Around the Table: An Intern Reflection
By Shayla Silvers
This spring, I have been lucky enough to work as a program intern here at Nevada Humanities. For my time at the organization, I have focused on facilitating an event that would align with the humanities values, alongside my own personal interests, to create an event to bring people together and share our stories.
As an English major, I have always been drawn to storytelling. This manifested in different ways, but primarily in my knack for the exploration of ideas and concepts through something so simple as a few words. The summer before I started my first semester at the University of Nevada, Reno, I was overwhelmed with a whirlwind of emotions, as is any teenager on the brink of change. I found comfort in a little notebook and a pen, and spent hours writing down my thoughts. This served me very well and kept me grounded as everything around me began to shift and change into something new. I wished for others to find a similar outlet.
In my three years as a Resident Assistant, I held annual journal making events to allow residents to personalize their own journal through collages and drawings. I believed half the fun of journaling was rooted in aesthetics, and one may be more inclined to write inside a journal that has more personality. I did not consider how daunting it may be, after the fact, to begin writing down thoughts and ideas that may come up.
For my capstone project this semester, I wanted to encourage others to explore this outlet in a more intentional and in depth way. This event, [Around the Table]: A Journal Crafting and Writing Workshop, allowed for both elements of journaling to be touched on and addressed in a communal space. Our theme for the event, Around the Table, allowed us to focus on visuals and prompts relating to food, community, and shared traditions or experiences. This program allowed for participants to craft their own journal, write inside of it, and share about different ideas in what they wrote about.
During our program, participants were able to decorate their own journal using collage materials like stickers, print pages, and markers. Attendees were given the first hour to connect with their table and personalize their own notebook. During the second portion, we had allocated free writing time, and a list of prompts for participants to delve into. We were able to share some of these ideas and journal entries following this writing time, allowing a multitude of perspectives and stories to be shared throughout the event.
I feel fortunate to have had this opportunity to share some of my own stories and hear others’ perspectives. It was a pleasure to be in the company of all program participants and for Nevada Humanities to allow me this opportunity to connect and grow. I hope it inspires individuals to use this outlet to express themselves, or to continue the search to find out what works for them!
Photo courtesy of Shayla Silvers
Shayla Silvers is a former program intern with Nevada Humanities as part of the Pack Internship Grant Program at the University of Nevada, Reno.