For Robert Davis, having the opportunity to travel and gain experience from an internship has allowed him to see the importance of taking part in the community. He feels it is a great learning process and every student should have that same opportunity.
I arrived at gate 24 about an hour before my scheduled departure time. I checked my watch; in five short hours, I would be on the opposite side of the United States, in San Francisco. My mind reeled at the thought of this adventure.
Just to think, six months ago, I was completely unaware of Code for America. In early February, I watched a video of Jen Pahlka, CFA’s founder, speak on the topic of improving government. There was something about her talk that resonated with me, so I decided to visit their website. I noticed they had an internship program, so I sent in my application. After two interview phone calls and a few weeks, I decided to put my two-weeks’ notice in at work. I was headed west.
The non-profit organization is dedicated to “helping governments work better for everyone with the people and the power of the web.” It can be aptly described as “Peace Corps for geeks.” Each year, Code for America hosts a fellowship program designed to get governments working more efficiently and openly. They transplant designers, web-developers, and entrepreneurs into the heart of local governments to try to find ways of making it better. Code for America is relatively new, but a quick search on Google can show you they have already made quite an impact.
I was privileged enough to work with seven other interns, from the U.S. and Canada, on projects ranging from open government campaigns to city “hackathons”. A “hackathon”, as I learned, is a gathering of likeminded people to collaborate on projects to solve problems. I helped the City of Honolulu develop a social media guide and I interviewed the City of Austin’s communication director. I helped cause a traffic spike on the Code for America website, which, as a marketing major, I found particularly thrilling.
More importantly, as the fellows reported on the issues facing each respective city government, I could really start to see the power these “insiders” started to yield. The City of Boston team built an application for parents to easily track the school bus delayed by snow storms. Another team created an application to participate in polls and surveys for the city that easily collected data.
The ingeniousness of these simple ideas gave the engaged citizen the power to participate in their government and have a voice. In my opinion, this is a reflection of a larger trend. People are demanding better access and transparency, and as we build to meet these needs, participation will become an easier part of everyday life. I saw it already happening in cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Austin, and even Macon, Georgia.
My summer was spent at one of the most interesting, innovative non-profits in the world. Although I spent almost all my savings at an unpaid internship, I saw the value of participation and community, and I am forever changed by the lessons learned and the people I met.
