It felt as if it would never end. There were
problems everywhere some more solvable than others. After a board meeting with
our employer most of the students left more dissatisfied with what they were
doing here, especially in regards to working. They felt as if they deserved
more from the program. They wanted the manager positions; they didn't want to
be hourly employees, but managers. Not having all of these expectations met caused
too much emotion for the community members to handle all within themselves so
they inevitably took it out on each other. While this sounds like an extremely volatile
and dangerous environment it became clear that the storm was here and there was
not much we could do to move it. So, we let it run its course for the most
part, and we only changed one thing. This one action item was something that
felt overdue and ultimately will shape the community to what we want it to
become.
Last week my FIR and I delegated loads of work to deserving
and responsible students in the form of student management positions. While
this change might seem fairly minute in the grand scale of things it had a
rather profound effect on the students. It altered their mentalities towards
work. Now they were a part of something. They meant more to this scary
corporation than hourly wage workers. I've personally witnessed the select
students change into a more positive work force. These few, are now leading by
example and slowly but surely changing other people’s mentalities too.
“People are people” was the line of last week. After
the dust had settled it became apparent that the only thing that came out of
last week’s disputes and actions was residents understanding each other. No
longer was it about how much one would work versus another. No longer was it
about how much they disliked how another person worked towards completing a
task. All that mattered is that the work was finished in a timely manner. I can
finally see the community building together all as one tight knit group. This
is a stark difference from the rocky start and I can’t wait to see where we go
next!
Great use of metaphor and photo to talk about the challenges the community is facing. I think that there is a valuable learning process coming from the challenges we have faced in getting the year started. It may not have started as we had planned, but now, it's important to help people reflect on the current state of affairs and how we can weather the storm and get to sunnier days. I am hoping that the increased communication you and Denise are having with the Aramark team will help. I also think that as you note, the manager positions provide ownership. That's why they were established. Let's continue to work to create opportunities with the students where they can grow and expand their ideas. You have a role there. Continue to listen, understand and put those concerns forward in a mature and respectful way. Serve as an advocate for the students. You are doing a good job!
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