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Religion & Public Engagement Final Podcast
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Religion & Public Engagement Final Podcast
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The speaker is a senior at Wake Forest University and has been volunteering at the Waker space for several years. They started volunteering because it was a place to engage with others and work on creative projects during the height of COVID. Other volunteers have similar stories. The Waker space helps them feel more connected to the Wake Forest community and allows them to support and engage with others. Special events and collaborations with other organizations help promote diversity and inclusion. The Waker space is open to all students, faculty, and staff and offers a variety of projects and opportunities for learning and creativity. The main impetus for creating the space was to provide a place for students to make things and learn about the creation process. The space is not limited to STEM projects and encourages engagement and accessibility for all. Hey, welcome to my podcast. This is the Religion and Public Engagement podcast. So, go ahead and introduce yourself. My name is Hayne. I'm a senior at Wake Forest and I've been a volunteer at the Waker space for like three years now, almost four. Awesome. So, can you tell me a little bit about why you started volunteering here and maybe if you know why other people started volunteering? Yeah, so I started volunteering here because my freshman year, this was the only spot that I could come to and like engage with other people and work on creative projects. And you know, this was during the height of COVID. So, I was very limited for those options. So, I ended up spending most of my time here and Paul talked to me like, hey, you know, we have volunteers, you know, they help run the space and such. So, you know, I'd really appreciate if you could like help out, you know, it's low commitment. And ever since that day, Paul's never been able to get rid of me. And I've been volunteering almost every day for, you know, several hours, just as I can. And I think that other people have a similar story to me, like one of the volunteers this year, Ione, she sort of also got sniped by Paul. And then I think that other people, they come in initially for like other organizations like APO or something. They try to get their three hours and leave. But you know, they get involved a little bit more and they kind of start to appreciate the space more and they want to support it outside of their normal three hours. Yeah, definitely. So, I would call myself an APO success story. I definitely agree. So, I started volunteering here through APO and started volunteering around 15 hours a week. And then I got a job here, but I still at least hit my three hours a week. Thank you. So, how do you think that this makes you feel more connected to the community, either the Wakerspace community or the Winston-Salem community? Well, I think that it's hard to say that we're more connected to the Winston-Salem community, just because we're limited to Wake students only. But I think that inside of the Wake Forest community, I'm definitely more connected with the student body and also the faculty, just because for those people that do come in pretty frequently, you know, there are regulars that I can identify. You know, I get to know them. I sort of know what their interests are. I'm able to help them with their projects and things like that. But also, I think that being able to work at, like, special events and helping promote the Wakerspace in and of itself sort of helps integrate us into the community to make us more sort of aware. Because, you know, early on, you know, we were a place that existed and people knew about us and they'd come in for advertising, but it wasn't nearly as popular as it is now. Because, like, you know, during, like, sorority big little reveal season or, like, Halloween, you know, those sort of big events where the whole community or, you know, the majority of the student body is needing to make things all at once. You know, we are now the go-to place and people come to us to make t-shirts, to make costumes, to learn how to use the 3-D printer or whatever. And being a part of helping people get those projects done is definitely one way that I've sort of integrated myself as part of the community. Awesome. Yeah, I also think on a smaller scale, like, we have those special events and we have family weekend. So, like, we have a tiny little connection to the Winston-Salem community, but yeah, it is mostly to Wake Forest. So how do you think with this tiny little connection to the outside world, how are we still able to experience diversity and promote different sorts of causes? Well, I would say, so the biggest event I can think of that is related to the wider community and also sort of diversity and inclusion is either last semester or last year, I can't remember exactly. We had an event hosted here where it was, I don't remember the exact group description, but it was a large group of people who came in to make quilts and it was for, like, African American History Month, maybe? I think it was a religion class. Yeah, it was something along those lines where people from the community who made quilts and they made, like, they were sort of community figureheads that came in and worked with us to make these projects so that people could learn more about different religions and communities and things like that. And so I think that that's one way that we're able to help a lot. And then also, the other sort of indirect way that the Waker Space helps is, so like Project Pumpkin, every year we get several people that come in and they make their, like, their stands and their costumes and things like that in the Waker Space. And so in that way, we're able to enable further community support and engagement. Because, you know, Project Pumpkin is run by students at Wake, but it's for, you know, the community and people that live in the area that, you know, don't get to participate in the typical Halloween experience. So I think that that's another way that the Waker Space sort of indirectly helps with diversity inclusion by bringing in all sorts of people and making and sort of giving that shared origin, or not origin, I guess, but like a shared space where you work together with other people and sort of have the collaboration. Yeah, definitely. If I take a quick look at my notes, I have a few other organizations that we work with, that I got Paul's help to compile. So he mentioned that we do work with AfriCASA. So every Sunday, for like the past month, they've had a standing kind of spot in our collaboration space so that they can come in and work on their, their projects. And then we also do events with the LGBTQ plus center and the Women's Center. Lots of work with like sustainability and like environmental groups. And then we also work with an FYS class that comes in and makes like outfits, I guess, and have, they have a little runway, made all of like recycling, like scraps, types of things. And then he also mentioned that one of the super, super important pieces, when they were working to create the idea of Makerspace, was that it would remain like free for everyone, which is kind of they were focusing on inclusivity, they're making sure that no one is held back from being able to use the Makerspace, you know, we have innovation quarter downtown, that's kind of just for engineers, but any student, faculty or staff member can use Makerspace. Yeah, absolutely. And to give a little bit more details on the FYS, the whole situation with that is that essentially it's, the whole idea is looking at the actual impact of different fabrics and clothing and how the fashion industry has sort of affected us environmentally, and trying to take a step back and looking at how you can upcycle your clothes, or you can modify previous clothes to fit newer styles and things like that, to be more, you know, eco friendly. And so that is something that like, I've been involved with, and I helped them earlier today when they were working on such projects. Yeah. Okay, so, um, one question, jumping back a little bit. So Makerspace turned five this year, which is pretty impressive. Yep. Very exciting. We had a whole birthday party thrown. You can find us in Wakes Magazine this year. But since you are a senior, and you've been here all four years, you've kind of witnessed the beginning part, which there were a whole few years of just planning to get Makerspace running. But tell me a little bit about how you know that Makerspace came to be. So I think that the main impetus for creating the Makerspace at the beginning was that they wanted to create a space that was open for all students to come in and to just make things for their own purposes, just for creative, as a creative outlet, and also to learn more about the creation process and how that's actually involved in learning. And Paul talks about it in all of his mission, or like his tours about the two mission statements. And the first one is very important for like me personally, because I come in and I do my own interesting projects, like I made, you know, the Mandalorian cardboard armor. Times four. Yeah. And so I've done that. And that's, you know, something that I really enjoy doing. And, you know, I don't have access to the tools that I use to make those at home. And I think I'll just have a giant laser sitting around. No, unfortunately not. Interestingly enough, so my grandmother wants to buy one for her house, because she wants to do those sort of projects. But, but no, that's sort of the big thing. And then the other part of it is that this space is specifically not a STEM space. Like, obviously, we have engineering people and math people like come in and do projects here. But the majority of volunteers and the majority of like the work that actually gets done in the space is not, I'm going to build a prototype of my engineering bridge project or something like that. And that's really important because I think that, you know, as Paul would talk about and has I sort of agree that you don't want engineering and making to sort of be exclusively just science and boring and unengaging and unaccessible to people, because you lose out on a lot of opportunities to learn and grow when you're not physically engaging with not only like the things that you're doing, but you're not understanding the making process or the design process and things like that. Yeah. So you mentioned kind of the special STEM projects not being our only thing, which is very true. But I just wanted to highlight some of the special projects that have been done here. So usually like med students aren't allowed to use our space just because we are Well, it's really insurance purposes, but like law students can use the space and business grad students. But we did do like a little collaboration with a med student. So tell me a little bit about that. Yeah. So one of the I don't know specifically which one you're talking about, but I do The syringe thingy. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, so I was gonna say there's two There's two ones I can think about. One of them is this idea of this new type of like an EpiPen sort of design that this med student was prototyping and they were coming in here to make those projects and to test them out. I wasn't present as a volunteer during that time, but I do know that it is also like It gives a place for students like that to come in and to work on these things because even if you know, we don't necessarily cater to the med school students or the law school students, we still engage with them and we still have this space available just because you know, they don't have access to the like the fabrication technologies that Wake Downtown does. Like if you're an engineering student, you have your own space that's exclusively for academics and if you're not working on something for class, it's really hard to get in and do things there. Whereas with these med students that's not the case. They don't have that available. And so they come to us and we're able to give them the tools and the materials required to, you know, test those things and to learn more about outside stuff. Another project that's sort of in that same vein that I think is interesting to talk about is the there's a group on campus where they 3D print prosthetic arms for children that are in the area. And that's another thing that we that I could have talked about for, you know, sort of community engagement, but that is something that explicitly happens here and is enabled by our participation because this club and this organization you know, otherwise they would have to go to community centers, you know in the area and they'd have to pay a membership fee and you know for materials and things like that. Whereas here that's not a hazard or sort of an obstacle that they have to navigate in order to make those things happen. Yeah, awesome. We also along that line, I guess we have a robotics club that meets in here every week, which is pretty cool because it's it's letting people who maybe aren't necessarily in engineering or whatever kind of touch back into that aspect of their life if they were into it in high school or whatever. But yeah, so you you jumped back a little bit to organizations. So just while we have you there how have some of the events that we've done with like religious organizations contributed to some of our like diversity and like inclusion causes? Yeah, I was gonna say one of the one of the big things that I could think of is we've had like Hillel has come in and I know one of the, I don't know if he's necessarily the director, but he's one of the higher like executive members of it, Amit. He comes in and he does all sorts of personal projects, but he also does things for Hillel specifically and we've hosted events here where you know he came in and he made gifts and awards and things like that for people in his group. And I think that that's another way that we sort of engage with that and it also because this is an open space when we have Hillel or groups with the Muslim Student Association when we have those it's an open space where they can come in and be welcomed and engage with the community as a whole but also other people can come in and they can see these things and they can be more aware and sort of learn more about them. And so I think that that's another good space where you sort of see that interaction between the wafer space and the community as a whole. Definitely. I remember it must have been last year because we had another student volunteer, Riley, who was here and she was Jewish and she was like wanting us to try all these different foods that they had at their little event and so I like went over and we had a bunch of just random people going up and talking to the Hillel organization and just kind of chatting and learning. And I know that was kind of the whole point of like Islam Awareness Week, which had events in here and then I think just it is really a space of like you can see people in here, you say hey, and it's just a place where everyone is welcome and kind of things like that and jumping back a little bit to just simple community building. So we also have like RA events in here. So that's kind of a good way for like freshman dorms to kind of get to know each other maybe at the beginning of the year. We have events over like in the Sutton Center where we draw people in, but I think it's just a really great way for people from all different aspects of campus to come together, especially just like all of our volunteers. We have STEM students, business, like random religious studies, you know, just random things. Yeah, no, I definitely agree. And, you know, if you look at the demographics of the volunteers and the people that are involved at the Waker space, you'll sort of definitely start to notice that it's a very unique community and it's a very diverse community that we've sort of created with people of all different sort of backgrounds and interests and sort of kind of connected by their mutual enjoyment of making things. Yeah, awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining me on my podcast. You're welcome. We'll have our next guest popping in here soon. Okay, great. Hey, welcome to my podcast. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? Yeah, my name is Austin Torain. I am a senior here at Wake Forest. I'm majoring in psychology with minors in counseling and neuroscience. Awesome. So, when did you kind of get into volunteering at Waker space? Yeah, so I started volunteering at Waker space my freshman spring. There was a older volunteer. Her name was Maddie and she was talking to one of her like littles in her sorority about it. And then her friend ended up roping me in because I knew her friend and then yeah, I've been working here since freshman spring, which is crazy. Awesome. So, kind of took a took a village. It gets you to start volunteering. I couldn't say it took a village. But I needed some convincing at first because I was it was COVID and it was a weird time and I was like, I don't want to get involved with too many things but between Melissa and Maddie and I don't know. I ended up meeting Paul and they said there were snacks and I was like, okay. I can get behind free food. And so yeah, then I kind of just fell in love with the things we do here. Yeah, so do you think that most volunteers have like a special something that gets them involved or is it just kind of random? Any like specific inspiration behind that? Yeah, I think most people have like a little special something that they are really interested in or really like. So, like I said, I kind of like got introduced to the Waker space with the promise of snacks and food. But then I kind of fell in love with the laser and now I teach like workshops on the laser and I don't know that kind of like really sealed the deal for me because it was just an excuse to like come in and use the laser a lot and help people learn how to use the laser and next thing you know, I was like laser team lead and yeah, so I think for most people they have like a really special tool or something about the Waker space that just like they really enjoy doing and then they just kept coming back and then boom, you end up becoming a volunteer. Yeah. So, just in what ways do you think that volunteers kind of show that they feel more connected to their community through their involvement in Waker space? I think just because of the fact that like when you volunteer at the Waker space you're basically serving the entire student body in the sense that like people come in and some people want to learn how to use the laser for engineering projects. Some people want to learn how to use the laser to like make their mom a gift. Some people just want to learn how to use the laser because they heard about it from one of their friends. And so I think you just end up meeting a lot of different people like in and around the community. Like we had a math teacher come in not too long ago and like she was like testing out some way like use the laser to like make math equations and then she was going to have like her students do that as like a final project and I thought that was so cool. Because it just goes to show you that like I don't know people come into here all the time to do like different things and so you really get a chance to like see a lot of community members. Like we have a bunch of like staff who will also take our workshops, faculty members, things of that nature and then just like students from like all different walks of life. Like I said specifically for the laser like I've had like people come in to like business major like projects like they laser etch leather and then like some people just like like to make like little gifts for their friends and stuff. And so I think you just really get a chance to like meet a bunch of the community, which is really cool. For sure. Yeah, I'm gonna interject with my own little story, but probably talking about community on a smaller scale just like community within Waker Space Volunteers. I would say that I found like some of my closest friends through volunteering here and I think that community that we created over the past few years has just been really special. And you know, you see a Waker Space Volunteer on campus and you like you're like, oh, I know them, you know, and especially last year we were just all so close that just like you wanted to come volunteer because you knew that all your friends were going to be there and it was gonna be fun and even if you were busy and couldn't hang out with each other you were there together. So I think that's something really special is that you always have people volunteering at the same time and you're all there together. Yeah. Yeah, and I think like Paul did a really good job of like making it kind of like feel like a family like I remember so many like team dinners last year where we like actually had nothing to like actually talk about and we just kind of like hung out and ate food and listened to music and I don't know like you said even like decorating the Waker Space for like its birthday and things of that nature like I don't know. It's just a cute little community and I think Paul does a really good job of kind of just like allowing us to come in and like I don't know like I've come in a lot this semester and just been like Paul I'm actually just here like hang out like I don't I don't really want to volunteer today and he's just like super understanding about it. And yeah, I don't know. He's such a cool guy. We did have some tasty olive garden tonight. Okay, so another question is Hayne and I had kind of talked about this but we talked about kind of like diversity among volunteers and how we go about actively promoting like diversity and inclusivity here so can you kind of tell us your perspective on that? Yeah um I think once again just because what the Waker Space kind of like stands for at the end of the day is just like creativity and just like people coming in and doing the things that they enjoy doing or doing the things that like they want to do and like creating in different ways that is like applicable to them. So like I've like actually never come into the Waker Space to like paint or draw like that's just not my thing. But like the laser and like the 3d printer and like I've even used the podcast room like a couple times here and there um right now right now currently in the podcast room and so I think because at the end of the day the Waker Space has such a range in the things you can do it therefore causes more people to feel like they can come and do things and create and experience and so I know Paul has done a really good job in the past like couple years of like trying to get different organizations and groups to come and like have events in the Waker Space and so I think either last semester he did like a an event with like the dance team and then this semester I know he's worked with like Africasa to like put on events and like last semester I remember helping out with like the first generation students. They like made t-shirts and so I think when you have a space like this it almost like breeds diversity and inclusivity like on its own because people are going to come here from like all different walks of life um, and like I said, I think Paul also does just a really good job of like making people feel seen and heard here because like I know like our volunteer team is like it's pretty diverse I'd say um, especially given like Wake's demographics. It's as diverse as it could be. Um, and I think that's because Paul at the end of the day like like sees people as people and like if they have a passion for like creating and crafting like he will try to get them to volunteer regardless um, and I think that's really awesome because then it makes for like really cool opportunities for us as like volunteers to like interact with like different people like I don't know just today like when I came into the Waker Space I ran into Audrey who's like a sophomore and I probably would have never met without the Waker Space or like Jaden who's a junior and I probably would have never met without the Waker Space or like even like our relationship like I don't know if it would have existed like without the Waker Space and so it's like it like gives so many opportunities to just like breed like really diverse groups like our friend group like Riley and Jasmine like Yeah, I don't know like that's I mentioned Riley earlier. If Wake took a photo of that that would be like their diversity pick for like ages. Yeah. Um, so yeah, so I don't know Yeah, awesome. Um I definitely I definitely agree with everything you just said. Um, so if we kind of dive into that a little bit deeper um in what ways does Waker Space contribute to like community building, um, and kind of that whole like campus wide type of thing. So if we look at community building, public engagement um, do you have any like examples of events where we kind of showed that like belonging and connection between people maybe campus wide? Yeah um I think in general because the Waker Space is such a I don't want to say removed because that's not the word I'm looking for but like different kind of space on campus than like most other spaces. I find that whenever we're at events people will come and visit and look at things and be like, oh wow, I didn't know Wake had this like I thought we were just like an academic school and I thought like all the clubs like revolved around like I don't know like chess club, like I don't know like I feel like oftentimes when the Waker Space is at events people are like shocked that like there's a place on campus where you can 3d print and craft and laser and knit and sew and it's all just like at your like fingertips like and for free for free you don't have to like you show up for a workshop to learn how to use like a couple of the machines and then you just come and make whenever and like I don't know I think that like baffles people a lot of times but I think because of the space it is It does a really good job of community building um And like I don't know I remember working God, what is it called like the involvement fair? Yeah, like last year with Riley. Um It was like the spring one that they had. Um, and once again, like it's just You see all of these clubs and like don't get me wrong Some of them like might not be as like academic oriented and like some of them are more creative but like you see all these different clubs and like None of them are like what the Waker Space does, you know, so it's like it's a one of the like only spaces on campus that you can like do the kind of things that you do like there's like four different dance groups and eight acapella groups and So many sororities and like this club and that club and this club and that club but like there's only one Waker Space and like and when you become a volunteer here, like you're there's only one volunteer family like, you know, like it's and so I think it does a really good job of like building community by being one of the only craft spaces on campus because like I don't know people in this community are always looking for ways to like get out of their academic mindset and get into like something more creative and I think the Waker Space is like one of the only places on campus you can do that I also think it's you like touched on this earlier, but I think it is a great spot for like faculty and staff to come because um I feel like the focus is so strong on students like needing a break but faculty and staff you know, they come to commit to knit every Tuesday and just sit and chat and knit and Um I think that space has become really special for them and like even over the summer they keep it going And they just want to like see each other and they've built their own little community through that And then you know, we have faculty and staff coming in Dr. Sakal is in here all the time for not only his class, but like personal projects and I think I mean, there's so many different professors professors coming in to use the cricket and law professors coming in and just like um One lady comes in to make t-shirts before every trip. She goes out like a little girl's trip and I just think that like it almost kind of builds a connection between the faculty staff and students Whereas I feel like you know people encourage you to go to office hours and like get close with your professors But there's still always that barrier there and then here like you can sit and knit with one of your professors, which is just mind-boggling to me like To get close with one of your professors. I know it's normal for some people, but I don't know and like you said, it's like Such a different space to connect with like staff and faculty as well Like I remember the first time I taught a workshop and like a professor was sitting in on it And it was like so weird because I was like you're so much older than me But like i'm about to teach you how to use this really awesome tool in the waker space Or like helping professors who come in like with cricket Um, I remember we were helping that like arabic professor like make his like t-shirt It's like such a different dynamic because they're coming in like Almost most of the time with like little to no knowledge about like how to use some of the stuff in the space And we're completely like student ran. So it's like we're teaching them Like it's just students teaching teachers and faculty and staff and it's like such a cool like little dynamic um, and like you said it just like strengthens like the community a little bit because it's like you see them outside of an academic space and you're like They're just a person like they're making a gift for their spouse or like they're making t-shirts for their family vacation like Which is that's crazy to me Professors are real people. I don't know but no, I definitely I think it's amazing that like This space exists where you can see that happen. I don't know Okay, so moving on a little bit. Um, we've talked about Creation and creativity a lot um, so How does waker space kind of combine these? How have you seen? um waker space combine these with maybe like religion and so you know hayne had talked about like hello and islam awareness week and um like we Yeah, I think i'll leave that open to you for any other examples Yeah, uh, I'm trying to think Like I said, I think in general I've seen like a lot of different Clubs and organizations try to utilize the waker space. So like hello um And then there's a couple like other groups on campus Like I feel like i've seen ruf coming here before but I don't know But I feel like they made stickers one time or like something like that Like wesley we made our T-shirts here. I've definitely probably also seen like young life stickers be made here or something So I definitely think it's just another space for people to like come and craft. Um and then in general, I think I don't know. I think there was a religion class that was like taught in the wicker space. Yeah and so like I just think because it's such a Different space on campus that you can like have a bunch of those things happen and interact and connect um in ways that probably seem a little like weird to other people but like it's just a normal tuesday on the wicker space that there might be a religion class or an edu class or A greek mythology class like I don't know like this the physics Professor who's in the class and you know, like the robotics club coming like it's just I don't know I feel like it's one of those spaces where like because we just allow people to like Come in and do what they want to do that. Like it's a really safe place for like religious organizations and like people who are like I don't know Wanting to make like religious things for themselves or their family members. I feel like I help someone like make like Something for their grandma with like a prayer of like a bible verse or something on at one time. I got So it's just like a place that I think people can like be who they are and Whatever authentic ways that shows up and like sometimes that is religious. So Well speaking about um Authenticity, so I know that one of paul's favorite examples when he's like doing tours He's like doing tours is talking about the football player who used to come in and like laser poetry laser cut poetry because it's just like You I don't know. I think there's a lot of talk about like Masculinity and kind of being forced into that especially like if you're on a football team Surrounded constantly by like 80 men or however many football players there are Then it's kind of nice to be able to take a break and be like, you know I'm gonna write some poetry which like It's not an unmanly thing But I think a lot of people could see it as that and you write a lot of poetry. I do also um, like you said I think it's just like a space for people to just like come And be as authentic as they want to be like, I don't know speaking from like personal anecdotes. Um, I Made like pretty much Most of my dorm decorations here at the waker space using the laser And it's a lot of anime and I feel like that's the thing that like most people might not know about me, but like I think it's so cool and I remember making it and taking a picture of it and sending it in our volunteer group chat and everyone was like Oh, that's so cool. And I was like Um, because it was just like I don't know like you said like I think inherently like we have Maybe like preconceived notions of like people and like who they're supposed to be so like a football player writing poetry might like shock people but like Paul thought that was cool and he encouraged him to like keep doing it And so he did and like I don't know maybe people are like anime is kind of weird and nerdy But I like it and paul was like yo, you should just keep making them and I just kept making them And now I have like a wall full of them And so I don't know or even like hayne like I don't know some people might think star wars is really nerdy But paul was like dude make me more He won the costume contest I feel like the waker space and like especially paul and like how he's kind of like trained some of us to just be like Whatever people want to do like let them do it like encourage them to do it. Like I don't know this isn't like But like, you know, we're not a space to like judges like if a football player wants to come and write poetry let him write poetry if I don't know some girl wants to come in and Sew up a new pair of pants let her sew up a new pair of pants if people want to paint their frat boy coolers Let them paint their frat boy coolers You have lots of those All right. Well, thank you for sitting down with me and chatting about your experience. Do you have any final thoughts to share? I love paul. I love the waker space um shout out the volunteer staff and Yeah That's all I got Thank you. Well, we'll be uh getting our next guest in here soon. Thanks Hey, welcome to my podcast. Thanks for joining me today. Yeah, of course. Thanks for having me Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? My name is lydia. I'm a second year student here at wake forest And I am an elementary education major with minors in women gender and sexuality studies and psychology Awesome. Well, thank you so much for Joining me today. Um, I talked with hayne and austin a little bit earlier About kind of more of the behind the scenes type of things with waker space And so I wanted to talk to you a little bit more about the general like volunteer experience So what initially drew you to volunteer at waker space? So I actually took education 311. Um in my fall semester last year with dr Chacal, um where the second half of the class was basically building a model of a classroom Um, and I really enjoyed that class I had a great time That was my I think first time ever being in the waker space. Well first time Second time maybe yeah, but first time that I like came consecutively for like a whole semester Um, and I I considered myself a pretty like crafty artsy person. I crochet I like to paint um and so I I just really enjoy using the equipment and I you know Talked to paul at the end of class about being a volunteer and he was like we'd love to have you Awesome. So can you tell me a little bit? about your Your typical responsibilities and tasks like as a volunteer Yeah, so one of the big things is checking people in and helping them right when they come in um to see if they're new in the space and maybe giving them a safety training or else just um, Letting them know basically that i'm here if I need help. Um Setting up events maybe cleaning up after events Helping with any equipment that i'm personally trained in Um, and i'm actually leading my first workshop next week. So that's something that some volunteers do. Awesome. What's your workshop? I'm doing a crochet workshop. Okay crochet what? Coaster we're doing we're doing coasters. Okay, nice. Very nice um so Yeah, what is one of the things that you enjoy most about being a volunteer? Honestly, I would say the people I think there's a great community at the waker space Um that i've been able to find like, you know, every wednesday every wednesday night We had um a couple of us have dinner at the waker space And I say even even in my first couple volunteer hours like people I didn't know very welcoming Um and kind of made me feel right at home. So definitely the people and the people who come in as well Definitely, that's one of my favorites. I remember. Um you know, we used to bring meals here and eat all the time and then Last year every friday i'd go get tacos and ice cream with jasmine and riley So that's always a favorite. I just love love the volunteers and and they're some of the people who kept me coming back I guess Um, so I wanted to ask because of your job Your job, um, how do you feel that your involvement at waker space has kind of contributed to promoting inclusivity and diversity in the community Yeah, well i'll say like a lot of our events not a lot. Well, we have events. Um hosted like in collaboration with other organizations um that can promote like diversity inclusion like we just had wfq which is the um Is like a queer affinity resource group in in the space Um and a couple weeks ago we had is on awareness week events Um, and so just being able to pair with so many other organizations on campus I know my I mentioned earlier my first time going to wicker space wasn't for the class, but it was for It was to work on. Um a wake forest part of the Age memorial quilt. So just being able to have those events. Um That like the pair a little bit towards marginalized groups Um, it's definitely a big thing like we have africasta events in here a lot. So i'd say Things like that just our collaborations. Definitely. Awesome. Yeah, so um How do you think that this has kind of impacted your sense of community and belonging on campus? Um, well, i'm always trying to get more involved. Um in and around campus. I have a work study in the lgbtq center um, and i'm part of the fiber arts club, but like I said, you know, i'm always like I said, I I'm always trying to get more involved and I think the wicker space is like kind of helped me do that Um, not only just volunteering but like I you know, I just mentioned collaborations I'm getting to attend these events that normally I might not have gone to but i'm in here for my hours I'm getting to meet these people and do their activities Um, so it's definitely like helped me build relationships with other people on campus Yeah, definitely. I think um A lot of people have have mentioned to me that they just Feel like you get to meet so many different types of people and you Interact with so many so many people every day. We've we were swamped in here today Like just having so many people finishing up school projects and you know Doing 3d printing and using the laser and we had people in here making Projects out of clay and just like random things that we never would have like seen these people around campus like and talk to them like i'm not someone who talks to anyone I see out and just like to Feel comfortable talking to them because I feel comfortable in wicker space and it's like my place um, I just I feel like I interact with so many new types of people and I I really Cherish wicker space for that um So speaking of things that wicker space has brought us what skills or knowledge? Do you think that you've kind of gained like while volunteering here? Well, it's funny you say that now because literally yesterday. Um, one of my friends had just taught me how to use the cricket Um, which you know i've been meaning to get to learn how to do but I just haven't found the time Um, so i've been able to learn cricket and hopefully i'm learning to learn how to sew soon Um, but just getting more knowledgeable about our other equipment like the laser and 3d printer that I used when I was here for my class But I necessarily I didn't necessarily Use in certain ways. So, um when i'm volunteering and having to help people out with those Um, it allows me to learn more about about the machines that we have here Yeah, that's awesome. I know. Um, I Said earlier forget I forget who I mentioned it to but I said, um, you know, I started volunteering Two years ago a little over two years ago through a po actually so I think I'd been in you know, one other time before I started volunteering and I was like a little bit terrified of wicker space at first because I just like there's so much in here and I feel like the people scared me which is so funny now because it's you know my favorite place ever but um I Started volunteering before I had any trainings and so like while volunteering and working here, I Really have like learned so much about technology and just crafting in general i've always been a huge crafter and like sold my crafts and everything, but um, you know, I got my laser training my my 3d my Cnc router my embroidery. So like among all these other skills i'm waker pro certified and so to Have gained that along with like communication skills and like forcing myself to be outgoing when i'm naturally So introverted and like my parents used to bribe me to talk in preschool with giving me a piece of pink paper But like now it just And maybe it doesn't come naturally but I I have learned People skills as well as those technical skills and like my job over the summer I got because I volunteered here and paul was like hey i'm leading a technology camp at waker space Would you help me? so then I suddenly was like teaching high school students how to code and How to like use arduinos and raspberry pies and that was so out of my comfort zone, but I've I really have just like learned so much, um But it is a lot and I used to be here like 15 hours a week, which is not, you know normal for most people but How would you say that you balance your like volunteer commitments here with maybe your academic or personal life? Well, I would say I mean on slow days, um, which you know don't come around too often But on some days i'm able to get like homework done on my computer, but definitely adding Waker space volunteering on top of you know, academic social life and my work study that I already have Through the university has like helped me advance my time management skills. Um So, you know, maybe I don't go get home from class and and do nothing for a couple hours um, because I know that Um, i'll have to you know, I'll have to volunteer later and you know, maybe it's gonna be packed Maybe we have three events in here and a workshop going on um, so i've been able to Balance or learn learn learn to balance. Um My time and and all my commitments and I think one of the great things about waker space in particular is like You get to choose when your hours are and so paul You know when you start volunteering He asks for three hours a week and a lot of people come in more than that I know like we all not all of us, but some of us have gone through like at least a period in time of time where we just start living here basically and like You know hayne and jasmine and me like we all had Our time which i'm probably still in that time Um, but where we just spent all of our time here and I think it's like three hours a week is so manageable When we're open six days a week Like if you wanted to come in for 30 minutes at a time every day like you can do that and um, I think that that's really helpful for kind of like Like scheduling your life because you know if I have an interview or something Then I can say hey paul i'm so sorry Not gonna be able to do my volunteer hours now, but i'll i'll make them up on friday and he's like so okay with that because he realizes like we're students and school comes first and then like You know volunteering. Yeah, we've made a commitment to this space, but we also have like Live then we're in college. And so he he knows that and um You know, I would say like most of my balancing Troubles that have come are because I do work here now. So like I Have to be here and so Aside from my volunteer hours where I choose to be here I have hours where I have to come in every night when paul leaves at five and so The time that i'm here at night is probably The hardest time because I was talking to emily and allison to other volunteers today and I was like Yeah, no the the hardest part like yes, I will have this job next year I love it But the hardest part about it has been scheduling because I used to Go do fun things at night not late, but like supper time. Yeah, and then now i'm like Oh, actually I work till eight really like I work till six So if we want to go out to eat it's gonna have to be after six and so I think also having like friends who Will rearrange things for me is is super helpful. Um but I think Yeah, so i'll i'll leave this question to you But what advice would you give to someone who is interested in volunteering here? I mean it honestly just like do it because I you know, I was thinking about while you were talking just now like When you were talking about the three hour minimum, like I when I had first started volunteering I was like, okay, i'll do two on sunday and one on wednesday and now I think I have like Maybe Like seven or eight hours on the calendar. Um, and so it becomes not necessarily a priority in the like negative sense But it becomes priority in a positive sense where it's like, oh, I really enjoy doing this thing And so I can make time for it if you really do have in your schedule unless you know, you're really jam-packed Um, I would say it's worth it. Like I talked about the people are one of the best parts like you'll meet great people Um gain new skills. You can become a waker pro Um, and just you know, even if you're not necessarily a crafty person There's other things that there's you might also discover something about yourself But there's other things you can do like tech stuff and wood shop and all kinds of stuff. Mm-hmm definitely we have um Like when you look at our team leads we have people in charge of arts and crafts and that's like you know, i've never been one of the stem-minded people out of the volunteers here, but There is really like a place for everyone and I think everyone's like different backgrounds and different majors like plays a big part in that where Everyone has their spot and we have like 40 volunteers now, which we're gonna lose all our seniors but um it's just like really there's there's a place for everybody and I think that's really special because it's like Oh, guess who would love to leave this workshop? Like this is just how bloody as alley do a crochet workshop or You know austin loves the laser and hang does the 3d printing and I think that's really special. Um and Like I just I love that. I'm a part of it, you know so um How do you see waker space evolving in the future? with like all the changes that we've been talking about going on and um You know, we were just talking about roles. Like how do you think that you maybe will play into that? Yeah, I think I i'm definitely really excited to see all the upgrades We're we're looking at soon like expanding the bag expanding the fiber arts room, you know, especially as a plus for me. Um um And I think like I I mean I think about this all the time how somehow every day when i'm i'm working like There's somehow someone new coming in. Um, so I think just getting more campus involvement through again, like I talked about collaborations, um And other classes because that's how you know, I got involved and I think You know, i'm hoping my crochet workshop is going to go well and i've you know, talked to paul and austin about Doing laser workshops as well with austin leaving. Um And so I think just this year, you know, I was trying to kind of ease into it Um having it been my first semester, but I think definitely next year Um, especially being around you more since you're going to be working. Um I think i'll definitely take on a bigger role since you know, I won't be new and i'll feel a little more like responsibility Yeah, no, I I remember my first semester here and I like I said, I was still terrified of everyone um, so I I had Talked to people when I was in here, but I mostly like did my three hours and left and You know, that's how a lot of people start and then they they realize wait I actually kind of love it here and I want to come back and spend more time here and so, um It's it's just crazy how my first semester I was so shy and timid which sounds also freshman year So I was still like very much that that type of quiet shy person And which I still am in my classes. This will be really funny for everyone to hear but I I think that you know my Second semester here was already up to like 10 15 hours a week Which is just wild because it was also one of my busiest semesters and I still wanted to kind of take the time out of my my week for that and so Yeah, I just I Am grateful for you for being here and for also coming in and volunteering um, do you have any like final comments you want to say or Um, I think we have pretty much covered it I mean I'll say thank you again I absolutely love working here and anyone listening to this student. You should definitely come in try out our stuff do the trainings Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much and I think That just about concludes my podcast for uh the religion and public engagement podcast, so thanks for waker space and for waker space volunteers for Helping it happen
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