by Abby Fulton

Before starting my internship at Faith in Indiana, I had very little experience building community power and lobbying for a cause I was passionate about. I was incredibly nervous that I would not have the skill set necessary to accomplish these goals, but as I near the end of my internship, I am happy to say I have grown in my professional and personal life. The main portion of my internship consisted of educating and building power around mental health legislation in the state of Indiana. For many Hoosiers going through a mental health crisis, they are given inadequate resources to cope with their struggles and instead are placed in the carceral system. Faith in Indiana is working to fix this problem by working to pass a bill entitled SB1: Behavioral Health Matters which would expand mental health resources in our state and help create safe communities for the citizens of Indiana. In my role, I was able to advocate for this work on campus and worked to involve Butler students throughout the process and help them learn how they could use their power to positively impact the world around them. Instead of viewing power as negative, I wanted to help teach people that power can be used for good and that we have the power to change things when we work together and build community action. I was able to speak to multiple groups such as the Lilly Scholars Network and host an assembly towards the end of my internship which focused on the intersectionality of mental health and the incarceration system. Overall, I grew immensely through this experience and was able to grow in my advocacy knowledge and educating others on civic literacy. As the semester closes, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with this group and am excited to see the work they do in the future!