By: Tawfiq, Community Engagement Coordinator
My experience with ETCBC so far has been positive. In working with ETCBC I am working with a faith based organization for the first time and have been challenged to work outside my comfort zone. Although I am not opposed to religion, I would not call myself religious so seeing this perspective of community work has been enlightening. Especially since this specific organization is very open-minded towards different beliefs and working with staff and fellow interns who share this diversity of thought. I would not have normally expected such a level of open-mindedness from a faith oriented group so it was great to see that stigma broken down for me.
I feel that this will help me going forward, to reduce any hesitancy when approaching agencies with a specific focus or core value. I am also looking forward to how else this unfamiliar environment will challenge me to reevaluate my thought process and practice. Lastly I am also somewhat cautiously anticipating working within the network of ETCBC’s partners, who may or may not share their sense of open-mindedness. This is because I feel that expecting other organizations of this variety to all have the same mindset would be misguided even if they are partners. Overall, I have nothing but positive things to say at this point in time.