Latest Outreach Session - Update

[Bill Clemmons]

This past Saturday was our third Outreach session w/ the Wounded Warriors Project (WWP). The good news is that every participant we've had so far has thoroughly enjoyed the experience and really appreciated it. The not so exciting news is that the participation this time was less than overwhelming.

At our last session (January) only 4 of the 6 Warriors who signed up actually showed up. Another active duty Soldier was there and wanted to participate, so we gladly invited him to join us, for a total of 5 participants. W/ the "no shows" in mind, we asked Carol (the WWP coordinator) to sign up 8 for this session, anticipating we would get at least 5 or 6 actual participants. Well, of the 6 who signed up, none made it. But we did have 2 active duty people who wanted to learn, and we were happy to work w/ them. But still, only two participants for all the time, money, and effort we're putting into this program is somewhat disappointing. Not to make excuses for the no-shows, but in fairness it was a cold, rainy, miserable day. And many of the Warriors we have worked w/ suffer from PTSD, and do not handle stressful situations well. Also, one of the Warriors had the flu, which eliminated him and his caregiver from the program.

So where do we go from here? Phil and I discussed this situation w/ both the WWP Coordinator (Carol) and the Pope AAF woodshop manager, and we believe the next time we go to Ft. Bragg/Pope (July at the earliest) the attendance will be better. We will still focus on Wounded Warriors, but include some who may not have been included in the past. We will also include active duty personnel as "alternates" in case there are last minute cancellations.

But I also believe we should start pursuing other deserving groups for the Outreach Program. While we will continue to work w/ the WWP as much as possible, we should also be available to other organizations. From my perspective, the Outreach Program is two fold: introduce non-woodworkers to woodworking, and show the rest of the woodworking community what NCWW is all about.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to keep everyone informed. And now a word about our next, special, session for March. Or maybe it would be better if I start a new thread for that. :gar-Bi Stay tuned.

Bill

 

[ehpoole]

If I may add a few words that may help with understanding the no shows.

As someone who struggles with disability and a body that most certainly betrays me, I can attest that it is exceptionally difficult to commit to anything in advance with certainty. In fact, the act of having to schedule something, versus simply showing up if I'm feeling up to it, actually adds to my stress level rather than relieving it. Although the nature of my disability is likely quite different from our Wounded Warriors (and God bless them) I would not be surprised if they struggle similarly.

It may be helpful to implement a few changes to the program to see if this helps with future events.

1) In addition to the existing signup, have the coordinator schedule additional Standby attendees who can be contacted on short notice if there will be no shows. I would aim for one Standby for each Regular Attendee. Ideally the Standby's should be able to commit several hours ahead of time if notified of an opening.

2) Contact each scheduled attendee the day before and remind them of the time and place of the event -- it can be very easy to forget if one has short term memory deficits or has no perspective of time. If they express some uncertainty as to their ability to maintain their place in the program, check in with them several hours before the program is to start. If they then say they can not make it simply thank them for doing their best to join us, tell them you hope they'll be feeling better tomorrow, thank them for their service, then call one of the Standby's and let them know that their will be room for them and ask them to commit.

3) If there is some flexibility in the number of Attendees we can handle, then it may also be worthwhile to still try and encourage the originally scheduled attendee to try and make it even if they can not commit.... but make the offer after you ask them to confirm so that you can more accurately gauge whether to call upon a Standby. Sometimes taking the "pressure" off of having to commit to being somewhere at a specific time helps to relieve some of the stress associated with committing to a scheduled event where you feel like you *have* to be somewhere at a specific time and date regardless of how you feel.

There may be more lessons to be learned here, but these are all that come to mind right now.