This is part of a series where we get to know the students working with the Archway Partnership.
Luciano Todeschini is a second-year MPA student, also now in his second year working with Archway. During the summer, Todeschini worked with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Business Alliance, the economic development authority for Broward County, Florida.
Can you describe the work you do with Archway?
With Archway, much of the work I do revolves around studying and presenting research in a concise yet detailed way to help our Archway Professionals and community stakeholders know how to proceed with their projects. Additionally, I will also take data sets or studies that have been produced for a specific project or community, and create user-friendly and comprehensive reports out of them so that they may then be shared internally within the organizations and externally with the community.
With previous experience in nonprofit development, I have also helped organizations with their fundraising initiatives and campaigns aimed at raising the funds needed to expand, but to also look at it through a sustainable lens. With Archway specifically, I helped put together our first sponsorship package for the Archway Summit of 2019, officially taking the first step towards identifying different ways to self-fund our mission, giving us the opportunity to reach and impact more communities and lives around Georgia.
Do you have a favorite Archway project that you’ve worked on?
I think all the projects that we work on at the Archway are equally as important since all of them have the potential to be positive disruptors in their communities and impact hundreds if not thousands of lives.
One project that stands out to me though, is the community center that will be born out of the Rosenwald School in Griffin, GA. What I like most about this project is how multifaceted it is in regards to its significance, importance, and impact that it will have in the community, and how it may serve as an example for other communities around the state and country.
First of all, it will help to immortalize the vision of Julius Rosenwald, who many years ago could already see how important it was to treat every American the same, regardless of race and gender, and to grant them the opportunity to an education which would hopefully lead to an improved quality of life, opportunities, and economic development. Things that we focus on constantly at the Archway.
The community center will serve as a future place for unity and camaraderie, strengthening the bonds and relationships between its residents and bringing everyone together to create a bigger sense of community.
I find it truly gratifying to have the opportunity to work on projects like these where we are able to put enough wind in these communities’ sails, empowering them to accomplish their goals on their own, and then to be able to see the positive ripple effects that come from their successes.
Archway Partnership: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities:
During my internship with the Alliance, I had the opportunity to create a program aimed at helping small businesses in the six most economically challenged zip codes of Broward County have access to professional services that they otherwise would not be able to afford. The goal of the program is to not only help small businesses in these areas thrive, but to have economic and community development spur as a positive side effect thanks to their success. Additionally, I created an interactive map which displayed the services available in the county, as well as the lack thereof in certain areas.
Archway: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
I enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside other community stakeholders and organizations, and how we came together to create a program in which multiple parties would participate to help bring forth a positive change for our communities.
Archway: What skill(s) did you learn at your summer internship that you expect to be helpful as you pursue your desired career?
The first thing has to be that I was able to create a social program from scratch. I not only had to identify how the program would be implemented, but also had to take into consideration how it would be evaluated in order to determine and measure its effectiveness. Additionally, I had to think about its sustainability and how we could ensure that if it is successful, that it would not go away because of a lack of funding. The second skill I am grateful to have learned was how to use data and GIS software to create maps that identify resources available in given areas and how on the flipside, I was able to identify resource and service deprived areas in the county.
Archway: When you look back on your internship 10 years from now, what part of your summer internship do you expect to be most thankful for?
I am thankful for having had the opportunity and trust of the Alliance in creating a program that has the potential to make a difference not only in the lives of the small business owners, but in the communities that they are located in as well. I hope that this learning experience will open new doors and allow me to create programs in the future that are structured to improve the quality of life of people, and increase the opportunities available to them to succeed.