Transcript The Taming of the Crew Act II: Progress Monitoring and

Wrapping Up Your
VISTA Year
Presentation adapted from:
The Taming of the Crew
Act III: Transitions
Bharti Wahi
Workshop Objectives
• Reflecting on the past year
• Identifying priority areas for transition
• Identifying needs of site staff, community
partners, program participants, volunteers
• Identifying strategies to meet those needs
• Begin planning transition
• Group problem solving
• Green book planning
Warm Up
Contest: The weirdest and the best
Transitions
What are your top three
accomplishments this year?
What three aspects of your work would you like to
live on next year?
Priorities Planning Guide
VISTA =
Relationship Building
Host site staff
Program participants
Community Partners
Literacy Council Staff
Volunteers
Future VISTA
Host Site Staff Needs
•
•
•
•
Simplicity
Clarity
Acknowledgment
Information
Strategies for addressing staff needs
• Work closely with your site supervisor –
she/he has a vested interest in your work
• Get feedback from staff about the year
• Create a plan or timeline so staff can have the
information they need to forward project
• Recognize staff contributions to the project
• Encourage staff to support new VISTA
Community Partner Needs
• Communication
• Continuity
• Simplicity
Strategies for Community Partners
The Wild Card
• Communication and connection with host site
staff or new VISTA
• Communication of your transition and the
plan developed – maybe your site supervisor
• Strategize with literacy council staff
Volunteers Need
•
•
•
•
Acknowledgement
Clarity
Continuity
Closure
Strategies for Addressing Volunteer
Needs
•
•
•
•
Get feedback from volunteers about the year
Create plan and timeline for transition
Recognize volunteer contribution
Foster and support volunteer and staff
relationships
• Foster and support volunteer program
participant relationships
• Mechanism for on-going communication
Participant Needs
• Closure
• Communication
• Acknowledgment
Strategies for Program Participants
• Support staff and volunteer with providing
closure for program participants
• Prepare teaching staff to prepare students
• Make participant recognition an important
component of year-end processes
• Talk about your last day
Literacy Council Needs and Strategies
Needs:
• Organization
• Communication
Strategies:
• Start planning NOW
• Utilize MLC staff to help with transition plans
The New VISTA
(or a new staff member)
We will talk about this more – but this person will
need information
How will you ensure that a new person has the
information she/he will need? For those staying on,
how will you finish off this year that allows for a
smooth start next year?
Strategies
All of the strategies discussed
fall into two categories:
1. Collaboration
2. Communication
Your Transition Strategies
Passing off your project
• How many of you felt you had the information
you needed to ease your transition into the
position last fall?
The moral of the story is…
… don’t be that VISTA!
Sustainability and the New VISTA
VISTA Needs:
• Information
• Organization
• Collaboration
Strategies for passing off your project
• Use the resources you’ve been given today to
plan ahead
• Communicate with your site supervisor and
other staff so that they can help the new
VISTA
• Empower a volunteer/program participant to
take leadership in carrying on into next year
• Leave a helpful Green Book
Find your group
1. My project is one or two years only (not continuing)
2. My project will be continuing after one year
3. My project will be continuing after 2, 3 or 4 years
4. My project is wrapping up after three or four years
5. I’m going to do a second year!!
Discussion question:
What is your top concern about the
upcoming transition?
Scenarios and group problem-solving
Green Books:
The why and the how
Discussion questions
What information that was particularly helpful to
you when you started your VISTA position?
What information would have been helpful to
have?
What will be different next year?
What has been particularly challenging for you
when thinking about completing a Green Book?
Green Book Exchange
Look at a Green Book from someone in your
group
• What are the strengths of this Green Book?
Group Sharing
Green Book wisdom
Elements to include
Stellar examples?