Conference Week

I feel like I'm in catch up mode from the last 2 weeks of volunteering, but I promise I will write more about our first volunteer experiences soon.  It's crazy...I thought I would have a little more time for reflection throughout the day, but I think I'm still trying to find my balance (which will link to something later on in the post).

Just to write something current (for the first time), I thought I would talk about the Omprakash Cross-Cultural Education Conference that Abriendo Mentes (my organization) is hosting all week. This conference is the first one that Omprakash has coordinated bringing leaders in the non-profit world together to discuss best practices and challenges that they are faced with globally. Spending the last few years in the 'for profit' working world...this conference has been an eye opening experience. We have about 6 countries represented and people from all different professional backgrounds. The main focus is how to make the world a better and more sustainable place to live with a strong focus on youth development. Below is a snapshot of all the seminars that I have been attending.

We had a school from Chicago (AGC) host a discussion on how they give their children a different learning experience. They have teachers that focus on wellness and sustainability.  The kids are entrepreneurs, owning and being vested in the school garden as well as eating only organic foods in the cafeteria.  They recycle everything to the extent that one of their acronyms is GOOS (Good on one side)...so the kids know that the papers in that pile are still good to use and not to waste.  The conference this week is encouraging similar behaviors by asking people to bring their own reusable coffee mugs and drinking water, etc.

Child Protection was the next topic. The main takeaway I got from this message (besides the point that even Non-profits have to have written policies/procedures to follow) was that in a developing country where poverty is abundant the risk for child abuse is so much greater.  Their home security is nonexistent, many families have single parents/step-parents, and when bigger families share a small 2 bedroom house, sleeping arrangements are more accessible to abuse (14 year old cousin/brother with a 4 year old toddler, etc).  Volunteers working with children need to be cognizant of the signs that children give and be aware that their reality at home can be very stressful, and know how to respond in these cases.

Another highlight was during the Volunteer Preparation segment, where organizations have to set a 'realistic job preview' for the volunteers so they are effective and satisfied with their experience. Two questions came up that I don't believe we normally think about. The first one is that when a community has many volunteers coming to serve to make a difference/impact, how does the town view their help? Is it just making the community members feel more inferior because these 'volunteers' are coming to 'save' their town with their more superior skill sets or are they truly thankful and welcoming?  The second question was around the homestay experience and how volunteers that elect to stay in a homestay have to adjust to a new family; however what type of expectations training do the homestay families receive that are opening their homes up to these international volunteers? I don't have the answers, but I thought the idea of seeing it through the community's eyes was an interesting twist to any non-profit effort.

Lastly, something I think we all struggle with and the 'non-profit' world is not exempt, is that we spend so much time trying to help others that we forget about our SELF in the process. And a person needs to give attention to their own needs to ensure they are at their best to help others. I think no matter if you are working for a corporation, a non-profit, or you are a stay at home mom...many of us struggle with this concept.  Something that I've done now 3 times since I've been here is yoga.  I'll let you know how it's going...trying to find my inner peace and balance.

There was a lot of sessions yesterday as well. One that touches home was the Team building seminar. After working at a 'teaming' shop for the past 2 years, it is amazing how important team building is no matter what type of organization you are in.  Volunteer onboarding can almost be as intense as employee onboarding... but more so. Volunteers are all on different schedules and some maybe coming for 3 weeks and others for 6 months ... so there are logistical challenges but also how you make them feel a part of the group/mission in such a short period of time, etc.

Above is a picture of our main conference room. Yes, it's outside, in the heat, and sometimes I get distracted by the occasional iguana. Tuanis! (too cool in CR slang.)


That's all the wisdom for now...