Kevin Palmer's Field Reports

Project HQ biz

Kevin Palmer — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:30:41 -0600

Thought I'd fire off a quick Project HQ report from the 'field' of UMass Boston. Right now I'm gearing up to start the NTEN Webinar series for non-profit tech training in about an hour. It's running for several weeks so I'll have some more in-depth information coming next time.

Project-wise, we've been focusing on a lot of intern and service-learning recruitment to aid the Project continue to build its capacity. Thankfully without another Pre-Service Orientation (PSO) running until next summer, there is ample time to get the Project's ducks in a row to do some great things. For VISTAs looking for interns or volunteers to work on more 'capacity building' projects, I definitely suggest investigating local colleges and universities to see if any offer Service-Learning programs. Service-Learning is basically a way for students to utilize course work in real world situations. Students apply what they're learning in class to improve a specific aspect of an organization or program. From what I've come across, this includes everything from marketing to volunteer recruitment programs to Board of Directors development to systems development.

I've also been getting out of the office a little more these days thanks to you CTC VISTAs and the video doc project. I've been traveling around, doing site visits and interviewing CTC VISTAs about their work on-camera. The project is chugging along and will hopefully continue as an indefinite part of Project communications and marketing. Details can be found at www.ctcvista.org/node/1008. There's a very brief promo up on the ctcvista homepage now too.

Lastly, a big thanks to everyone keeping up on field reports and staying in contact with the Project. Seeing the sheer variety of VISTA projects and the hard work you're putting into them is easily the best part of being a VISTA Leader.

Project HQ coming at you

Kevin Palmer — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 11:50:14 -0600

Earlier this month the CTC VISTA Project swore in 4 new VISTAs: Stewart Blair (Appalshop - Whitesburg, KY), Wes Kaplan (Hyde Square Task Force - Boston, MA), Gabriel Fishman (Castle Square Tenants Organization - Boston, MA) and Anna Simanovich (HandyCapable Network - Greensboro, NC). Ben and I trekked down to Providence to welcome them. Unfortunately the new VISTAs did not have the luxury of staying at the UMass Lowell dorms like our June crew but instead roughed it in the "grand historic" Biltmore hotel. They were real troopers.

We had our monthly Mass area meet-up last week. We had a decent turn out, appointed Gabe Fishman our official secretary, and presented a good-bye cake to our departing VISTA Leader Danielle Martin. Don't feel too sad, she's going to MIT and will eventually make the VISTA salary to a power of ten.

I traveled over to BNN last Friday to see the last day of Julie Bohnlein's and AJ McGuire's summer youth media program Teen TV. It was great! I got to hang out with a lot of the students I met working in Boston Public Schools last year as well as some hold over kids from last year's Teen TV I ran. AJ should be uploading a bunch of the Teen TV segments and shows online soon so keep checking his blog for links.

CTC VISTA Project-wise, I've been working on developing the CTC VISTA Project's Advisory Board. Basically we're looking to give it some more depth and utility. FYI: Advisory Boards are not run like a Board of Directors. Advisory Boards have no governance ability, provide no oversight, generally give advice or guidance when asked, and are possibly run by wizards.

The CTC VISTA media/marketing project (www.ctcvista.org/node/1008) is officially under way. We taped the Project's Primary Investigator (PI) Reebee Garofalo about the Project's history and how it started. It was interesting to see how and why things began and where they've ended up. Next stop on the CTC VISTA media blitz is Orange, MA this Wednesday. I'm heading over to visit Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES), where Pat Conrad-Wexler and Rayna Ramirez are stationed. Looking forward to the site visit and getting some good footage.

Onward!

From the HQ Bunker (Over 1000 nodes)

Kevin Palmer — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:09:10 -0600

The CTC VISTA site has hit over 1000 nodes! Momentous!

Here at Project HQ we're still working out some strategic planning, which will probably be a continuous process throughout the summer. Currently I'm working on a lot of new exciting projects and some other somewhat tedious ones.

The tedious business: documenting everything the CTC VISTA Project does from top to bottom, inside and out. The end result is going to be a Project Manual/Handbook that HQ can use and an edited version for distribution to current and all incoming VISTAs in the future.

The flip side to this text documentation is the fun part: an idea we're working on to create a kind of video manual of VISTA experience. In other words the Project will shoot interviews with VISTAs, profile host organizations, shoot some B-Roll and then send footage back to Project HQ to be edited. After it's all edited comes distribution, meaning a DVD marketing/outreach piece, a video for VISTA training/resources, dropping clips online, and other general outreach and training components. Check out The Plan: http://ctcvista.org/node/1008

Also to see what we're working on at HQ, check the 'Project HQ Initiatives' section on the wiki (http://ctcvista.org/node/1007). More will be added soon!

What else am I working on?
- VISTA Recruitment Plan
- Revised Host Organization Orientation plan
- Working with Danielle, UMass Boston's College of Public and Community Service to try and recruit some student interns.
- Making the work plans 'living' (i.e. easily altered online)
- Getting a Project HQ dog or maybe a wii

What ideas do you all have for making the Project serve you better?

Live from Project HQ

Kevin Palmer — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:00:43 -0600

The PSO is finished. Deep Breath. Exhale.

On to the exciting portion of the VISTA year! Many from June's PSO started at their organizations Monday and some will begin shortly. Already heard good things coming from Rayna at YES in MA, Kelli at The United Way in NC, and Rian at the Davis Community Network in CA. Sounds like people have really hit the ground running.

Here at HQ, we're catching up on filing and sorting all the PSO paperwork, updating some Website odds and ends, following up with everyone, and still recovering from the PSO.

Things to look for: The CTC*VISTA Wiki has a front page that now links to the new Working Groups categories. Check it out at: http://ctcvista.org/wiki . I'm heading up the Volunteer Management working group and also the Business/Marketing working group. I've been adding/re-organizing the Volunteer Management section the last 2 days. Check it here: http://ctcvista.org/node/609

I'll be checking in mid-week next week with all the East Coast VISTA's to see how things are going after the first week and a half. Talk to you folks soon!

Organize and Execute

Kevin Palmer — Thu, 10 May 2007 18:08:53 -0600

Current Projects:

Project: Develop Strategic Plan for HOME, Inc.

Drivers: AJ McGuire, Alan Michel

Result: A strategic foundation that includes well-defined programming, meta-structuring of how all HOME, Inc. related programs converge, detailing of company roles, an updated organizational mission, etc.

Date of Completion: May 2007

Project: Develop HOME, Inc. Organizational Handbook

Drivers: AJ McGuire, Alan Michel

Result: A series of documents that describe in detail What, Who and When of everything HOME, Inc. does.A matrix of what items need to be accomplished throughout the year, who needs to accomplish each of those items and when each of those items needs to be completed.

Date of Completion: June 2007

Project: Communications Hub for Pilot High School Design Team

Drivers: School Design Team Leaders, Committee Members

Result: Site that allows easy communications between Design Team members while also allowing transparency in Design Team decisions

Date of Completion: August 2007

Project: Develop HOME, Inc. Web Portal

Drivers: AJ McGuire

Result: Website that leverages Web 2.0 capabilities for use with school programs, internal communications and teacher training

Date of Completion: May 2007

Project: Build High School Radio Station

Drivers: Students, School Media Teacher

Result: Low Frequency High School radio station that transmits in a several mile radius across Jamaica Plain/Roxbury/Hyde Park. Student run, produced and broadcast.

Date of Completion: June 2007/Fall 2007

Project: Build High School Web Portal

Drivers: School Teachers, Admins, Students

Result: High School web site that leverages Web 2.0 capabilities to allow students to keep a goals journal, maintain a school media repository and enable greater communications between students, staff and parents

Date of Completion: June 2007

Continuous Programs:

Program: Mosaic In-School and Afterschool Program (Media Production)

Drivers: AJ McGuire

Result: End of the year presentation of all student produced work from December 2006-May 2007 at Social Justice Academy.

Date of Completion: End of Service

Program: ETV In-School and Afterschool Program (Media Production)

Drivers: School media teacher

Result: A closed-circuit television program that is written, directed and produced by High School students, airing once every week and a half at English High School.

Date of Completion: On-Going