SITE

by Alexa Plotkin

This next September 11, 2010, will mark the ninth anniversary of the tragic events at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, PA. For many Americans, including myself, it feels like just yesterday that we heard the news of the day’s catastrophic events. In actuality, it’s been almost ten years and every year that separates us from that fateful day in September, slips away the memory of the lives lost, the damage inflicted and the sorrow felt. This is why it is important for us, as members of a larger American community, to ban together and promise to never forget—we must never forget the depths of inhumanity of that day, and we must never lose sight of why we were attacked.

It had nothing to do, as some would have us believe, with what America had done wrong. Rather, it had everything to with what America does right; living by and insisting on principles of freedom and democracy, guaranteeing every citizen freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It is on these principles that our country was founded and on these principles that we continue to live our lives.

So on this day, nine years later, please join Operation Homefront and the Portland AmeriCorps Alums, in continuing a national tradition to reflect on the lives lost on September 11th, renew our commitment to freedom and to honor our veterans, past and present. Beginning at 8:00 am (registration at 7:30 am) we will kick off the walk with the National Anthem and a few words from local veterans/service men and women. No fee is required to participate, but donations are welcome. We would love to see a good number of AmeriCorps Alums and current members come out and participate in this very important day of remembrance. To register to walk, visit http://tinyurl.com/253legt.

Alexa Plotkin is a member of AmeriCorps Alums, Portland, Maine. She is a guest blogger.

By Jane Haskell

You all work with groups. Sometimes you lead the group. Sometimes you facilitate the group. Sometimes you are there to train or participate as a member. Sometimes you are in multiple roles.

What is a facilitator vs. a trainer vs. a leader? How can we be in a leadership position while facilitating? Can we remain neutral when we are invested in outcomes? Can we participate fully in generating outcomes when we are required to remain focused on directing a process?

According to the traditional definition of facilitation a group member cannot formally fill the role of facilitator because a group member is not content neutral. Traditionally a facilitator does not intervene directly in the content of the group’s discussions; to do so would require the facilitator to abandon a neutral position and reduce the group’s responsibility for solving its problems.

However, many times in real-life situations a crossover occurs between the roles of facilitator and participant. We, indeed, switch roles. As group members or leaders we suddenly find ourselves in the position of facilitator and must use facilitation principles and techniques to guide our groups through efficient processes to effective outcomes. This is our reality.

Meeting Situation
Read the following situation and jot down what you think you could do. Add to your notes when you read the chart below.
I am working with a group of 20 highly skilled, strong opinioned volunteers to plan a one-time event. They are not afraid to ‘speak up’. Their leader knows them well and has been a part of the group for many years. She tends to be easily shaken by the strong minded volunteers and meetings can get quickly overrun and out of hand once she hands over the floor to them. What can I do to make the meeting more effective (and enjoyable)?

We simply need to clarify – for ourselves – or the group – what our roles are. Myriam Laberge (2010) says that as tempting as it is, facilitation requires that you avoid controlling or influencing the discussion and outcome. She defines various situations in which we can find ourselves.

Our challenge is to observe and address facilitation opportunities that come with the multiple roles those leaders, group members and facilitators assume within group.

When a group of AmeriCorps members who were taking Strengthening Your Facilitation Skills, Level 2 were asked, If you could think of one word that captures the essence of what it is to be a facilitator AND a group member or group leader, what would it be?” They defined the challenge as…..

So, when you are asked to participate in a meeting that calls for facilitation, check out what is really meant. Then carefully prepare for your role(s) in that meeting.

In Strengthening Your Facilitation Skills training (http://www.umext.maine.edu/Waldo/comdev/SYFS1/default.htm), participants are often asked to reflect on various topics. Use these questions to reflect on neutral meeting facilitation:
 What risk do you take when you are a facilitator who remains neutral?
 What support do you get from your group when you need to step out of the neutral role?
 What support do you need more of?

Jane Haskell is Associate Extension Professor at the UMaine Extension, Waldo County Office and a guest blogger.

Material adapted from: Great Facilitation. Myriam Laberge. Delta, BC: Masterful Facilitation Institute, 2010 [found at http://myriam-musing.blogspot.com/]; Corrie Hunkler, interview, 2010; Strengthening Your Facilitation Skills, Level 2. Jane Haskell and Gabe McPhail. Orono, ME: UMaine Extension, 2010.

By Rochelle Runge

Front of the "Volunteer Cat Mobile!"

Right away anyone can see this is creative, but what makes is a fundraiser? I am a volunteer with the Humane Society of Knox County and recently worked with their Volunteer Coordinator, Joan Vargas, to create sponsorship packages that offer socially conscious business the opportunity to advertise on this, “Cat Volunteer Mobile,” while supporting local animals! The introduction to our outreach letter started like this:

“Good marketing professionals know catching their audience at the right time and the right place is essential. When dollars are stretched thin traditional advertising can be too expensive. Prices in local publications are as high as $4,000 for a year of advertising! What if there was an alternative? What if you could support a cause you and your customers care about? Have you heard the latest buzz about Cause Marketing and what it can do for your business?”

Catching a reader’s attention right away is important in a sponsorship letter. In the paragraph above you can see we use the ‘jump on the bandwagon’ approach, asked a question, and gave a statistic. What things have worked for you when trying to catch someone’s attention?

So, have you heard of cause marketing? If not you should read up. Many successful organizations have developed mantras of “doing well by doing good,” and have found success by becoming a community partner. Cause-related marketing is a powerful marketing tool that links a company or brand to a relevant social cause or issue for mutual benefit. According to a recent study, 89% of Americans would switch from one brand to another if the latter brand was associated with a ‘good cause’.* Can you see applications at your organization for Cause Marketing?

Back to the Humane Societies effort…

Organizations were offered the opportunity to put their logo on the “Cat Volunteer Mobile” in several cleverly named categories: Top Dog, Cats Meow, and Paw Prints. If you’re thinking of developing a sponsorship package for an event or fundraiser here are some things to consider:

1. Make sure the dollar value in each level is differentiated. This way people can see what they are getting for shelling out additional cash.
2.  Have price point options. People like choices. But be careful not to have so many its confusing.
3.  Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Try to think about what would benefit them as well as your organization. How can you collaborate for mutual benefit?
4.  Be creative and unique to catch their attention!
5.  Follow up! Send out your letter or email but be sure to call in a week or so to answer any questions. That small personal touch could make all the difference!

This “Volunteer Cat Mobile” has been a fun project to help on. The day Joan sent out the announcement we had three organizations interested within 10 minutes! VolunteerMaine.org even has a logo on the car too! Keep your eyes peeled for the “Volunteer Cat Mobile,” it’s quite a site to see!

VolunteerMaine.org Logo!

The Humane Society of Knox County is devoted to caring for unwanted and homeless animals while participating in activities advocating responsible pet ownership and the prevention of abuse and cruelty. They serve more than 20 towns and care for hundreds of dogs and cats each year. If you would like more information about this initiative please contact, Volunteer Coordinator, Joan Vargas.

* Cone Millennial Cause Study- http://www.coneinc.com/

Rochelle Runge is the Public Relations Representative at the Maine Commission for Community and a volunteer at the Humane Society if Knox County.

By Anne Schink

Many managers of volunteers express discouragement when they argue that no one in their organization knows what they do; they have no access to senior management; they do not think of their current position as a step on a career ladder; they do not consider themselves as leaders.

In his book, The Empowered Manager, Peter Block addresses many of the issues created by working in traditional, hierarchical organizations. He argues that “empowerment is a choice, not a tool”. Begin with yourself. “Claim your autonomy; your vision; declare the organization that you wish to create. Live that out at every moment.” (Block, Empowered Manager, p. xv, 1987) “Empowerment is a state of mind as well as a result of position, policies, and practices.” (Block p. 68)

What this means for you, the individual manager of volunteers, is that you need to create a vision for your own volunteer program by involving others in developing a strategic vision of how your organization engages volunteers. “We become political at the moment we attempt to translate our vision into action” and then adds that “positive political skills involve acting with autonomy and compassion in service of a vision….The original meaning of politics was to act in the service of society.” (Block, p. 23) While over time the meaning of politics has lost much of this optimistic glow, it is still true that the purpose of your volunteer program is to serve the public good. And you are the most effective advocate and spokesperson for your program.

This may mean taking a hard, cold look at your program and how it serves the mission and vision of your organization. The best way to advocate for your program is to understand it from the inside out–its strengths and its shortcomings. You can only grow your program, and its reputation in your organization, if you can celebrate its accomplishments and address its weaknesses. You do not have to wait around for someone to tell you to do this. The essence of personal empowerment is to take responsibility for this program assessment and to tackle the challenges in front of you. Once you are confident about the caliber of your volunteer program, you can begin to advocate for a larger budget, for an increase in the roles that volunteers play in your organization, or any other things that would strengthen your program and its integral relationship to the mission of your organization.

Anne Schink is a consultant in volunteer management and a featured blogger.

by Elizabeth Cole

This time last year, I was a coordinating the big annual event for a youth mentoring group. I had two weeks left before 15 buses were going to roll on campus carrying several hundred extremely excited second graders. We were down to the wire and had a million and one things to do.

I still remember receiving the call from our caterer. She had contracted pneumonia and was calling to cancel our order. We suddenly had no lunches, no snacks, and no beverages. I wanted to cry or throw the phone out the window. Instead, I thought of all the volunteers working outside of my office to make this event a success. I took a deep breath.

I mention this example because in these volatile economic times, when the news is worrisome at best and downright scary at times, it’s easy to go negative. Organizations are like Petri dishes; when someone comes in with a bug or cold, everyone catches it. If leaders bring negative attitudes into the office, it infects everyone around them.

I have a friend who is a box office manager at a theater in New York who experimented with this recently. He decided he would see what would happen if he intentionally exhibited a negative mood. He gave an Oscar-worthy performance that made it clear that he was not interested in anyone or anything around the theater. Later that evening, one of the volunteer ushers stumbled into the office and said, “I don’t know why, but I’m just not motivated to do anything today.”

Volunteers feed off their leaders’ moods. Call it the physics of leadership: positives attract, negatives repel. It is important to paint an attractive picture of the future so you can generate the energy and enthusiasm in volunteers necessary to enact it. On that note, I will close with one of my favorite quotes from the philosopher, activist, and author, Noam Chomsky.

“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, it’s unlikely you will step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume that there’s no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there’s a chance you may contribute to making a better world. The choice is yours.” Noam Chomsky

Elizabeth is an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Maine Commission for Community Service and is a guest blogger.

By Alisa Conroy

As the connection between environmental sustainability and economical stability become even more prevalent, many non-profits are navigating unchartered territory in an attempt to address both, while keeping within budgets and up with demands. With that, a practical and purposeful way to do so is to take a closer look at your own organization’s energy efficiency. By exploring the numerous benefits, non-profits are finding that saving energy can have a positive impact on more than just the bottom line.

With April 22, 2010 marking the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, right now is the perfect time to examine how your organization can lessen its own environmental impact. A place to start is to consider simple updates that can be made to existing resources, thereby increasing energy efficiency now and for years to come. To learn about how your non-profit can use energy more efficiently, along with tips on how to conduct your own workplace energy audit, visit: www.energysavers.gov/your_workplace.

The benefits of lowering your organization’s environmental impact also extend beyond lowering the utility bills. Practicing more environmentally friendly behaviors can also increase internal morale by serving as a rallying point to build teamwork around. Not only a way for colleagues to interact and collaborate, but by ensuring that your workplace is more energy efficient will also mean that the environment within it is more comfortable; which is especially welcomed with Maine’s fluctuating temperatures and seasonal changes.

Having both a positive impact on the bottom line along with benefiting staff, practicing energy efficiency also provides some fresh content to share with donors, your board of directors, the community that you serve and even the media. Constantly looking for local examples of national trends, by keeping the local media tuned in to how your non-profit practices both fiscal and environmental responsibility, while making a positive impact on Maine, is a way to tell your story and garner more public attention.

With all of this and more, energy efficiency opens doors for Maine’s non-profits to gain access to new resources. A timely opportunity to get on your radar is the BrightBuilt Retrofit. This very unique project will be awarding a creditable non-profit with financial and professional resources to support an energy-conserving renovation, a.k.a. deep energy retrofit, for the selected non-profit’s building. In collaboration with the Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, for more information, including award and organization criteria, email: info@brightbuiltbarn.com. Additional details about this exciting opportunity will also be provided in an upcoming VolunteerMaine newsletter, so keep your eyes peeled! And in the meantime, be thinking of how energy efficiency can help power some of your organizational goals.

Alisa Conroy is a guest blogger and an Bright Built Barn employee.

By Noble Smith

Too often, because development officers either don’t undertake thorough research or don’t know their development committee Board members and key fund raising volunteers well enough, the wrong solicitors are matched with the wrong prospects (“suspects“).

Too often, we take the statement, “I hate to ask for money”, as an indication that a Board member or a volunteer has permanently excused him/herself from any solicitation involvement.

Too often, because of financial shortfalls, revenue reductions, or sudden program cost increases, development officers and Board development and fund-raising committees take well-meaning shortcuts using the panic panacea as the modus operandi. Failure looms and membership is further expanded into the “Half-Asked Society” *.

There is no such animal as a passive, non-participatory Board member!

A slightly long-winded way of pushing the mantle for an integrated, continuous involvement of Board members in each of the three legs of the fund raising stool, a process that must be part of the identification, selection, training and continuous participation of Board members. ALL Board members must be involved in the fund-raising process, either directly or indirectly, covertly or overtly, as a member of the actual solicitation team or as a partner in the tactical and strategy force.

Many of the most effective and successful solicitations, regardless which leg is the king/queen pin for the ask, involves a solicitation team of two - the one individual who thoroughly enjoys asking and the other who is thoroughly committed and knows the non-profit inside out.

Sure it is an honor to participate as a Board member; sure it elevates ego and connotes community involvement and, many times, leadership recognition; sure it looks good on the resume (or in the obituary) - but to be a truly effective and committed Board member requires participatory involvement and fund-raising is a integral part of that involvement (and recognition).

Part of the governance scenario, as that act relates to fund-raising, for every Board member is 100% participation in the three legs of the stool. Not all participation need be financial, but in-kind support must be carefully structured so potential donors clearly recognize the commitment made by the Board member.

Over the years I have learned from both my involvement with potential donors and Board members that a prospect’s (“suspect”) understanding and appreciation of a solicitor’s (if he/she is a Board member) governance relationship with the non-profit many times is the tipping device that conditions a suspect’s - now a live potential donor - positive response to the ask.

* (You have never heard of “The Half-Asked Society” (THAS) - a very unwelcomed introduction to you. THAS is the demon, the curmudgeon of fund raisers, the jester who warned you not to make the same mistake twice and, THAS, unfortunately, is one commodity that will assist you in applying for Chapter 11. It is the resting home for staff, Board members and volunteers who do only 10% planning and 90% fund-raising, who let panic reign over common sense and organization, and who are consistently late for their prospect appointments.)

Noble Smith is a former Commissioner, President of Noble Smith Associates (Development and Marketing Consultant) and a featured blogger.

By Patricia Kimball

According to Wikipedia (“the free encyclopedia”), sustainability is the capacity to endure. While most commonly associated with environmental concerns, we hear it often in the nonprofit world, as well.

The last question on most grant applications asks the applicant organization to explain how they will sustain their project once the funding for which they are applying ends. Let’s be honest, for many of us, this section of the grant application often receives less than its share of our attention. It is energizing to talk about how we are going to get a project off the ground, how we are going to bring our great initiative into being…but how we are going to create a project that has the capacity to endure? Ouch, that is tricky.
Ultimately, many people answer that question by referring to future fundraising efforts, including ongoing grant writing. We say, in short, that in order to sustain our project after grant funds end, we are going to find more grant funds. But this is a bit like begging the question, isn’t it?

I challenge you to think about sustainability a bit differently.
In the fall of 2008, I was fortunate to work with a group of people to host a conference entitled “The Mystery of Sustainability”. The genesis of this conference was our realization as non-profit leaders that in order to be truly effective in creating solutions to our most pressing problems, we need to think differently – more broadly – about how to sustain the impact of the projects we are launching versus simply sustaining project themselves. Sustainability, we said, is not only about enduring programs, it is about enduring change.

To begin to explore this question – how do we sustain social impact — I offer a few different strategies for you to think about:
1) Social Marketing. The goal of social marketing – in essence – is to change behavior to impact the social good. If you raise awareness among the broader community regarding the issue your project is intended to address and people collectively change their behavior in support of this issue, the social impact of your program has been sustained, regardless of whether your project continues to exist or not.
2) Advocacy. If you are running an after-school program, one way to continue that service indefinitely is to continue to find more grant funds. A non-renewable resource, yes? But, what if you challenge existing local, state or federal systems and ultimately through your advocacy you get money built into local or state budgets for after-school projects? Then, your service is around indefinitely. Not only have you raised capital to continue a service, you have created advocates for your service by raising awareness of its importance. It seems a lofty goal, but take even a small piece of this and ponder the possibilities….
3) Capacity Development. Education is the ultimate sustainability strategy, isn’t it? If you enhance the capacity of individuals or communities to address their challenges through training, support, technical assistance, leadership development, mobilizing….you create communities with the capacity to endure. True sustainability.

These are three examples and certainly there are many more.
Thinking about sustainability as it relates to your specific program gets easier when we step really far back from the program for which we are seeking funding. Really far back. Once you are so far away from your program you can only see it by squinting, ask yourself a few important questions:
What is the potential social impact of your program? What truly needs to be sustained in order for the social impact of your program to endure? What systems, laws, resource allocation, behaviors, individuals need to change? What is the root of the problem you are trying to solve? When will you know you have solved it? What will the world look like when this problem is gone? Who – ultimately – are the best torch bearers for your program?

See what you come up with for answers. Through the process of asking these questions, I think you will find the answer to developing projects that create social impact with the capacity to endure.
In the end, we owe sustaining the impact of our projects as much enthusiasm as we put forth in creating the projects in the first place.

Patricia Kimball is the founder of Ideactive Solutions.

By Elizabeth Cole

My nephew is going through the why phase. You know, the phase where you can’t go more than three minutes without some existential discussion?
“Auntie Liz, Why do ants live in the dirt?”
“Because they like to.”
“Why do they like to?”
“Well… It’s always the same temperature and it’s easy to dig in.”
“Why is it easy to dig?”
“Um… Well, because it’s softer than, say, concrete.”
“Why is it softer?”

For those of you who read this blog regularly, you may remember that I wrote last a piece last month introducing the concept of coaching. So why am I opening this post with an anecdote about domestic bliss, toddler style? Well, as it turns out, my nephew is preparing for a promising future as a volunteer manager.
Supervisors of volunteers who use a coaching model ask open-ended questions, helping their volunteers to discover answers and solutions on their own. As a “coach,” you will typically help your team members to solve problems, make better decisions, learn new skills, or otherwise progress in their role. Not every question should be treated as a coaching opportunity, but with a little coaching, your volunteers’ performance will improve dramatically.

One proven approach to coaching is the GROW model. GROW is an acronym standing for Goal - Current Reality - Options - Will. The model is a simple yet powerful framework for structuring a coaching session.

1. Establish the Goal: First, with your volunteer, you must define and agree the goal or outcome to be achieved. You should help your volunteer define a goal that is specific, measurable and realistic. In doing this, it is useful to ask questions like:
“How will you know that you have achieved that goal?”
“How will you know the problem is solved?”

2. Examine Current Reality: Too often, people try to solve a problem without fully considering their starting point and miss some of the information needed to reach the most effective solution. Useful coaching questions include:
“What is happening now?”
“What is the effect the result of that?”

3. Explore the Options: Help your volunteer generate as many good options as possible. By all means, offer your own suggestions. But let your volunteer start and do most of the talking. Typical questions used to establish the options are:
“What else could you do?”
“What are the benefits and downsides of each option?”

4. Establish the Will: Your final step as coach is to get you volunteer to commit to specific action. In so doing, you will help the volunteer establish his or her will and motivation. Useful questions:
“So what will you do now, and when?”
“What could prevent you moving forward?”
“And how will you overcome it?”

A great way to practice using the model is to address your own challenges and issues. When you are stuck with something, you can use the technique to coach yourself. By practicing, you will learn how to ask the most helpful questions. Write down some stock questions as prompts for future coaching sessions.

Elizabeth Cole is a guest blogger and an AmeriCorps VISTA at the Maine Commission for Community Service.

By Margaret Mayo

1. What motivates me to volunteer? (Why did I join Peace Corps?)
I joined the Peace Corps because I had an inexorable desire to give back. The idea began to form in my mind when I reflected back on my childhood, where so many opportunities had been placed neatly in front of me. This made me realize that I wanted kids in other, less fortunate parts of the world to have some of the same opportunities. I wanted those kids (and the generations before and after them) to benefit directly from the skills I’ve gained throughout my educational career.
Other factors that motivated me to join the Peace Corps included the aspiration to experience new cultures, languages and ways of life, and the desire to break out of the bubble of suburban America. I was tired of living the same old life, even though it was a safe, healthy and productive one. I wanted to get out and experience the world in a manner that would also allow me to give back and do something for a community which I could call my own. Peace Corps seemed like the perfect way to do this, so I signed up and put my whole heart into the application. I was willing to go anywhere in the world and do anything Peace Corps needed me to do: no job would be too distasteful, no needy neighborhood too unimportant.
Now that I’m here, I’ve discovered a whole new set of motivations I didn’t even know I had before arriving in Ghana. I’ve only been teaching for a few weeks, but already I have a new sense of what I want to accomplish: I want to impart in my students a love of science. I’ll try to teach them everything I know about my subject—Integrated Science—and hope it will benefit them in their second, third and fourth years of high school and beyond. I wish to instill in them a thirst for knowledge, a curiosity that is based in science. I want to equip them with the skills to find out what they want to know so they can then go on to contribute to the betterment of their own country and community.
I also want to encourage my students to dream big, especially the girls. Female students in Ghana still don’t receive quite the same encouragement to stay in school and achieve their dreams as male students do, and I want to change that. I want to teach all my students not to be satisfied with just the information that is presented to them, but rather to go out and look for new information. I want them to challenge what they know and what they think they know, to always keep improving upon and striving to increase their store of knowledge. Like I said, I didn’t even know I wanted to do these things before I got here—but now that I do, I’m glad I’ll be spending two years in a place where I can put my best effort into achieving those goals.

2. How does volunteering affect me on a personal level?
One of the most profound effects that Peace Corps volunteer service has had on me is the new perspective I have gained on my own former life in America. Living outside the U.S., even for only seven months, has drastically changed how I view the way I used to live.
I’ve learned so much about African culture—not just Ghanaian culture, but about cultures all across Africa, and this makes me feel like I can see so much more of the “big picture” of life all over the planet. Before I left America, I had never realized that the way of life there could be thought of as a distinct culture. I’d always assumed that since we were known as a melting pot of people and cultures, it would be too difficult to characterize Americans in one specific manner. But now that I’ve been exposed to a totally different way of life, and to a steady source of journalism written by non-Westerners, I am beginning to see America through the eyes of someone else. One of the books I brought with me to Ghana was A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. In this book, the narrator leaves America to become a Canadian citizen and can’t leave behind his disdain for American politics. The first time I read this book I didn’t pick up on much of the criticism toward America, but now that I’ve been living outside the U.S. it makes much more sense. It seems that the simple fact that I’ve relocated has enabled me to get so much more out of that literary experience than I would have if I’d read this book again while in the States.
The other most profound gift that Peace Corps service has given me is a new handle on the concepts of patience and tolerance. Most of my life I’ve never agreed with the saying “patience is a virtue,” but here that statement is beyond true. Patience is by far the most well-worn of the virtues or skills I’ve picked up here in Ghana, and now I’ll expand a bit on what I mean.
When the new school year officially began on September 15th, 2009, only the second- and third-year students had arrived on campus. The first-year students were still awaiting placement by the Ghana Education Service, or GES—they didn’t yet know which senior high school they would be sent to. As I was assigned to teach integrated science to all the first-year students, I couldn’t start; I had to wait. I thought the delay would only last for two or three weeks, and was happy to occupy myself with other things during this time. I had hoped the students would be showing up in the first or second week of October, but when October 1st rolled around and the placement lists still hadn’t been released, I began to get discouraged. Finally they came out on October 7th, and my hope was renewed. At last, I thought, soon the students would be arriving and we could get down to business! There is a lot of material to cover in the first-year science syllabus and, knowing it would be a challenge to get through it all, I was eager to start. But a few days later, the headmaster posted a sign next to the placement list that said “Senior high school (form) one opening date: 26 October 2009.” Once again, I was dismayed. I had to wait two more weeks?? I resolved not to let this get to me. Then, some conversations I’d had with volunteers in their second years came back to me: “The first-year students don’t show up all at once; for a while there’ll only be a few.” So it was likely that I would have to wait still longer before I could start teaching real material. You can’t jump in and start covering the syllabus when there are only five kids in the classroom. So before the official opening day, I wrote three days’ worth of “backup” lesson plans regarding my expectations for the class, good study and homework habits, and HIV/AIDS (a subject all Peace Corps volunteers are required to address many times over). I hoped I wouldn’t get through all the backups before enough students showed up to start real classes, but I was prepared to do so if necessary.
Finally, October 26th arrived and I headed to one of the three first-year classrooms first thing that Monday morning. There were six students. Not just from that one class (the Business students) but from all three classes combined (Agriculture and General Arts as well). This wasn’t unlike what I had expected, so we began my backup lessons. I kept hoping that the next day, or maybe the next, there’d be a significant number of students and we could start for real—every day that passed was one fewer day that I could spend preparing these kids for the end-of-term exam, which was preparation for the standardized exam they would ultimately have to take. High school students in Ghana must pass WASSCE exams (which are administered to the majority of West Africa) in every core subject in order to graduate from high school. So one can see that it is critical to get the ball rolling as early as possible in order to cover the maximum amount of material.
As of November 17th I’d been teaching real, genuine syllabus material to my fifty-plus students for just over two weeks. Classes are going well, but I have to go slowly to make sure the students understand what I’m saying and to patch over the holes in material that they should already be familiar with. We won’t get to nearly everything I had hoped to cover in this term, but we’ll do the best we can before final exams start on December 10th.
In short, it can be frustrating when the end of October rolls around, with barely six weeks remaining in the academic term, and you’ve still only got 13 students (out of 136) in your entire first-year class. But being frustrated doesn’t do any good: you have to make the best of it, and that’s another big lesson I’ve learned here in Ghana. I’ve had to constantly revise my plans and look for new, better ways to do things and to get my to-do list accomplished; as a result, adaptability would be second on my list of most-practiced skills (after patience).
I am, however, glad that I will be able to help these kids build a foundation for a science education in a place where such things aren’t always a guarantee. The results of the WASSCE (West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination) tests from the graduating third-year students at my school this past May were by far the worst in integrated science, chemistry, and math. I have my work cut out for me, but it’s nice to know where I’m starting from and to have a tangible goal: to see those exam scores rise.

3. What impact are volunteers making in Ghana?
Teaching and non-teaching Volunteers alike are making great strides in areas Americans probably take for granted, like education regarding HIV/AIDS, sanitation, and nutrition. Many adults and young people in Ghana have no idea how to properly use condoms because that information is not taught in schools or otherwise made widely available. Condoms here don’t usually come in neat drugstore boxes with printed instructions like they do in the U.S., although they are subsidized by the government and are available for 1 pesewa each (less than one U.S. cent). The lack of existing information means that the frequent condom demonstrations done by all types of PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers) positively affect and educate a lot of people.
Challenges faced by education volunteers include the fact that many Ghanaian teachers in rural or deprived areas of the country show up for class late, don’t show up at all, or treat their students with disrespect. PCVs set a good example for both students and teachers by being in class at the proper time and trying hard to treat students fairly. One could say that PCVs tend to set an example by bringing their American work ethic to the table.
I personally look at my school here in Ghana and, though I try not to, cannot help but compare it to the schools I attended in the U.S. It’s hard not to point out shortcomings every time they arise, but I am constantly hit with new ideas for something that can be improved. Already my list includes painting over the graffiti adorning many classroom walls; having the school provide desks instead of forcing students to bring their own; making sure that all students, even the ones who can’t pay fees in full, receive textbooks; establishing a computer lab that won’t be ruined by the dusty dry season; making the cluttered, outdated chemistry lab into a usable and effective learning space; organizing and shelving books that have been sitting in boxes in the library for years; and painting the chalkboards with a long-lasting, nontoxic coating (as opposed to used battery acid, which is utilized currently).
Volunteers in the Omnibus sector (health/water/sanitation, environment and small enterprise development) are making great strides in educating rural citizens about proper sanitation and the need for hand washing, disease prevention and other important health guidelines. There is no infrastructure in place to take care of sewage disposal in the vast majority of Ghana; the exceptions are a few small areas within the larger cities. There is currently no way to provide running water to most homes in rural Ghana, either. Townspeople must do the best they can with KVIP (Kumasi ventilated improved pit) latrines and soak-away pits, but even this most basic level of sanitary facilities is often absent in deprived areas. Some rural citizens are still not aware of the mechanisms by which disease spreads, and flies and other insects are not often kept under control. In fact, many of my first-year senior high science students were unfamiliar with the basic concepts of bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Margaret Mayo is a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in Ghana and a guest blogger.