Summer-Fall 2001

Coordinating a VISTA program comes with many challenges. And when the VISTAs are in community technology centers spread across hundreds of miles the challenges are multiplied. I learned various strategies for resolving the challenges and improving the OCCCN VISTA program at Ohio Community Computing Center Network. NSLI encourages strong national service programs by developing the leadership skills of national service program coordinators. NSLI is an amazing (yet under promoted) resource within the Corporation for National Service. The Corporation for National Service is the federal agency that oversees VISTA programs.

OCCCN is a statewide membership-based network of community technology centers (CTCs). OCCCN provides support to the CTCs in the form of program development, resource development, communication, and advocacy.

The OCCCN VISTA Program is one of the services OCCCN provides to the community technology centers of Ohio. OCCCN currently has 22 VISTAs in community technology centers across Ohio. OCCCN VISTAs strengthen and expand community technology centers or help develop new community technology centers. National Service Leadership Institute

Staff members coordinating national service programs in organizations with VISTA, AmeriCorps, Learn & Serve or Senior Corps grants are eligible to attend a National Service Leadership Institute. I attended an NSLI in January of 2001. By self-evaluating my skills and reflecting upon my past experiences, I can determine how my actions can improve the OCCCN VISTA program.

The most notable characteristics of NSLI, in comparison to other training programs, is the focus on the participant, the interactive nature of all the activities, the reliance upon the participant to reflect upon the issues discussed within the context of their work and personal lives, and the assumption that the participants bring valuable knowledge and insight to the training. A good example of this is that the training was led by “facilitators”, not “presenters”. The facilitators were adept at leading the group through an idea, rather than explaining it to us.

What Did I Learn? And More Importantly, How Is It Affecting the OCCCN VISTA Program?

The National Service Leadership Institute I attended was a four-day training. Each day included an hour or two of discussions with a “Learning Group” led by one of the NSLI facilitators. The learning group provided an opportunity to discuss the activities and issues of the day. It also provided the participants with a comfortable place to reflect upon our own situations. Because of the geographic distance between me and the VISTAs (up to 200 miles) and the size of the OCCCN VISTA program, balancing leadership and management is an issue I struggle with everyday. Only two of the VISTAs are in the same city as I. Since the OCCCN VISTAs tend to only hear from me regarding administrative issues such as payroll, trainings and paperwork, I have had little chance to get to know them, encourage them and provide needed support.

One of the Learning Group activities was for a participant to describe a difficulty that she or he faced. Then the group brainstormed suggestions. Upon my request, my Learning Group offered many suggestions on how I can strengthen my relationship with the OCCCN VISTAs. Their suggestions included: inviting the VISTAs to a barbecue at my house, sending the VISTAs electronic cards, sending appreciation notes or e-mails, holding regional OCCCN VISTA meetings (reducing the travel needed to visit all the sites), asking the site supervisors to describe something positive the VISTA has done and then share it in a newsletter, asking the VISTAs to submit a challenge of the month which the other VISTAs could respond to electronically, and asking someone outside of our program to facilitate a team building for the VISTAs, Site Supervisors and me.

NSLI discussed various methods of decision-making and the effects of each within specific situations. For the previous OCCCN VISTA training, the VISTA Leader and I planned the event. The next one will be planned (mostly) by the VISTAs. NSLI referred to this as “delegating with constraints". The VISTA Leader and I will decide what issues and logistics of the training are not negotiable. Other training decisions such as topics, format, location, and food will be up to the VISTAs.

I highly recommend coordinators of VISTA Programs apply to attend a training coordinated by NSLI. Not since graduate school had I encountered instructors that so greatly affected my work.