members for a statewide “ecosystem” of resources for students interested in STEM.

In my role as a Chuck Green Fellow, I was given the independence and agency to shape my own experience, projects, and the overall outcomes of the fellowship. The immense amount of trust and value my organization placed in my ideas and abilities was refreshing, and it allowed me to confidently grow in a setting that was new and unfamiliar to me. I am eternally grateful for the support and mentorship I received from my small (but mighty!) team at Ignite. My fellowship gave me insight into a sector of nonprofits that I didn’t know existed. The behind-the-scenes work that intermediary organizations do is so important, and I hope to use the knowledge I’ve gained from this experience to further explore what a career in the nonprofit sector might look like.