Close to the End
I’ve spent some time with St. Cpyrian’s over the past year and my experiences there have been wonderful. My projects for this semester seemed like they kept adding up, but I was glad to see that I helped in some way. I helped with organizing the BBQ and rummage sale on May the 5th, during meetings I had much input on what decisions were made and how they were recorded, and I developed a business plan for the St. Cyprian’s community kitchen that they can tweak and make true to the kitchen as they continue to grow.
It has seemed like the whole semester has come down to our big BBQ and rummage sale at St. Cyprian’s. This fund-raiser is to help purchase the kitchen new appliances and to fund the renovation of the space. We had a lot of fun preparing for the event, but we worked very hard to get to that point. At the BBQ and rummage sale, I helped by being one of the handlers of the rummage. I was wheeling and dealing, just trying to move as much rummage as we could. In the end the rummage sale helped us the most. We made over $4000. We even had a “fashion show” with our own rummage. I also took some photos for St. Cyprian’s newsletter.
All in all this year with St. Cyprian’s as been amazing. I really would like to the Will and Eric along with everyone else at St. Cyprian’s for all their help while I’ve interned at the church. I feel like this type of experience is unmatched anywhere else and I truly thank USF, St. Cyprian’s, and the sponsors for making this possible.
Some History
St. Cyprian’s is rich with history and should be shared with many. I’ve had personally experiences finding and making my own history with St. Cyprian’s and I have come to love the church on the corner on Lyon and Turk. But it has even more history than just my experiences of course.
Before the 1870’s a church to serve the black community of San Francisco did not exist. Rev. Fr. Peter William Cassey formed the first Black Episcopalian congregation, which came to be known as the Christ Mission with their services held in Youngmen’s Hall. Thirsty years after the close of Christ Mission, the Black Episcopal community came together to try and revitalize the mission to construct their own church. The community received the approval of Rt. Rev. Edward Lamb Parsons to create a new Black Episcopal Church. On April 8, 1923, the first formal service of the St. Cyprian’s (named for a wealthy aristocrat and a cultivated rhetorician from North Africa) Episcopal Church was held in Grace Cathedral. For many reasons St. Cyprian’s had to move locations for the next forty until December 18th, 1960 when they established and had their first service in their new church on the corner of Turk and Lyon where is today.
Since that date St. Cyprian’s has gone on to be involved with many outreach programs such as a job training program for youth in the 1970s and a needle exchange program in the 1990s. St. Cyprian’s has also hosted the Right Reverend Barbara Harris before her consecration in 1989. Recently, as of November 2011, St. Cyprian’s was nominated for the “Energy Oscar” awards, presented by the California Interfaith Power and Light, for their efforts in energy education.
How do we make change happen?
The PSIP enables business students to CHOOSE to work with partners in community-based nonprofits and public sector agencies, receive stipends for their work and have an opportunity to “live and work” the USF mission. Often, these organizations only can afford to offer unpaid internships; as a result, business students often overlook these opportunities. PSIP students develop and apply their skills to address challenges related to economic development, poverty, youth and other social justice issues. The PSIP program provides funding for stipends to facilitate business students’ involvement.
Vision
The PSIP is designed to stimulate business students’ interest in public service, enabling them to more completely experience the mission and values of the university; and, understand how business interests are served when the public sector, social justice and business align. Students learn to become advocates for change and give “voice” to the disempowered and disenfranchised. They are given the opportunity to develop and apply their business knowledge, tools and skills to address community needs and social concerns.
Program Overview: Steps in the Process
Step 1: Partners and Projects
The Faculty liaison and community partners identify projects that make use of business students’ skill-sets; enable students to apply what they are learning in their B-School curriculum in the internship; and allow partners and students to learn from each other in reciprocal ways.
Step 2: Interviews
Students compete for and interview with community partners for part-time internships. Internships typically begin in June and complete by mid-August.
Step 3: Student Deliverables
Stipends or scholarships are awarded to students for the following deliverables: (a) complete memorandum of understanding with the organization; (b) meet internship time commitment; (c) use electronic media to share reflections and learnings with other stakeholders (new students, community partners, prospective donors, media).
Program Outcomes
Students participating in past PSIP projects shared what they learned about the organization’s mission, clients, funding and policy-related circumstances. They became spokespersons for the relevant social issues (hunger, HIV, educational and healthcare access, environmental justice, etc.) and they described their experiences in ways that relate to who they are and will be as people and professionals. Transformation and social identity change occurs as a result of engaging with the community and especially with marginalized populations. The business skills might look similar, but the lessons learned are more likely to be quite different.
The PSIP Program was initially designed and implemented by Dayle M. Smith, PhD and Julie Reed, PhD, University of San Francisco in Spring 2008.
PSIP Director: Monika Hudson, Assistant Professor
