Skills USA

         For our final volunteering event, we attended a Skills USA workforce competition located at Germanna Community College. I first heard of Skills USA from my wife, Sandra. Sandra works for Germanna and enjoyed the experience last year. Sandra asked if I wanted to be a part of it. I accepted her invitation and extended that invitation to my team, Delicious Leadership. Delicious Leadership had no idea what to expect, but, we were determined to help out any way that we could.

         Details were sketchy on what our duties would be, and mired in ambiguity. Of course we laughed about it, and decided not to let that derail the team. Our team was split into 3 groups. I was to sit upon a panel of 4 of judges and we were to judge an Extemporaneous Speech on, Leadership! The participants were given 5 minutes of prep time, and their speech was not to exceed 5 minutes. The grading rubric consisted of professional appearance, voice, opening, closing, transitioning, speech cohesiveness, and understanding.
         During the competition, two students stood out to me for different reasons. One student's speech was about his prospective career field, Cosmetology. His speech talked about gender perception and equality in the workplace. I thought that was a very mature topic for someone of his age to discuss. He was well-informed, and executed his speech almost flawlessly. He was one of the best presenters that day. The second student, spoke of her speech impediment and how Skills USA empowered her and helped turn her disability into her greatest strength. I remembered the courage, passion, and determination that resonated from her. I walked away inspired from what I had witnessed.
         I had an amazing experience from Skills USA. The greatest take-away was empowerment and courage. I will remember the feeling I had as I exited the conference room from the competition, forever. More importantly, I will remember to empower any member of a team that I am apart of. People will pleasantly surprise you and overcome any obstacle, if given the chance.

Skills USA Volunteering

For our final volunteer activity we volunteered with Skills USA on Saturday, April 29 at Germanna Community College. Skills USA is a partnership of students, teachers and professionals that improves the American skilled workforce by through a structured program of citizenship, leadership, employability, technical and professional skills training.

When I first arrived, I knew I would be judging a competition, but I really had no idea what to expect. The five of us were split into three groups and Mike and I were tasked with judging the skills competition. We judged twelve student presentations on seven different categories that included opening, speech, organization, effectiveness, skills, conclusion as well as several other categories. We were given a packet of information before the presentations started which included the instructions for grading, what was expected of the students, and scorecards. After reading the instructions for grading, I still felt as though I needed more of an explanation about how we were expected to grade the students and what constituted each grade. There were also three categories at the bottom of the scorecard for timing, attire and safety. Each of the students were given 3 minutes for setup, 6 minutes for their presentation and 3 minutes for clean-up. Students were also expected to dress in the official blazer or sweater with a white collard shirt, black slacks or knee length skirt or attire appropriate for their profession, such as an apron for a chef.

I found that I learned how to grade the students as the presentations progressed along and as I saw more students. We saw and judged a variety of student skills, from police officers, chefs, hair styling, computer assembly and computer programming. I felt that the students knew the "how" of their skills very well but the trouble was in communicating the "why". Almost all of the presentations opened with a strong introduction, faded somewhat during the presentation and concluded too softly. Additionally, I think the students would have also benefited from a criteria worksheet that explained exactly what they would be graded on. More than half of the students were not wearing official clothing that was required by the organization.

While I did note some areas for potential improvement, I think the true take-away from this volunteering event was that these students were tremendously brave and determined. None of the students walked in with a parent or advisor and they all knew their skill to a tee. I think the point of this organization is to get students familiar with getting up in front of peers and panels and get them used to speaking in public about something they know very well. This is a skill that is often lacking in the millennial generation and the more familiar students become with this skill the more confident they will be in the workplace and also in life.
After our volunteering, Delicious Leadership moseyed over to Red Robin to grab a bite to eat, we were all famished and were glad to take in the laughs, reflect on volunteering, discuss our looming blog presentation, laugh and decompress among friends.

Volunteering for SKILLS USA

Our third and final volunteering experience came on Saturday, April 29, through a connection with Dan.  His wife works at Germanna CC and knew of this event and the need for volunteers and asked if we would be interested.  The task was to serve as judges for various categories of competitions that high school students would be presenting skills to us.

I was a little unclear of what the actual event was, even after visiting the website for the group, but was looking forward to helping however best I could.  On the day of the event we all met early at the college to help with setup and get our assigned rooms.  Ray and I were together with some other volunteer judges in an open skills demonstration.  After discussing the objectives with the 'chair' who was the more experienced person and turned out to be someone else who worked for the college, we were ready to go.

It was fascinating to me the types of skills the kids were coming to show, from criminal justice, to computer tech, to electrician and even a budding vet tech with her dog.  We were to evaluate them on presentation, platform skills, organization, and if we understood the skill and felt they did a good job presenting an entry level description of it.

I could tell these kids were nervous, but they all did a great job of presenting to a room of 6 adults and practicing some basic hands-on and interviewing type skills.  Because we were judging them, we were not able to provide any feedback to the kids, and I found that to be the hardest part.  For some of them, I just wanted to write a comment or feedback on the scoring sheet just to tell them one or two small things they could do to improve performance.  I saw a lot of potential in many of them and hope they will succeed in their chosen field.

After we were done with judging, we helped with clean up and getting the judging boxes organized and arranged for returned to the main organization.

I truly enjoyed this volunteer experience as it was the only one we did that we got to interact with the end user we were there to help.  It was a different view for me of the next generation, past all the bad stereotypes that you usually hear.  I look forward to what this group can do, and am happy to know there is an organization like SkillsUSA that is promoting technical skills to the next generation.

Volunteering for CYT

Our volunteering activity on April 15th was a connection through Mike, as his wife works with the non-profit CYT group.  It is a theater group in the area that works with kids from all different school districts to get them involved int he many joys of theater, set design and building, makeup, costume design, and of course, acting.  I had done some theater when I was in middle and high school, so I was looking forward to working on a project that had some familiarity.

Our job on this Saturday was to help the group break down stage sets from a recent production and save all the material we could for them to reuse to save money on expensive lumber.  We started with a large pile of jumbled lumber and set pieces and after the organizer, Andy, showed us around and got us started, we each jumped into the pile.  I enjoy working with my hands and power tools, so instead of jumping on the organizing part, which would be my usual task, I just did the deconstruction of the lumber.

I have to say, I really enjoyed seeing the big pile of lumber getting smaller with 5 of us working on various pieces and Sarah doing most of the hauling of the separate pieces to the stacks for storage.  It was tiring work and hot, but I was happy to help a group that fills a role that it sounded like the local schools didn't have any way to provide.

I think as a group we all worked well together and were able to tackle a large task efficiently in the time we had.  We also had fun, which to me, is something I don't always think of when I am working.  It is nice to be in a group that reminds me to have fun and we can find that balance of fun and work as well.

SkillsUSA

The most recent volunteering experience my group and I participated in was an event held at Germanna Community College.  It was a competition called Skills USA and was for high school age students competing in trade skills, such as cosmetology or auto mechanics.  I was assigned the job of judging the skills section of the competition.  This meant that the students came and gave a presentation of their particular skill - what is was, why it was important, how it was performed, etc.  My entire group was not needed judging the same event so it was only myself and one other classmate with three other judges.  Overall it was an interesting experience and I enjoyed observing the students and how they responded throughout the competition.

However, there were a few things about the experience that I did not enjoy; particularly the complete lack of organization surrounding the event.  That may be an unfair assessment as I did not engage with the other areas at the event but it was especially true in my area.  The chair of my contest was completely disorganized and was unable to answer any of our basic questions surrounding the event, having to seek clarification from someone else.  We were given no guidance regarding what we were judging, the criteria which we should be using to judge, or even our interactions with the contestants themselves.  As a result, we were not allowed to give feedback after the presentations, something I think the students would have really benefited from and I would have liked to have been able to do.  Despite all this, I did enjoy the event and would attend and judge again if asked on the condition that I was the acting chair of my particular area in order to ensure a more structured approach to the judging and therefore a more helpful and worthwhile experience for those involved.

Skills USA

Today was our groups final volunteering day for the semester. For our third volunteering event, we decided to volunteer as judges for the high school competition SkillsUSA. This is an organization that teaches high school kids different technical skills which will allow them to succeed in the real world. Our tasks were to assist with set up, clean up, and judging various competitions. I was given the privilege of judging the job skills demonstrations. This is were the student will provide an example of an entry level job requirement in their field.

I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to judge students that demonstrated talents from multiple fields including; electrician, police officer, computer tech support, hair stylist, and veterinarian. Each student provided excellent knowledge in their respective fields and I often found myself learning new skills that I have never known.

The judging was a new experience for me but it was extremely fulfilling. Seeing high school student, some of which are under 18, be able to explain and perform job functions in their chosen fields was impressive. Being able to be apart of an organization that prepares these students for success was heartwarming and I hope that they are all able to succeed. The effort and time that the students put into their presentations did not go unnoticed and the role of SkillsUSA across the nation has given numerous students the chance of success.

This volunteering was the most internally satisfying of the three that we have done. The first two, although satisfying, did not allow me to interact with the individuals that I was volunteering for. SkillsUSA let me see first hand the purpose of my time. It was inspiring to see the knowledge of these young adults and to be apart of their success.

CYT Volunteering

On Saturday, April 15, Delicious Leadership had the opportunity to help the Fredericksburg Christian Youth Theater (CYT) with the stage breakdown and cleanup in the CYT warehouse. Our team met at 8am to discuss ideas for our upcoming presentation, devise a plan of attack and get to joke around a bit as we got to know each other. At 9am, we met with Andy, who told us more about Christian Youth Theatre and shared the passion and commitment that these students and their families have for this program. Once we had learned a little bit more about why we were here and how appreciative Andy was that we were willing to spend our time helping a greater cause, he gave us our work assignments for the morning. 

When we first walked in the warehouse, there was a gigantic pile of 2x4's, plywood and green board, some of which was attached and some was not. Andy told us that our job was to disassemble the plywood and 2x4's from the green board, save as much green board as we could as the students were able to reuse almost everything in the warehouse, and this also saved the organization a quite a bit of money. 

Andy gave us the 5 of us 3 power drills to unscrew all of the screws that secured the green boards to the 2x4's. We were also asked to organize and stack the wood at the back of the warehouse once all the screws had been removed from the wood. 

I was not lucky enough to get one of the power drills, so I began organizing the green boards which had already been detached from the wood and needed to be placed like books on a bookshelf in what looked like a gigantic closet for murals. While this was not the most important task of the day, this was the task I enjoyed most because as I was putting away the backdrops and scenery, I was able to examine some of the previously used scenery for other productions. And might I just say, these students are very talented artists!! The bookshelf of artwork was a beautiful memoir of all the hard work students, families and volunteers have contributed over the years. 

Once the green boards had been put away, a pile of wood had started to accumulate. At first I began to look for a power drill so I could help my team members complete the task faster. When I did not find one, I was saddened at first, but then I realized - hey - Sarah, if you start organizing and putting away all of the wood, we'll be done faster than if you were removing the screws from the wood! This has been a leadership skill that has slowly started to develop over the past 4 years for me. Growing up a millennial and a result of extremely, and probably too helpful parents, I've become very good at doing things that I'm told to do, but realized within the last four years that I really need to work on doing things that I see a need for, taking more of an initiative and making my own expectations and rules. I was so happy that I was able to do this at the CYT warehouse. While it may not have been the most visible task, and as I examined what I was doing I couldn't help but judge myself for 'just cleaning up' but I was proud that I found a need on my own, didn't ask anyone's permission and just went about it and did it on my own. 

All the while I thought it was outstanding that we all found our little niche where we were most needed and we felt most useful. I even broke out my phone about two thirds of the way through the session and we all bonded over the Allman Brother's Pandora radio station. We all left sweaty, stinky, satisfied and starving. We took several funny pictures before we left the warehouse, which will remind us of the seemingly small but terrific things we did that day, and as a bonus our team got along exceptionally!

Afterwards, Dan had to leave to see his family, but the remaining members of Delicious Leadership sauntered over to Adventure Brewing, which was fatefully across the parking lot. We all filled our stomachs as we laughed over stories and new found friendships.

CYT

Our most recent volunteer experience was through the Fredericksburg organization Christian Youth Theater or CYT.  CYT is an extracurricular performing organization for children ages 4-18.  Not only do they offer 10-week classes in the areas of performing (dance, theater, and music) but they put on a musical theatrical performance every 10 weeks.  This means that at the conclusion of each show a breakdown of the sets required for the previous performance needs to take place, which includes not only deconstructing set pieces but also organizing the pieces so that they can be repurposed later for future productions.

Our group will participate in three volunteer experiences overall, this being the second.  Although I do not know how I will feel about the third opportunity, a competition for high schoolers hosted by Germanna, I believe my experience with CYT will be my favorite.  While I recognize that our experience at the multicultural fair at UMW was helpful, the type of work we were doing for CYT was more enjoyable for me.  I was able to work with my hands and use my construction skills, knowledge, and experience as we broke apart set pieces from their previous production of Willy Wonka.  It also provided a sense of accomplishment because you could see the immediate results of your work.  Additionally, because my wife is a theater director and I have often worked on or designed sets for her shows, I am aware of the amount of work that goes into building and breaking down sets.  I, therefore, know how helpful the work we were doing was for the current production crew and how any amount of help given to them is immensely appreciated.  

Volunteer Work Stage Breakdown

Today our team did our second of three volunteer opportunities. We were fortunate that one of my team member's significant other works for a nonprofit that does theater productions for children of all ages. The nonprofit just finished one production and needed the equipment broken down so that their next production, Shrek, could start.

We went to a giant warehouse where the nonprofit keeps all of their stage and prop equipment. We were tasked with unscrewing all of the wood from the stage and background, save and organize wood, screws, and other prop equipment. Our team, as a very functional team, took right to the task. While two of us focused on unscrewing the wood with power drills, another person moved the wood, and another separated the styrofoam. We were very efficient and able to enjoy ourselves while doing it. As a team we also rotated the jobs to ensure that each of us were able to have an equal share in the work.

The theater breakdown was a great bonding experience for our group. We were able to organize how we wanted to get the job done, which utilized all of our strengths. All of us were able to talk and have fun which kept the work enjoyable. Being able to assist with a nonprofit was also very humbling. Although we did non see the show, the stage and props that were used were extremely well made. Doing our small part to ensure that the children are able to continue to learn all aspects of theater make it extremely worthwhile.

Volunteer work at UMW Multicultural Fair

My experience at the UMW multicultural fair was close to what I expected of these types of events; we got up early, everyone was ready to go, then we have to wait for someone in charge to tell us what to do and where.  

While we were given an initial assignment, and the folks organizing it seemed to have a good idea of what was going on, there were still periods of waiting, and looking for direction or opportunities to be useful.  For this group of highly motivated folks, in the absence of leadership, we all jumped in when needed.  Our initial assignment of setting up tables and chairs in one specific area was hampered by delays of supplies.  As a group, I think we used this time well to discuss the books we are reading for the class, upcoming assignments, and just in general getting to know each other better and bond more as a team.  Once the materials got there, we sprang into action and worked efficiently to get everything set up. 

When our initial assignment was done, we looked to make ourselves useful by going to the next big setup and helping.  When we ran into more classmates, we definitely had a lot more personalities and leaders to work with!  I think everyone worked well together, but in my opinion, we could have used at least one UMW person who knew the plan!  But we didn't let that get in the way, and by unstructured leadership, figured out a layout of tables and chairs that would meet the needs of the intended goal. 

It was a good day, and I had fun getting out and helping at a fun community event.  I think best of all, the Delicious Leadership team got to know each other better and learn each others individual strengths so at our next volunteer event we will make an even stronger team.  

Multicultural Fair

The Multicultural set up at UMW was a huge success but it did not come without some sacrifice. It was the first time I was outdoors doing work before the sun rose in a long time. Waking up at 4:30am was a challenge but once I was on my feet it was awake and engaged.

As a group, we were tasked with assisting the set up of tables, chairs, and anything else that the student supervisors lead us to do. Setting up tables and chairs for the various student groups uses team work to organize the set up, carry and set up the tables. We were continuously engaged as a team and all of us participated fully.

After setting up the seating in front of a stage, we assisted another team from the class with setting up the main extra large tent, tables, and chairs. Both our group and the other group were being instructed by the owners of the tend who rent it out to various events. Between all of us, we had a very smooth system to the set up and eventual 24 plus tables and 250 chairs. We were all able to align them efficiently and was done in a much shorter amount of time than I initially thought.

Overall, the multicultural fair was a huge success with multiple vendors and activities set up. As a team we all took the lead at various times depending on our strengths. We all then had a perfect systematic team work to accomplish all of the tasks. It was personally humbling to see the final product of the whole fair and that our small sacrifice of waking up early was able to have a direct impact on the outcome of the fair.

Delicious Leadership Volunteers with Multicultural Fair

April 1, 2017 - UMW Fredericksburg Campus

On Saturday, April 1, 2017 (April Fools Day), Delicious Leadership had the opportunity to participate and volunteer with the set-up for the Multicultural Fair. While I remember the event distinctly, there was something in particular that made me reminisce today, Tuesday, as I passed Ball Circle. I was walking back across campus from a late afternoon meeting, when I noticed what a distinct transformation Ball Circle had made from Saturday to Tuesday. On Saturday, the perimeter of Ball Circle was full of food, tents, slow cookers and inflatable rentals all preparing for the fair goers. Whereas today (Tuesday), Ball Circle was chock full of students in Adirondack chairs, reading and talking while laying in the sun. On Saturday, we got to play the unsung heroes which helped contribute to the success of the 27th Annual Multicultural Fair.

On Saturday, our group met at the University Center before 6:00am to meet with the rest of the volunteers and be given our assignments for the morning. The fair was expecting between 5,000 and 6,000 fair-goers to be on campus on this day, and there were plenty of volunteers ready to help. All volunteers were given assignments at 6:30am and by daybreak, we were on our way to our first assignment. Our first assignment consisted of setting up the tables, chairs and the stage in front of Monroe. Each group of volunteers was partnered with a student employee who had carried out the assignment in a previous year. Our student coordinator, Miriam, was helpful, encouraging and appreciative of our help. Once we were finished setting up the Monroe stage, we met back at the information tent to be given new assignments.

Once at the information tent, we did not find a coordinator there who was able to tell us where we were needed, so we began to look around for a project that could benefit from our help. Across from Lee Hall, the large tent was being assembled and raised. We agreed it looked like they needed help, so we made our way across Ball Circle to help with the big tent. Like much of the tables, chairs and equipment at the fair, the tent was rented and delivered by and set up by the company, but the employees were more than happy to teach us how to set up and secure the tent posts. Once the tent was set up, our group and another group in our class assembled the tables and chairs which were placed under the tent, so as to protect lunchers from the heat or elements. There was a good deal of disorganization and confusion with regard to the tables and chairs, first as to how the tables should be set up, and secondly once the tables were set up how many chairs should be seated at each table. I felt as though a) we were not given enough information b) we were not familiar with how to best organize the tables and chairs and c) as though this was a test of our leadership and participation skills. Among the two groups, several people were clearly outspoken leaders who differed on their opinion as to how to best organize the tables and chairs, whereas others were just happy to help. In this situation, it would have been more favorable to have a diagram of how to best organize the tables and chairs as well as specifications as to how many tables and chairs were expected. After two reorganization attempts, the two groups were able to come organize the tables and chairs which proved satisfactory and mindful of space.

The great thing about volunteering as a group is that your efforts are twofold, you are contributing to and are a part of something larger, but it also gives you an opportunity to bond as a unit. I find this to be evident in all groups, whether it be young children, college-age students or working adults; there is something about working together that makes people get along. Delicious Leadership was able to discuss Carnegie, the beginnings of Lincoln as well as things that make us laugh and the things that are important to us while volunteering our efforts to set up for the 27th Annual Multicultural Fair.

UMW Multicultural Fair Volunteer Refelection

I woke up at 4:00am this past Saturday and was out the door 45 minutes later en route to UMW. I immediately thought back to my time while on active duty. I regularly woke up at this time for 5 years! I needed to arrive by 5:30am. I found parking along College Ave. a few blocks down from the meeting spot. Mike spotted me walking by and we arrived together for the event. When we walked through the door, Kim greeted us with a pleasant smile and I immediately noticed that most of the volunteers were those from my class. By 6:15am we had received our assignments. My group was to set up a stage and 75 chairs. It was an enjoyable experience working with my group. After the initial assignment was completed, we started roaming the area to see where to help next. We worked with another group helping them set up a large tent that accommodated 250 people. As I was setting up for this event, I felt like I was back on the ship setting up for a command picnic or something. Needless to say, I was experiencing many fond memories from my time aboard the USS Monterey. I felt our team worked well together and I enjoyed watching Kim and Sarah chase down Sammy D. Eagle for a group photo opportunity. They were literally running after that mascot! I have to say that was the best part of day. Those girls were on a mission and were not to be denied.

Reflections on Volunteering – Mary Washington Multicultural Fair

My initial thought regarding the volunteer experience at the Mary Washington Multicultural Fair was to wonder who usually helped to set up the event as out of the perhaps 20 people there, roughly 75% of them were graduate students from our class.  We were given 4 hours to set everything up which seemed to be much more time than we needed.  However, I believe we were given that time out of previous experience as few people, particularly college students, want to get up at 6:00a on a Saturday morning.  For the most part, the Mary Washington staff seemed very competent and knew what needed to be done but the equipment that was rented did not arrive until 8:00a so the first few hours of our volunteer experience were spent mostly standing around, waiting. 

One thing I did observe was that many of the graduate student volunteers, which were most of the volunteers, were type A personalities, or “chiefs.”  As a result, they seemed to struggle with the idea of simply serving and responding to another’s leadership and instead attempted to lead themselves.  Yet with so many leaders, there was more struggle and personality conflicts than I believe there may have been had more people taken a more serving mentality.  Although my team blended and worked well with each other, observing some of the other teams attempting to manage each other rather than working as a cohesive unit was, quite frankly, amusing and made me very thankful that my team did not have that problem.

Volunteering is not something I have the opportunity to do often.  Between work, spending time with my family, and taking care of things at my house there is not a lot of free time left over, let alone the time needed to volunteer for an event.  Yet it was nice to be a part of a group and to work towards a common goal, specifically one that was not completely self-serving or self-seeking.