Festivals – More than just one day!

This past spring, Cultural Coalition had its first Events Management Intern as part of our Guerrero Family Legacy Apprenticeship Projects. Elitsa Southern joined our team in January and worked with us helping to coordinate our Mask Alive and El Puente Festivals. It was such a great experience for us to have her assistance on all things events, but we wanted to hear from her point of view how it was interning at Cultural Coalition?

“As an Events Management Intern during this spring semester, I was assisting with Mask Alive!, El Puente and other festivals organized by, or in partnership with, Cultural Coalition. I was helping with event planning, outreach and communication with vendor and non-profit
organizations who were participating in the events, making sure all the artists, performers and vendors have their contracts and necessary information for the logistics of the event day. I was also helping with set-up, logistics and clean-up on the festival day.

My favorite part was meeting the artists and performers at these festivals that promote and
support indigenous and traditional arts – this diversity of cultures and grassroots art is why I
was so excited to join Cultural Coalition for a semester! Not only is their mission so closely
related to my education in cultural studies, community resources and sustainable development.
I also believe that the role of traditional arts and traditional knowledge for cultural identity
preservation, for resilient communities and for confident youth is a crucial aspect of sustainable
development. Also, working on arts and crafts activities with children was another thing I loved
– it is always the most rewarding experience to see how thoughtful and creative kids are!

This internship helped me further develop my communication and time management skills and
see what the planning of bigger scale events looks like from beginning to end – it definitely
entails much more than what we see on the day of! Many things might take a turn or
change while planning an event because so many participants are involved. Experiencing
how a festival is enjoyed by so many people from different communities as a fun and educational event
is something I will always remember and take with me to future roles. Especially when organized by such passionate and hard-working people as the Cultural Coalition team. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity!”

We are so grateful to have had your talents and dedication on our team for the season Elitsa! Learn more about our apprenticeship and internship opportunities at culturalcoalition.com/get_involved or support this program by making a donation today!