It's time to have fun...after work!

Hey! So, I've been a little lazy and have not posted anything since my first couple of days here in NYC. I've had enough time already to get settled in my room, get to better know most of the other people in the program, and feel comfortable in my position at the Latina Institute (short for National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health....and an alternative to acronyms, which I dislike).

Working at the Latina Institute has been a little different from the experience I envisioned at first. I am working with the Communications and Development department. Does it have anything to do with biology? I'm not sure. Does it have anything to do with public health??....Well. I believe it does! A lot! My department is in charge of two main things: first, put the name of our organization out there and facilitate communication between our organization and people interested in the work we do; second, find the funds to do all the work we do! Both are integral parts without which a non-profit organization cannot function-- this includes the ones with a focus on public health.

If there is one thing that I will learn about this summer experience, it's that working in the public health arena demands a knowledge and familiarity with a number of different subjects: medicine, policy, business administration, etc. Knowing only about one of these areas will not help anyone build a successful non-profit. However, you do not need one person to be an expert in everything! That would be very inconvenient....and probably impossible. Because the Latina Institute understands this, they have identified different departments within the organization that, even though work very closely together, also have their own defined goals. The departments are: Community Mobilization, Policy and Advocacy, Research, and Communications and Development. With all these departments you would think we have an army of dozens of women (yes, I know you think we are all women....actually we are!). You would be amazed to know how much 7 amazing full-time staff and a couple of interns have been able to achieve!

If you want to learn more details about all the work the Latina Institute does, I invite you to visit the website www.latinainstitute.org . And thanks to me (and of course, my supervisor) , you can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter! That's exciting..no? By the way...I was avoiding so much getting hooked on Twitter, and now my job demands me to spend time following people and updating statuses... It's amazing how much non-profits (and of course, a good amount of "for-profits") are utilizing these websites! Maybe I'll expand on that later. Also, I know I owe you some pics! I'll get on that--promise.