Reflections from the Studio on Community: Turning Outward is Transferable to All Aspects of Life
The Harwood Studio on Community was established in 2017 to create the time and space within the Institute necessary to explore new areas and innovate around complex civic challenges, and to be a space where individuals can spend time at the Institute to develop their own ideas and skills.
The following reflections come from Sarah Burns, a student at the College of William & Mary, who joined the Institute as a Studio Associate in Summer 2026.
I’ve moved three times in the past three years. First to Williamsburg, Virginia, from my hometown in Indiana, then to St Andrews, Scotland, and, for this summer, Washington, DC.
I am in a unique college program in which I complete two years at the College of William and Mary in Virginia and two years at the University of St Andrews, earning a joint degree from both upon graduation. This program has been the most incredible experience of my life, but also the most challenging. Nothing prepares you to move - even when you have packed up all of your belongings and are waiting at the train station or airport, a piece of you stays with the people and community you left behind.
The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation recognizes that the most fundamental unit of community is people and the shared responsibility we have towards each other. Finding and building a community depends on our ability to Turn Outward, or to recognize and utilize the community as our reference point for creating lasting change that will improve the lives of others.
The Harwood Institute teaches that it’s not the location that determines if things will get done; it’s the people around you and how you perceive and interact with them that matters. When you view a community and its people as they are and want to understand and appreciate what matters to them, you are Turned Outward. This Turning Outward mindset hinges on listening to others, taking action based on their aspirations, and understanding that your actions have an impact on others.
Over the course of my internship, I’ve thought about how the Turning Outward mindset is transferable beyond building the civic strength of a community. I’ve realized that it can also be a complete mindset shift in everyday life in which you value the others around you and are truly receptive to who they are.
Moving frequently challenges how you conceive of community. In the past three years, I never had time to truly establish myself in my new place, but, by the end of each of my tenures, I was saying goodbye to a community I had grown to love. In each place, I was receptive - I listened to strangers and found new friends, and gained an appreciation of each location’s cultures and traditions. While I didn’t realize it at the time, I was practicing my shorthand version of Turning Outward - a willingness to step forward intentionally, center the experiences of those around me, and appreciate each person for who they are. Each community looked different, but I found that people are always worthy of love and creating bonds with others is the best tool for growth.
The more time I’ve spent at The Harwood Institute, the more I’ve come to realize that Turning Outward is the approach I want to take in my everyday life. Wherever I find myself in the future, I know that I will find hope by listening and centering the experiences of others, and by appreciating the community and its people for what it is and who they are.
