When you convene a training meeting of Supervisors, as we did today, you expect to hear some of the real issues that members face at their work site. And you want to also hear how the Supervisors perceive the member’s contribution. But what you don’t expect is such fulsome praise. If you were eavesdropping, this is what you would have heard by way of comments:
“Goes above and beyond.”
“Instrumental in so many ways. She has made our program extension possible.”
“Helps us with the most difficult conversations.”
“He has discovered in the work that he can be a strong advocate and that is what he wants to do.”
“They have increased the enrollment by more than 30%, from 300 kids to over 500.”
“She expanded the healthy eating and ran the Wellness Fair totally as her idea. All I had to do was show up. Amazing work”
“She has engaged the school more with our program. Something we really needed.”
“She is so very organized. She is teaching us so much.”
“Sometimes I worry that she is working too many hours, and coming in too early and leaving too late. Her work ethic is outstanding.”
“She is so oriented to detail- its something we are learning from her. She tracks everything.”
“Her desire to learn is amazing. Every day, she has questions that engage me.”
“He really does the work and takes responsibility and doing so much more than I ask him.”
I told the supervisors that the quality of the AmeriCorps experience relies so much on the quality of the supervisors and wanted to appreciate them for how much great work they are doing with Project CHANGE. The other part of our meeting was an amazing feeling of camararderie, where each supervisor was able to share freely and listen to the experience of other supervisors. We did the traditional Bells and Whistles Check in, followed by time for some peer to peer group coaching. It is such a simple process and yet, always so powerful. The experience of being heard is like a magic elixir, made more precious because perhaps it is so rare.
Well done and THANK YOU to all our amazing Supervisors, and a huge WELL DONE to the amazing Project CHANGE team of 2015-16. You make us all proud.