Monday, April 10, 2017

Staff Member for a Day




Staff Member for The Day

Feeling out of control is a common theme with adolescents, especially those who have experienced instability in their home.  One WYN after school participant didn't realize it at the time, but she was about to change this experience for herself and her fellow WYN participants.  One day when Maggie Clay, the Director of the program asked to meet with "all staff" to prepare the group for an activity, "Meredith," one of the participants asked, "Can I be a staff person?"  Maggie thought it over and said, "Sure!"  Maggie knew that this could be a unique opportunity for Meredith to gain skills in leading a group, and she thought it could also be a unique way to help the other students stay quiet and pay attention.  It worked!  Meredith, with a little help from our staff, did a great job of leading her peers in the activity that day, and the other students showed her respect.  The students also became curious about how, they too, could be able to lead activities for their peers.  The idea caught on, and now we are regularly implementing the "staff member for the day" concept.  This has given participants the opportunity to learn how to lead and speak in front of a large group of people, in addition to the management group behaviors (such as talking while others are talking).  Sometimes when you live in a world of grown ups telling you what to do all the time, it's nice to be a "staff member" for a day! 

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