11/15-11/20

11/15
I got my Hepatitis B shot today.  Actually, it was the 1st of 3 shots, but the closest place to get them is Dearborn, so I spent nearly 2 hours of work time waiting for a shot which took less than 2 minutes.
It was at a free clinic, which was quite busy, so I would suggest avoiding busy times, such as Monday mornings.

I also got to input more Southwest Care Paths.


11/16
Even though one has worked with a program for what seems like a great deal of time, it does not mean one truly has an understanding of the program or software.  For example:  I had to show my coworker how to open up SPSS v.15.  Now, she works with 17, so she goes through a different process than I do to open the software.  This leads me to the point I am getting at; she was unable to open the software without my assistance.
You may compare this to my inability to open Microsoft Office Word on the computer I use at a cubicle once a week as I could not on 11/17.  MS Word was installed on my computer, but I had to search for it on the computer I use as it was not in the Programs list on my start menu.
In the end, I had to get assistance from my supervisor Heidi.
The moral of the story, though, is one should always be willing to learn more and expect to be flabbergasted at times by the work or service one may do or in which one is involved.
I again worked on entering SW Care Paths.


11/17
I have already told you of the adventure I had attempting to find MS Word.
I again entered Care Paths, but today Matt and I finished up our vision of the Alum Survey Joe requested we create.  I typed it up and sent it to Joe.
I also had the idea of reviewing a training session over JAIS and even found one.


11/18
Today was an important day.  We went to the New Member Celebration in Lansing.
Yes, this means we, as in Downriver CARES, along with every other MI AmeriCorps member met up in Lansing and had a very long day.  To get down to the short and the sweet of it it, there were two workshop sessions.
I shorten this as the day was long but these workshops were the main point of it, so please forgive my overlooking of things.
In Workshop 1, I attended a session all about becoming Community Leaders.  It was put on on by Jeanine Yard, who you can find on Facebook.
I have a copy of the handouts, but the most important to thing to think about is "What does being a community leader mean?"
If you can answer that question than you'll be able to be an effective leader in a community.

In Workshop 2, I went to Leadership Compass put on by CityYear.  This workshop is designed to teach one how to be placed into 1 of 4 types of leaders.  It also was designed to prepare those on how to effectively deal with those least like themselves.  To put it in good terms, it was a beginner's workshop.


11/19
Today, we went to Alternatives for Girls.  At this site, we cleaned play rooms and kitchens.  Some cleaned dining rooms, while others put up holiday decorations.  The staff was happy to have us and incredibly excited to have so many of us.


11/20
Yes, this is a Saturday, and yes my day began at 730am, and yes I went by myself, but I went to the Michigan Roundtable Diversity and Inclusion Youth Leadership Summit.  AND IT WAS AWESOME.
This is a great summit for people in our type of program to attend.  I realize we do not all deal with youth such as teens, but it was a great day for teens such as for those we have in out Teen Coalitions, along with staff members in School-Based, Juvenile Justice, and Community Resource Centers. 
There were 5 different workshops to chose from, and I decided on attending the Sexual Orientation.  Other choices were based on racism or immigration.
What one needs to know about this day:
Facilitators are trained by the MI Roundtable and given the title of interns to develop such presentations.  In the presentation I observed, adults were separated from the teens, so as not to influence them, so there were to semi-separate workshops going on at one time.
What would happen:
The interns would give an introduction to a topic and then play a video clip.
After the clip, the interns would pose 3 questions and have each smaller group reflect on them and share experiences.
In the end, it was a rewarding experience and I am going to be doing a presentation on it during our training day on  12/10/2010.