Presentation adapted from:

The Taming of the CrewAct III: Transitions

Bharti Wahi

Wrapping Up Your VISTA Year

Workshop Objectives

• Reflecting on the past year • Identifying priority areas for transition• Identifying needs of site staff, community

partners, program participants, volunteers• Identifying strategies to meet those needs• Begin planning transition• Group problem solving• Green book planning

Warm Up

Contest: The weirdest and the best

Transitions

What are your top three accomplishments this year?

What three aspects of your work would you like to live on next year?

Priorities Planning Guide

VISTA =Relationship Building

Host site staff

Community Partners

Volunteers

Program participants

Literacy Council Staff

Future VISTA

Host Site Staff Needs

• Simplicity• Clarity• Acknowledgment• Information

Strategies for addressing staff needs

• Work closely with your site supervisor – she/he has a vested interest in your work

• Get feedback from staff about the year• Create a plan or timeline so staff can have the

information they need to forward project• Recognize staff contributions to the project• Encourage staff to support new VISTA

Community Partner Needs

• Communication• Continuity• Simplicity

Strategies for Community Partners

The Wild Card• Communication and connection with host site

staff or new VISTA• Communication of your transition and the

plan developed – maybe your site supervisor• Strategize with literacy council staff

Volunteers Need

• Acknowledgement• Clarity • Continuity• Closure

Strategies for Addressing Volunteer Needs

• Get feedback from volunteers about the year• Create plan and timeline for transition• Recognize volunteer contribution• Foster and support volunteer and staff

relationships• Foster and support volunteer program

participant relationships• Mechanism for on-going communication

Participant Needs

• Closure• Communication• Acknowledgment

Strategies for Program Participants

• Support staff and volunteer with providing closure for program participants

• Prepare teaching staff to prepare students• Make participant recognition an important

component of year-end processes• Talk about your last day

Literacy Council Needs and Strategies

Needs:• Organization• Communication

Strategies:• Start planning NOW• Utilize MLC staff to help with transition plans

The New VISTA (or a new staff member)

We will talk about this more – but this person will need information

How will you ensure that a new person has the information she/he will need? For those staying on, how will you finish off this year that allows for a smooth start next year?

Strategies

All of the strategies discussed fall into two categories:

1. Collaboration 2. Communication

Your Transition Strategies

Passing off your project

• How many of you felt you had the information you needed to ease your transition into the position last fall?

The moral of the story is…

… don’t be that VISTA!

Sustainability and the New VISTA

VISTA Needs:• Information• Organization• Collaboration

Strategies for passing off your project

• Use the resources you’ve been given today to plan ahead

• Communicate with your site supervisor and other staff so that they can help the new VISTA

• Empower a volunteer/program participant to take leadership in carrying on into next year

• Leave a helpful Green Book

Find your group

1. My project is one or two years only (not continuing)

2. My project will be continuing after one year

3. My project will be continuing after 2, 3 or 4 years

4. My project is wrapping up after three or four years

5. I’m going to do a second year!!

Discussion question:

What is your top concern about the upcoming transition?

Scenarios and group problem-solving

Green Books:The why and the how

Discussion questions

What information that was particularly helpful to you when you started your VISTA position?

What information would have been helpful to have?

What will be different next year?

What has been particularly challenging for you when thinking about completing a Green Book?

Green Book Exchange

Look at a Green Book from someone in your group

• What are the strengths of this Green Book?

Group Sharing

Green Book wisdom

Elements to include

Stellar examples?