Re-Energize your Service Unit

Transcription

1 Re-Energize your Service Unit Well begun is half done. Aristotle 1

2 What s the VALUE of a Service Unit? There s function, and there s value. Function: A Service Unit does a lot. It holds recruitments. It hands down Girl Scout traditions, passes forward information, and answers frequently asked questions. It educates on policies and procedures, puts order into cookies and so much more. A Service Unit is the local volunteer support group for troops in a specific area. Yes, a support group - a place to share concerns and find mentors. Regardless of how committed to the girls a new leader may be, without the human connection this leader is highly likely to begin to feel isolated, and eventually lost after one or two years (taking all of those girls with her). Value: The Service Unit IS the key to longevity in the organization. Not only does the SU bring Leaders together for networking and knowledge sharing, it s a way for adult Volunteers to serve the organization outside of their troop but still within their local community. The Service Unit hosts girl and adult activities/events, too. This provides a view for younger girls to see older girl role models in action, at the same time it provides an opportunity for leadership and service to the Girl Scout Community for the older girls. Invaluable! It s also the link to the community at large through our partnerships and Service Projects. Having a Service Unit is better for the same reason that it s better in most cases to be in a troop than to Juliette. Yes, we could do it all ourselves; we can get it online but, it s like bowling alone. It s just not the same as with your team. Does the value speak to you strongly enough to see to it that your own Service Unit thrives? Purpose of Toolkits: The primary purpose of this toolkit is KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER to Troop Leaders in the Service Unit. The secondary purpose of this toolkit is to provide a plug and play resource to Service Unit administrative team members to help them easily provide an extra something of value to Leaders who attend the meetings. Service Unit Meetings that provide useful information (which can be immediately applied by the audience) and an opportunity for Troop Leaders to share and engage with each other helps their Leaders find value in attending the meeting and increases the likelihood of them coming back every month. Why is this important? Your Leaders will stay longer if they feel supported Your Service Unit will grow stronger as a result The girls ultimately will have a better experience because their leaders are finding value and support in their volunteer experience This toolkit is designed to provide you with a single month s worth of programming or training snippets that a member of your Service Unit Leadership Team can pick up and deliver with only a small amount of preparation. 2

3 History How this project came about: Seeking to create a useful class for the attendees of 2014 Kick Off, the GSNETX training team administered a survey to SU Admin Volunteers In February of More than 260 responded, representing Volunteers in all SU roles. We sought to understand their realities: What do they see? What do they hear? What do they think? What do they feel? What do they want? What keeps them awake at night? What do they feel good about? Survey Findings: The results were compelling. We found that nearly every Service Unit Leadership Team had members who were wearing multiple hats and filling multiple roles. While they were committed to the success of the SU, some of them were worried that they might not being doing a good enough job because they were over taxed. More importantly, nearly all were concerned that if they let it go - no one else would fill the role and the Service Unit would decline. One very strong emerging theme came through: We want better attendance at Leader Meetings so that the Service Unit has a continuous influx of new ideas with committed Leaders who are willing to take on new roles. Synthesized Responses: What does this person want? o She/he wants better attendance at Leader Meetings so she doesn t have to do things over & over, one leader at a time. o She/he wants to find value in the time she gives to the meetings o She/he wants to keep track of stuff. o She/he wants more (and more effective) members on her SU Team. o She/he wants her community to value Girl Scouts; to know us well enough to willingly partner with us by providing meeting space, visibility, etc. What forces are motivating this person? o She/he wants their daughter(s) to have a good Girl Scout experience o She/he wants to do a good job. o She/he wants her efforts to be valued. o She/he wants to feel like they are an important part of something that truly adds to the quality of their life, and the lives of those around them. o She/he wants to feel not so alone. 3

4 What can we do for this person? o Help them provide more effective Service Unit Leader meetings: benefit to participants, structure of meetings, reasons to have the meeting, agendas, expectations alternative information delivery options. o Help them develop more robust SU Teams by giving them a tool they can use which brings multiple members of the team forward to the front, not just the Manager doing it all Other observations: o I don t need/want any more team-building games. o I don t need/want more information about conflict management. o Why would I go to a meeting? They re going to me everything the next day anyway. o Sometimes a person with a negative attitude hijacks the discussion, and the meeting turns into a gripe session which makes me not want to come. o I m afraid if I leave/resign that key positions [on the SU Team] won t be filled, and the girls will lose out. o We have the same people always doing the same things. o We have no succession plan. o I m not doing such a good job, but no one else will do it, so I m afraid to quit. o Sometimes I just despair. o I m tired of being micro-managed. o I have some good ideas, but if I bring them up I ll have to be the one (the only one) to do anything, and I just don t have any more time. o My troop suffers because of the time I spend on my Service Unit Team job. o They ask more of me than they are willing to do themselves. While using these Toolkits won t instantly solve every issue that SU Team Leaders face, we feel that providing attendees something of value every time they come which can be picked up and immediately used with the girls will go a long way to driving repeat attendance. Ensuring that the meetings follow a consistent format with an emphasis on audience engagement will shift the passive listening patterns and bring more fun and humor into the room. Will you try it? How to use the SU Toolkits: o First, review the Basic Elements of a Good Service Unit Meeting handout on the next page. o Second, decide if you will commit to following the format for at least three months and then evaluating if your people see and feel a difference. Whether your meeting is on the shorter end of 1 hour, in the middle at 90 minutes, or a fully scoped 2 hours simply divide and allocate time to the different parts of the meeting according to the activities you have planned. This concept is based upon the 6 parts of a meeting format we teach Troop Leaders to use with girls, so why not role model what it looks and sounds like for them? 4

5 Basic Elements of a Good Service Unit Meeting Part 1) Arrival Activity / Snacks / Start Up Consider adding some kind of self-directed activity leaders may do if they arrive early for the meeting. The activity should not require a lot of time to complete and little, if any, clean up. Supplies for the pre-meeting activity should be set up and ready for the leaders when they arrive. This activity gives the Service Unit Team time to greet people as they arrive and keeps attendees busy with something structured. Some possible examples include: A photo album with pictures of past or the most recent SU event to look at. Pick a single topic such as behavior management or something my troop did that I am proud of and put out index cards. Ask Leaders to write down & share one of their best practices or recent activities. Use this later in the Activity section. Put out a veggie or cheese and cracker tray people tend to bond over food. A voting station & drop box for a choice between three different kinds of SU events. Do a Google search for simple and quick ice breakers for meetings. Hint: If you make this part fun, the leaders will tend to be on time. Part 2) Opening Have an official start to the meeting. We can never emphasis the Promise & Law enough. Some SU s have older girls do a flag ceremony if there is time. Part 3) Service Unit Business Have an agenda. Print it and stick to it. People feel good when they can visually see that the group is accomplishing tasks. Give them only what is necessary. Data dump overkill, grinding personal axes, and wandering bunny trails tend to frustrate and annoy people. Part 4) Activity Pick one from the four options below: Grade Level Roundtables - Good places for leader concerns to be expressed and advice to be shared. Training Snippet Teach them a skill at each meeting. Program Snippet Have something at each meeting that the Leader can take back to use with her troop. Sharing Time - Allow time for leaders to share the troop activities that they are proud of. Part 5) Closing Bring them back together. Ask what the most valuable thing they got from tonight s meeting was. Give them the date and time of the next meeting. Invite them to help clean up after the meeting if they d like to stay and chat. Thank them for coming. Wish them a great night. Part 6) Clean Up Put the meeting place back in order. Involving others can help them make connections with each other and feel like part of the group. 5

6 What Toolkit Should We Teach When? It s up to you. We suggest that you pull your SU Team together, and as a group envision your yearly meeting calendar and plug-and-play the Toolkits that work best for your SU into the months. They come with a facilitation script that tells you what to say, do and ask, as well as handouts to copy and distribute. Anyone with a passion for the topic should be able to pick it up and lead it. It could be the Manager, Coach, Adult Recognitions Specialist, or Treasurer anyone. Try to rotate so that your leaders get to know all of you. The secondary benefit is that when ALL members of the team have a role to play, the Troop Leaders in the audience can see that the Service Unit Leadership Team is inclusive, and they begin to imagine how they might fit in too. Try it! Because the SUs will customize their own programming, every Service Unit s offerings will look different - but it could look something like this: September Voting box for determining date of Spring SU Camp Out The Patrol System & Dividing Girls into Patrols SU Coach December Decorate a Christmas Cookie Sing Along SU Event Coordinator March Make & Take a SWAP Anti-Bullying Part 2 - Teach Inclusion & Prevent Bullying While Playing Games SU Coach October Use Lingo Bingo from Jargon Games Toolkit Jargon Games SU Manager January Index Cards for reporting out on Troop Best Practices on Booth Sales. Recognizing a Job Well Done SU Adult Recognitions Specialist April Scrapbooking table so that attendees can lay out a page with pictures from the SU Campout Dealing with ADD & ADHD in a Troop Setting ANY Troop Leader with relevant experience in this subject field November Carrots & Celery Snack Tray Promoting Financial Literacy with Girls at all Grade Levels SU Treasurer February True/False Quiz from Toolkit Anti-Bullying Part 1 - Awareness to Action Steps for Adults SU Coach May Photo Scavenger hunt: What GS pics are on your phone? Troop Meeting? Camp Out? Booth Sale? Color Guard Protocol ANY Troop Leader with a passion for this subject field 6

7 What s the difference between a training snippet and a program snippet? A training snippet is usually geared toward the adult volunteer with the purpose to either: a) Give information, inform, or develop a new understanding of a subject b) Influence attitudes, opinions, or behaviors in relation to a subject c) A combination of the above The focus is on information that is useful to the adult. A program snippet is usually geared toward preparing the adult volunteer to teach or practice a skill to the girls. Example: Anti-Bullying Part 1 Awareness to Action Steps for Adults shows adults how to recognize bullying behaviors when they happen, and how to address them with the victim and the perpetrator in a way that protects them both. It shares information which will help volunteers gain a new understanding of the subject. It also gives directions about how to talk to girls who are in the victim role, in the bully role, and in the by-stander role so the module s objective is also to influence the Leader s behavior. It is a Training Snippet. Anti-Bullying Part 2 Teach Inclusion & Prevent Bullying While Playing Games gives Leaders a resource of games linked to values with instructions for how to play & debrief them so that the girls themselves decide that they want to create a troop with a culture of inclusion. This is a resource that Troop Leaders can immediately pick up and use with the girls. It is a Program Snippet. BOTH are extremely valuable. One is geared toward adults. The other is geared toward preparing adults to facilitate this activity with girls. How should I structure/run a Grade Level Roundtable? It s ideal if you have a set up that allows people to break out into small groups where they can sit in a circle and have face to face conversation. Pre-print the discussion question and leave it with each group. Set a time limit and pre-determine what the discussion question(s) should be so that the group stays focused and avoids allowing one person to turn it into a personal gripe session. Program Level table discussions could center on some of these topics, or others: Getting parents involved and creating a network of support Behavior management What role will our grade level play at the SU Campout? Great events & field trips Allow 1 2 minutes for each group to report out a summary of their discussion. Tell them up front that they will do that. 7

8 How should I structure/run a Sharing Time segment? Publicize in SU Communications at least a month in advance that this meeting is going to be a Sharing Time Meeting and that every Leader will have the opportunity to share what projects their troop is planning, and boast a little bit about one growth they have seen in the girls and why they are proud of them. Give each Leader a 2 minute maximum, because otherwise you could be there all night. How to get copies of printed materials Go to Fill out the form to order toolkits from your nearest Service Center. (The order will be reviewed and fulfilled by your local Volunteer Coordinator. You will be notified by once the request has been fulfilled.) Please allow 7 working days to fulfill the request. Will this show up in my membership profile as formal training credit? Toolkit presentations which take place at the local level and are considered informal learning. Knowledge and skills are shared between the members of the group which is valuable and very worthwhile. Pre-registration and rosters are not required, however, so the session will not show up in the membership profile as a formal training credit. How to know if it s working: Consider benchmarking your beginning attendance & noting attendance numbers month by month. Are you seeing steady attendance where it used to fall off? Ask immediately at the end of every meeting if they enjoyed it and found it useful. What did they like? Give yourself time to show results and permission to get comfortable while you create a new energized culture. Are the members of the SU team participating in presenting the material and collaborating more than they used to? Are you enjoying the meetings? If you re having fun, odds are others are too. 8