“To know that I played some small part in that, helping to create something that’s endured, is one of the most gratifying feelings I’ve had in my professional life.” That’s how Former First Lady Michelle Obama describes her experience directing the Public Allies chapter in Chicago. A woman as powerful of Michelle Obama attributed that significant of an impact to this one organization?

In essence, this quote aligned so perfectly with my zeal to make an impact that it inspired me to apply to be an AmeriCorps Public Ally. My name is Joleen Brantle, I’m pursuing a double major in political science & pre-law for my undergraduate degree, I’m in my seventh year in the Army National Guard (working in military intelligence), and I’m bent on bettering the world at large, and my community especially.

Undeniably, AmeriCorps Public Allies was the place for me. The program offers a 10-month apprenticeship program for young leaders, meant to develop them professionally, give them the tools to contribute meaningfully to their communities, and transition them into a career in public service. Training focuses on key concepts in the progressive non-profit world such as: asset-based community development, capacity-building, and collective impact through broad cross-sector coordination. We were taught effective communication techniques, tools for facilitation & feedback, and strategies to catalyze growth in communities and people while utilizing their natural strengths. Then we were sent out into the world to our various placements.

Fortunately, I was lucky to have been placed with my top selection: Local Government Academy, a Pittsburgh non-profit dedicated to Promoting Excellence in Local Government. They provide courses on how to run for office, an intern program, a training course for newly elected officials, among myriad other programs. I was brought on as the Municipal Intern Program Coordinator.

Initially, when I first arrived, I had to become oriented to what was going on with the Municipal Intern Program (a paid summer internship for graduate and undergraduate students that provides experience in the field of local government). I started on January 20^th and had a little over a month to help recruit as many potential internship placements as possible by February 24^th, and then prepare placement site supervisors and their potential interns for our virtual Intern Fair on March 18^th. We had a Municipal Orientation to accomplish, supervisor training to begin, and an intensive outreach plan to create and execute. When I showed up, my work was cut out for me from Day One!

First and foremost, the outreach campaign to find the municipalities and students had to be enhanced. Invigorating the Academy’s Instagram account was crucial. In the pursuit of capacity-building, I broke down every aspect of the Instagram posting process and distilled each element into an instructional document or simple template. Excel was used to create a tracker to organize the individuals we highlight, an ever-evolving PowerPoint presentation was established that allows the team to revise in real-time, and a post sequencing guide that outlines how to logically structure posts was initiated. My daily goal is to go beyond direct service – my contributions need to provide an avenue for others to continue the work.

Moreover, I had the privilege of contributing to our Municipal Orientation by speaking to our 19 supervisors across the Pittsburgh region about the professional development of interns. I trained borough managers and city leaders on the Handshake platform, the website that hosted the virtual fair (I’ve given the 10-minute training spiel so many times, I think Handshake should start paying me!). I facilitated conversations between our academic partners, government officials, and prospective students, and supported the program in a variety of administrative functions.

Additionally, I’ve learned about the relationships between various governmental bodies (there’s something called a Tri-COG and it has nothing to do with gears) and met leaders across the region. And the acronyms! Working at the Academy has been an ongoing crash-course in acronyms: a COG is a “council of governments”, a membership organization for municipalities; in our world CDCs don’t focus on vaccinations, they support neighborhood revitalization because they’re “community development corporations”; and “MS4” is a much simpler way to refer to a “municipal separate storm sewer system”, a system to relocate storm water.

Ultimately, I’ve learned plenty and have contributed meaningfully. In fact, I’ve been so inspired by my experiences thus far that I decided to dip my toe into the world of local government and apply to sit on my borough’s Civil Service Commission. I’m excited to see what the future holds as I continue my 10-month placement with Local Government Academy. My only hope is it’s not just more acronyms!

– Jo Brantle, Municipal Intern Coordinator