Corinne Herndon: Season Finale
A few words from Corinne on her time at DVN…
Corinne Herndon, Season Finale
“When I started at DVN, the Youth Program was still young and growing. There was a curriculum for the Change Project, but we still had a lot of work to do. I started only a few weeks before the Covid pandemic reached a level none of us were prepared to handle, and staffing changes early on left me managing the youth program alone. I juggled how to facilitate virtually while students and teachers alike were already facing similar challenges.
It’s tough to keep this goodbye short – I have worked with this team for nearly four years, that’s 16% of my life! Over the last few years, the Youth Team has worked with over 3,900 students and 62 schools, facilitating conversations around teen dating violence, discussing warning signs, talking about healthy/unhealthy relationships, and making connections with young people who need someone they can trust.
The Change Project was developed by Lindsay Stawick in memory of her childhood best friend (Heather Norris) who had her life taken by an intimate partner. Having something this important and impactful handed over to me was both overwhelming and an honor.
The past year, we have worked on expanding the curriculum to include healthy boundaries, and an in depth look at Title IX (the law that protects from sexual discrimination in school, this also includes sexual assault and violence). Taking something as complicated as Title IX and making it easier for young people to digest was challenging to say the least, but more than doable with the resources and information surrounding the law.
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Last year, after facilitating through Covid, and running the Youth Program solo for more than a year, we decided to hire someone.
Considering the weight of the program, we wanted someone that would care as much as Lindsay and me – and that’s when we met Jala.
Jala Powell came into the picture right when we needed her! She taught at KIPP Indy before coming to DVN, and is an actual living angel.
I have never met someone who can seamlessly transition from goofy to serious with students. She is both gentle and intuitively kind, her teaching style is fluid and shifts based on the way students interact with her.
Beyond her work, Jala is an attentive, intelligent, educated, wonder of a human being and I can’t think of anyone I would rather choose to take over the Youth Program. Together we have reinvigorated the Youth Network, updated the curriculum, applied for grants, learned from each other, laughed together, and will continue to make a difference in our communities no matter the distance.
Love you Jala, can’t wait to see how you grow the Youth Team in the coming years!
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Goodbye DVN. I’m so thankful for the time I have put into the work we do, I don’t regret a single second of it. I have made lifelong friends, connections in my community, and grown in ways I never could have imagined.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Kelly McBride – Thank you for always believing in me and the work I do, and trusting my vision. Thank you for always being down for whatever crazy ideas I had, and letting me run with them.
Amanda Salgueiro – You make the world a better place. Your heart and soul shine with immense joy for life, you inspire me to be more patient and understanding everyday. You’ve listened to me rant and cry and have held space for me when I needed it most. I am so thankful for your presence in my life.
Rebecca Berry – I have only just started to get to know you, which means I have so much more to learn! I’ve never met someone as gentle and sweet as you are. You’re incredibly articulate and you care about people on a level most people will never understand.
Danyette Smith – Every time I get to interact with you is a pleasure, I’ve never met someone with such intention and burning passion for their community. Your story is incredible, and how you’ve chosen to live, in peace and in joy, is the most beautiful thing. You have so many people who look up to you that you don’t even know about, I want to be like you when I grow up.
Every single teacher/school we have worked with – It’s impossible to name you all but you are the reason we exist, thank you for allowing us into your classrooms and supporting our mission. You mean the world to me and I am so glad I was able to meet all of you and work with you on a deeper level, even for a short period of time.
You are all so special to me, and I am so glad people like you exist.”
By Corinne Herndon
From all of us at DVN – WE LOVE YOU & WILL MISS YOU IMMENSELY, CORINNE!!