In their second year, ACED Fellows complete an 11-month professional practice with an organization, usually a nonprofit or local government agency, that helps them apply the theories and skills they have engaged with in the first part of the program to real-life situations. Cecilia Montesdeoca, an alumna of the Stevenson Center with a master’s degree in cultural anthropology, spent her placement with the Dakota Resource Council (DRC).
“DRC is a member-based organization that works to bring people together to make change on energy development and agriculture issues that impacts the lives of community members,” said Montesdeoca. “I primarily organized in oil and gas issues while I was placed there, working with rural, urban, and tribal communities in the area.”
During her placement, Montesdeoca filled the position of community organizer and training coordinator. Her experience culminated in a capstone project, which she described as an “organizational assessment.”
“When I took over the position as training coordinator, I wanted to approach the question of ‘how do we create a curriculum to teach people the basics of community organizing and growing members activism and leadership?’” said Montesdeoca. “We wanted to teach them how to work as a member, how to testify, how to go knock on your neighbor’s door and ask them questions about issues. It was about simplifying the onboarding process and grounding language that adapted to the communities we serve.”
Montesdeoca took her experiences with her and now works with MOVE Texas, a grassroots, nonpartisan and nonprofit organization based around the MOVE acronym: “Mobilize. Organize. Vote. Empower.” The organization is currently working in 10 cities throughout Texas to help underrepresented youth communities build themselves up through “civic education, leadership development, and issue advocacy,” according to the group’s website. Previously its leadership development manager, Montesdeoca currently serves as education director, where she feels that her time in AmeriCorps and her placement through the Stevenson Center gave her a leg up.
“I’m at a really advantageous place at MOVE Texas because of what I’ve learned from DRC,” said Montesdeoca. “I was in a seasoned community building organization, and I wanted to replicate the work that I had done with the DRC for both grounding the organizing narrative and growing and developing our members. Texas doesn’t have a strong political infrastructure for young people to plug into. There are more barriers to youth involvement in Texas, and us and other organizations that we work with as partners are currently exploring what it means and what it looks like to build long-term political power through investing in young BIPOC.”
Even in the face of the hard work she does through MOVE Texas and her busy schedule, Montesdeoca still nurtures the bonds she’s built through her placement at the Stevenson Center with former members of her cohort.
“I’d really like to shout out the Stevenson Center community. A lot of the folks from my cohort continue to be some of my greatest friends, and they’re all doing so many cool things,” said Montesdeoca. “It’s just crazy to me how much we’re accomplishing, and I’m incredibly thankful for that opportunity to be a part of this community and to watch everyone on their journeys and the different ventures they’re pursuing.”
To find out more, visit the Stevenson Center.
