Making a connection with your team is
very important in any job related environment not only when setting goals but
making the volunteer work service more enjoyable. In the case of Jumpstart, I
think our team chemistry awesome and we all get along with each other. We push
each other to do well whether it’s creating materials for session or debriefing
after session about our experience in the classroom. It’s funny when one of us
is absent in session and the kids legitimately are sad or worried about the
corp member who isn’t present. One of the students said something like “hey
where is Mr. ___” and one of the corp members replies “oh he is sick and
couldn’t make it here today”. They respond, “oh I hope he is ok and comes back
soon”. It’s so wonderful to hear the children show how much they care about
Jumpstart. It feels so genuine when you as a corp member hear their concerns. As
a team it’s key to also have flexibility and are pretty good about it. As
university students, with busy schedules including mid terms and finals we are
conscious about staying ahead of the curve. In other words, we are good about
divided tasks between us in preparation for upcoming sessions. Sometimes we
cannot meet all together on a set day, so we communicate via email or group
text and be proactive in choosing our responsibilities for the week. We also
are flexible when it comes to centers delegated to everyone. We have a nice
rotation going so each corp member can experience different centers with the
children. I would say collaboration is another strong point in teamwork.
Everyone is very willing to lend a hand when someone is not able to complete a task.
Of course, have a tight bond with a
team is always the ideal but in reality may not always happen. In the
professional world, it may not be as easy to mesh certain individuals because all
people operate differently and we all must learn to adapt to them. Not to say
that things will be running smoothly for our team throughout the entire year
but when we come across difficulties, hopefully we can be as prepared as
possible to overcome them. Jumpstart is a good working experience for me since
I feel working in a team environment will continue to help me grow not only as
a professional but as an individual.
~Erasmo Mendez
Corps member
Team Dedication
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