Becoming Champions for Change

Welcome back to the blog! I’m Kathleen Egan, and I’m wrapping up my 2nd year as an AmeriCorps*VISTA at the Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC). During the past two years, I have also been a member of the Michigan AmeriCorps LeaderCorps, the host of this blog. During my years as a VISTA, I've been given so many great opportunities and I’ve also had the great pleasure of working with and meeting AmeriCorps*State, National, and VISTA members all over the state. These members, as well as many other Michiganders, are all striving to make Michigan stronger through non-profits, service, and volunteerism. I have been amazed by the amount of enthusiasm, and hard work happening all over Michigan.
 
There is one week in particular that is the most reflective of this for me. Though is it a crazy, busy week for everyone at the MCSC, this week has always been my favorite part. You see, during the week before Thanksgiving, the MCSC hosts the Mentor Michigan Annual Mentoring Conference, Michigan’s AmeriCorps Member Celebration, MCSC Commissioner Board Meeting, and the first Michigan AmeriCorps LeaderCorps meeting. As many of you readers know, planning one event is a big undertaking, but four back to back is a long (but fun!) marathon. Getting to participate these past 2 years has been a great way to see a diverse cross section of the good happening here in Michigan. I also like to think of this week as my AmeriVersary! My VISTA pre-service orientation (PSO) was 2 years ago during the Mentor Michigan Conference and Member Celebration so ending my second service term during these events was a fun and very cyclical way to end my service!

The first part of the week begins with the Mentor Michigan Conference. It’s amazing to see how many men and women are devoted to the next generation and passionate about providing quality support for mentors and mentees. This year I got to hang out with Smokey the Bear and the DNR folks, who brought games and other fun activities to showcase how you can use DNR programs to plan mentor/mentee activities. I also had the privilege to hear a mentee named Daveisha speak. Daveisha has done so much in the few years that she’s been matched with her mentor and was very succinct in her argument for the importance of mentoring in Michigan. In her words, "everyone deserves to be successful and a mentor can help you get there."

Member Celebration is day 2 and an amazing experience. There is something about the energy that builds when you get a state’s worth of AmeriCorps members in the same room…I’ve never felt anything like it! Every time I leave Celebration it not only reinvigorates my belief in the power of the AmeriCorps, but it also makes me feel as though each one of us is a super hero out to change our communities and country. This year, I had the great pleasure of leading the AmeriCorps trivia game show, and running a workshop with fellow LeaderCorps member Rachel Wenszlick that taught team builders, icebreakers and energizers to members. I had a blast, but the real fun was getting to hear what members will be doing during their service years, watching them meet fellow members from other programs, and hearing about the real reach AmeriCorps has in our state.

For most AmeriCorps members the day of Celebration ends after the swearing in Ceremony, but for LeaderCorps members we head straight on to our first meeting of the year. During this meeting, we begin mapping out the year ahead and getting to know each other. The LeaderCorps meeting is always a welcome calm after the chaos that is Celebration. This year's LeaderCorps was especially lucky as AmeriCorps National Director Bill Basl joined us as our guest for dinner! He shared with us the amazing involvement AmeriCorps has had with Hurricane Sandy, and how other versions of the LeaderCorps are operating across the country. Some of my proudest accomplishments during my VISTA year came from collaborations with fellow LeaderCorps members, and I am so thankful to have met so many amazing people through the group!

As you can tell, it is a very long week, but also incredibly rewarding. I feel so lucky to have been able to have been a part of it these past two years, and even luckier that my AmeriCorps*VISTA year ended during this week. There is nothing better than ending on a truly high energy, and fun note that is this week! I can’t begin to explain how much the past 2 years as a VISTA has meant to me and my life. I’ve made amazing life-long friends both at my service site and with other members. I can only hope that other AmeriCorps members enjoy their service as much as I have, but I know they won’t have an office as great as mine! :)

Reflections on Leadership

Hi, my name is Dan Drust, I’m the Program Director for the Schools of Hope AmeriCorps program in Grand Rapids, MI.  Before stepping into this role I was an AmeriCorps member for two terms and chosen for Michigan’s LeaderCorps in my second term. 

In reflecting on what made my time in AmeriCorps so meaningful and what element of my service really drove my development, many vignettes come to mind. I remember reporting to my site to teach a class (my service was in the area of adult English literacy) to find out that my room was occupied by a meeting and I had to find my own space for class. I remember holding enrollment sessions with standing room only.  I remember rising up as a leader on my team – a resource and example for new members. I remember finishing up last minute details for events I planned with colleagues hours before the event itself.  I remember missing deadlines. I remember being in meetings with the best and the brightest in my service community. In a word, I remember being humbled.

Did you catch that?  Did you see that I called myself a leader a few sentences before I said I was humbled?  You read it right.  Being a leader and an effective AmeriCorps member, in my experience, is all about humility, giving up control, and fostering trust.

 When you come into the AmeriCorps program you sign up to be a leader.  You make a statement about yourself and your intentions; you set an example to others by contributing to society and confronting some really tough issues.  I think that idea might scare people because when we think about leaders, we think about people who know a lot, have years of experience, and have a knack for imagining the future.  While that’s certainly true in some cases, it’s not true in all.  Leaders come from all backgrounds and experiences.  Good leaders recognize that they don’t have all the answers (sometimes, things are out of your control) and that they need help from their colleagues and subordinates (humility).

So what does this mean for real life, day-to-day service?  Don’t try to be a stand-alone-and-know-everything leader.  If you don’t have a solution, engage those around you, even those that you manage or serve, to find the answer.  Build trust with those people so they know their voice supports your leadership, and that your leadership supports their voice.  Be humble and open to not knowing all the answers.  If there is a product that your service will produce, it’s trusting relationships with those around you.  And it’s trusting relationships from which great leaders grow.