VERMONT INTERNSHIP PROFESSIONALS NETWORK
The new Community Room at the Food Hub is coming to life! This multipurpose meeting and workshop space is currently in the process of being outfitted with both kitchen and conferencing equipment, and we are excited to be developing the guidelines and protocols for use of this great new resource.

To help us test out our Community Room set-up and systems, CAE’s Place-Based Education Coordinator partnered with Hazen Union’s Work-Based Learning Coordinator to host a meeting of the Vermont Internship Professionals Network (VIPN) with a focus on exploring the intersection of internships and place-based learning. Members of VIPN are an amazing group of educators and program coordinators from around the state, and the meeting also featured guests representing a variety of relevant place-based education work. These included the Dean of Work Learning from Sterling College, a host and intern from the Northeast Kingdom UVM internship program, and Hazen students from the Recipe for Human Connection class. 

Header photo: Participants work together to make coleslaw and salad for lunch, putting new kitchen equipment to use and getting a taste of the Recipe for Human Connection experience | Reeve Basom

Hazen Work-Based Learning Coordinator, Jen Olson (pointing), invites participants to share a place-based learning experience they would have wanted as a teenager | Reeve Basom

Hazen students Lucas Hall and Ginger Bowley host a round table station about their experience in the Recipe for Human Connection class which puts on a monthly community meal in Hardwick | Reeve Basom

The meeting was anchored by a series of small group discussions to learn from the work of guest presenters. Then the community room did its work of bringing people together around food as the Hazen students led everyone in an activity to make lunch and enjoy a family-style meal. A group walk on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (easily accessible from the Food Hub) was a great way to complete the day, digesting the good food and good ideas that had been shared. A key takeaway, both acknowledged in theory and felt in practice, was the reciprocal value of place-based learning for all involved as both students and community members deepen their sense of connection, purpose, and possibility. 

We look forward to sharing more updates about the community room as we gear up its use in coming months.
Special thanks to the following people for making this first event a success! 

Ginger Bowley - Hazen student 
Isabel Kapitulik - Sterling College student and intern
Jennifer Olson - Hazen Work-Based Learning Coordinator
Jethro Hayman - Glover Equity internship host
John Helms - Sterling Dean of Work Learning
Kathi Terami - VIPN leader
Kristen Andrews - UVM Internship Program Coordinator
Lucas Hall - Hazen student
Pamela Hemingway - VIPN leader 
Reeve Basom - CAE Place-Based Education Coordinator