Lessons Learned: Energy is Contagious

Our energy affects the group - if we role model high energy, the group will follow. I am sure many of us as students have experienced that class/workshop that we just couldn't stay awake through. Maybe you had a professor with the voice of Ben Stein or the material covered in class was so boring that everyone around you seemed tired. Regardless of the reasoning, I have an insight for you!

Energy is contagious!

As a student, try livening up a class discussion with something controversial and see how people's reactions change. As a professor/facilitator/trainer, demonstrate positive body language and bring your voice up a notch or two. The changes can be almost instantaneous. I know in RAPP, when our group appears to be running out of gas, I am no stranger to dancing across the room, singing, or setting up a photo booth for silly poses. 

If you "go there" with your energy, your group's will likely follow!

Lessons Learned is a RAPP Blog initiative intended for folks who hold formal leadership positions in RAPP programs to share what they're learning through their process

Lessions Learned: Frustating Foods

Food has been my best friend for many and plenty of years as seen by my increasing waist size. I have the privilege of eating whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want due to the fact that I don't have any dietary constraints that require me to take special precautions when eating nor any other health problems (that I know of) that stop me from eating this way. I'm allowed to be extremely picky whenever for absolutely no reason, which brings me to my biggest point:

Ordering food is hard!

First hand experience has allowed me to see what happens when you order food for masses without taking into count dietary concerns or allergies. This evidenced by seeing someone have an allergic reaction to nuts in the room at the MLK event and PAC preparing 3/4 of the main items for Tim Wise with meat, although he's vegetarian.  And I can easily place blame and say, well why don't you just ask folks? It's easy to know what to prepare for! And that's the easy part... Asking. Following through takes massive amounts of planning, prepping and effort in execution.

Never will I be this excited to pick foods.

Honestly, of all the tasks I've completed in my two years of facilitation, ordering food has been the most frustrating and hardest to manage. Maybe I'm just whining or complaining about something simple. But no, I'm not. And I know why it's hard. Whoever said inclusion was easy? No one in social justice has, that's for sure. So as I head into future work of coordinating and organizing, I have to remember, to cover bases, and don't exclude people just because their needs are different than my own.

Lessons Learned is a RAPP Blog initiative intended for folks who hold formal leadership positions in RAPP programs to share what they're learning through their process