They came in mass, 120 strong, on an unseasonably beautiful January morning like a tidal wave of gray AmeriCorps shirts. Instead of sleeping in, our dedicated service members, representing 8 school sites, converged on the Chop’s Teen Center in Santa Rosa to enjoy a morning conference, affectionately titled “School of Rock”. Developed and implemented by a phenomenal group of AmeriCorps Team Leaders and Promise Fellows, the conference served as a mid-year “booster shot” for the CalSERVES ’08-’09 corps.
The day began with an amazing keynote address by Jim Nevill of Go Adventure, http://www.lifeschooladventures.org. Jim laid out the statistics facing youth today, and hammered home the message that this group of members, in this time of challenge and turmoil, is needed like no other time in American history. They were charged with the responsibility of giving youth the message “There is Hope, and you can achieve your Dreams”, and the skills to make it happen. It was evident, as they poured out of the main hall toward their workshops, that they understood the mission they were on.
The CalSERVES vision of Passion, Power and Potential was sprinkled throughout all of the morning’s workshops. Topics included classroom management for lower and upper grades, literacy instructions, communication, and prioritizing & lesson planning. To top it off, the participants enjoyed a delicious lunch catered by the Chop’s staff.
After all was said & done, our amazing Team Leaders and Promise Fellows came together for a Fishbowl reflection, sharing all they had learned about identifying needs, designing & developing training, and yes, just how challenging it is to sync up logistics, with content, with participants! It was a day to remember, a first time event, initiated by the CalSERVES “Larry” Staff Tribe, supported by the entire staff…….and in the words of Larry the Cable Guy we “Gitter Done!”.
1 comment:
Great post Annette! I love the Roseland picture! Our team leaders did such a fabulous job!
Post a Comment