Author Archives: Jason Duquette-Hoffman

Policy & Poverty: Our 2020 legislative lunch with local and national policy makers! – Monday, Feb. 10th 12:30-2pm @ CCE

Join us for our annual legislative lunch, with our Addison County state legislators, representatives from our Vermont Congressional offices, and Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, as we discuss policy initiatives underway in Montpelier and in Washington that address (or complicate) the causes and consequences of economic inequality. Food will be provided!

Summer 2020 P&P Internship applications are open! Apply now – the deadline is January 12th!

The Privilege & Poverty Academic Cluster offers summer internship opportunities locally, here in Addison County, as well as nationally. You can make a difference, while working in law, immigration, health, food and nutrition, housing and more! The P&P Summer Internship program fulfills the experiential learning component of the P&P Academic Cluster curriculum.

RECRUITMENT FOR SUMMER 2020 CLOSES JANUARY 12th! APPLY NOW!

Complete the application on Handshake (link above) and be sure to have your references complete the online recommendation form

Local summer internships are available at WomenSafeJohn Graham Housing & ServicesHOPE (Helping Overcome Poverty’s Effects), Mary Johnson Children Center rural food programs, the Open Door Clinic and the Charter House Coalition . 

National internships are coordinated through our participation in the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty summer internship program, and are located in urban and rural settings throughout the United States with agencies that serve in educational, healthcare, immigration, legal, housing, social and economic capacities for the needs of individuals and their communities. Students who are selected for this internship program will become a part of a Privilege & Poverty cohort that will prepare together during spring semester workshops, participate in the summer internship, regroup for reflection upon return to campus, and bring the knowledge and understanding gained from these experiences to the college community throughout the academic year. 

October Lunch Discussion: Hunger in Vermont | 12:30-2pm Tues. Oct. 15th @ CCE

Join P&P for a discussion on food insecurity and the food challenges facing Vermont communities, with special guests Jenna O’Donnell of Hunger Free Vermont, Anne Gleason from the Mary Johnson Children’s Center, and Lily Bradburn with HOPE’s food shelf and gleaning programs.

Jenna will talk about some of the policy challenges impacting food and nutrition programs, and the ways communities around Vermont are mobilizing to meet them. Anne will discuss the work of the MJCC School Age Programs toward meeting the nutritional needs of Addison County’s children and their families. Lily will talk about the work of HOPE’s food shelf and gleaning programs, trying to meet the needs of our neighbors who are facing food insecurity in their daily lives.

Share your experiences, reflect on your work and consider ways forward in meeting these most critical needs in our community!

Tuesday, October 15th from 12:30-2:00pm at the Center for Community Engagement – 20 Old Chapel Rd.

RSVP Here!

September Lunch Discussion: “Identity, Privilege & Poverty- Reflections from the field”

Through summer internship programs such as the Privilege & Poverty Academic Cluster (P&P) local and national internships, and the Middlebury Social Impact Corps (MISC) experience in Peru, Middlebury students delve into community-based, experiential internships with diverse organizations across the U.S. and abroad.

Join a group of recent interns for the first P&P Monthly Lunch Discussion of the 19-20 academic year as they reflect on their experiences over the course of their summer work with the intersection between identity, poverty and privilege. The discussion is also a wonderful opportunity for students interested in applying for community-based internships to learn more about the programs from student participants themselves.

Food provided, please RSVP online here!

Tuesday, Sept. 17th 12:30-2:00pm, Center for Community Engagement, 20 Old Chapel Rd.

Poverty on Trial – Blog post

The third installment of the CCE summer blog series by Connor Wertz ’22 examines student experiences with and reflections on the nexus between poverty and the criminal justice system, through their P&P summer internships.

Diana Diaz ’21 heads into a busy day’s work with the Washington, D.C. Public Defender Service, where she was interning this summer through P&P
SHECP National Interns

And…they’re off! P&P Summer Interns start work in Addison County – and beyond

In organizations around Addison County, as well as locations around the country (Austin, TX; Shamokin, PA; New York City; Greensboro, NC; Baltimore, MD; Washington, DC), Middlebury students have begun their work in their summer P&P internships, which serve as a qualifying experiential learning opportunity for completion of the P&P Academic Cluster.

P&P summer interns in their pre-service bias response training workshop, led by Kristen Mullins

Following a series of pre-service workshops ranging from bias response training and an introduction to trauma-informed practice, to authentic community participation, fifteen students are working in a wide variety of community organizations to address the impacts of poverty in their regions.

SHECP National Interns (left to right) Alivia Kliesen, Ruby Edlin, Anton Gallegos, Mariel Edokwe, Victoria Yeh and Eloise Berdahl-Baldwin. Not pictured: Diana Diaz

Students with national placements (in partnership with the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty) attended an Opening Conference at Marymount University in Arlington, VA where they met their location cohorts and participated in programming to orient them to the work ahead. Middlebury’s own Director of Education for Equity and Inclusion, Renee Wells, led one of the sessions for the Consortium. They departed the conference on Saturday for their destinations, together with students from 25 other colleges and universities who participate in the national program.

The SHECP national interns pose for a group photo with SHECP Executive Director Brett Morash at the 2019 Opening Conference

The eight P&P local interns, joined by Foodworks intern Isabel Lubitz, meet weekly with the P&P academic and internship directors for discussion and reflection on their experiences. They are working in placements with John Graham Housing & Service, Charter House, HOPE, WomenSafe, the Open Door Clinic and Mary Johnson Children’s Center’s Rural Fun Delivery program.

Over the coming months, we will be sharing stories from our intern cohort and the work they are undertaking with the incredible community partner organizations they are placed with. Stay tuned!