Catherine in the Corps: October 2011

We are now nearing the end of Corps Training Institute (CTI) and just days away from Induction and deployment for our first project. The past few weeks I have had the great pleasure of getting to know my team, the next generation of Green 2. It has been an unbelievably busy few weeks, stressful and full of a never ending to do list, but I am very happy with the team I have and think we have a wonderful year ahead of us.

On October 13^th we had our Team Reveal night. The Corps Members had been in Sacramento for a week at this point. For the first week we were in temporary teams called Pods. My Pod was great and made a pretty easy practice round for me. Then with the start of team time, the real work began. This year the Green Unit had adopted a bit of a teenage mutant ninja turtles theme. Our Unit cheer is based off of the show’s theme song and inspired by this cheer we decided to make our Team Reveal have a ninja theme as well.

Once the Corps Members were split into units, each person in our unit received an envelope that contained a colored face mask and clue to begin a scavenger hunt to find the Team Leader. My Team had yellow face masks and so at each clue location throughout their hunt they would find a sketch of a ninja turtle wearing a yellow face mask. The hunt ended in our big multipurpose room on campus where a dinner table was set up for each team with place tags and decorations.

Green Unit Ninjas (Minus Pam and Katie) and our Unit Leader, Jeanine

Then once every team had arrived the Team Leaders ran in together dressed in all black and wearing our color facemask. We then did the cheer: “NCCC gives us the power, safety shields us every hour, Jeanine ensures we never cower, Service in an “A” shirt, Green Power!” Then we joined our teams, had introductions, and ate a pizza dinner.

Since that night we have spent time in teams and trainings, getting to better know the program and each other. The most notable training for the team include our first day together for a workshop called “Hands of Peace” and our day of training on Diversity in Service. Hands of Peace was a particularly big day for me because it is a workshop facilitated entirely by Team Leaders. I was paired up with Ben, the Team Leader of Blue 6, and our day was definitely a success. The workshop is dedicated to working on communication techniques, particularly as they pertain to team life. This also includes techniques for conflict resolution. In the process the team has an opportunity to share and learn about themselves and each other. And most of all, it is Fun! The day is broken up by "light and lively" games to keep everyone energized and upbeat.

Green 2 and Blue 6 completing a Human Knot at Hands of Peace

As I mentioned, diversity in service was another important training for our team. This training presented an even greater opportunity to share about life and backgrounds and some really amazing things were discussed in my team. This was harder for some and easy for others, but it certainly brought the team closer together and brought about a better understanding of each individual on the team.

On Saturday, October 22nd, we had our first service day together. It was for a Corps Wide service day in Sacramento called Make a Difference Day. The day focuses specifically on work with community gardens in the Sacramento area. My team had certainly one of the more challenging day long projects and worked wonderfully together, pushing themselves particularly hard at the end of the day. We worked with Elderberry Farms Native Plant Nursery. The Nursery is currently expanding their facilities and needed our help to prepare the ground where the extension was going. The team cleared and leveled 960 square feet of land adjacent to the current nursery. Within this space, Corps Members dug 100 feet of trench line and assisted with the assembly of 100 feet of irrigation line then placed in the trench line. Once this was complete, the team lay weed cloth over the area and covered the cloth with a three- inch-deep layer of gravel. Green 2 was also able to dig out three post holes, each two feet deep, and cement eight foot post into place. Together the team completed 99 hours of service for the Elderberry Native Plant Nursery. It was hot and the work was hard, but the team really pulled it off wonderfully, working hard right up until the last second.

Once we got back from work that evening, the team had a chance to shower and relax a bit before a team meeting. I started the meeting as I would any other meeting. We discussed schedule and paperwork and then decided on meals for the week. Then it was time for me to reveal to the team what our first project would be! For Round 1 (Starting November 3rd) we will be working with an organization called Sierra Nevada Journeys. The organization does Outdoor education for kids. We will be working at their Grizzly Creek Ranch in Portola, CA doing fuel reduction, camp improvement projects, and assisting with camp programs when they occur. If you remember from posts during my Corps Member year, this is the same camp that I went to for the Summer of Service overnight. I loved the camp then and am quite sure I will love it again!

To reveal this to the team, they had to take pictures including every team member doing the following...

Human Pyramid

Form a Heart

Be a Wacky Family on Vacation

Show Me Your Best Dance Moves

As they finished each picture, they could remove the panel for that picture and reveal part of the poster pictured below. Each panel also included key words about the project on the back. When these were put in order they told the team what the project was.

After the team had cracked the code, I told them a little more about the project and showed them a video on the sponsor website from the president of the organization talking about inspirations and necessity for the work that Sierra Nevada Journeys does. Some team members were a little worried about the snow inevitable in the mountains, but everyone is really excited for the project and can't wait to get out and start working.

Green 2 with no feet on the ground in front of the California State Capitol Building during Community Mapping

Just before our last weekend of TLT, less than a week before Corps Members would arrive, the Team Leaders headed out for a Mini-Spike at St. Dorothy's Rest in the Redwood Forest. This was a fairly last minute schedule change, but a hugely successful one. The week before was intended to be the annual mini-spike trip to Camp Mendocino. Unfortunately Camp Mendocino was shut down until further notice because of a man hunt occurring in the Mendocino forest for a fugitive killer. Oh my! So in the last moment, we shifted our destination to another NCCC project sponsor, St. Dorothy's. I love Mendocino and will be happy to go there later with the Corps Members, but I am so happy to have experienced St. Dot's.

St. Dorothy's, established in 1901, is the oldest Camp in the state of California. It was founded as a retreat for sick children who did not typically have access to the camp atmosphere and needed a place for retreat and "rest." Today the camp serves as an Episcopal summer camp and also offers free camp programs for critically ill children from Bay Area hospitals. The camp is currently in the process of acquiring a significant addition of land adjacent to their current property. For this reason, the timing of our mini-spike was perfect for them. Our work was to clear access roads and remove dangerous fuels building a defensible space around the camp to protect from forest fires. The access roads were the primary concern to get vehicles in to survey the new land and gain and understanding of what the land consists of before the purchase is finalized.

The sponsors, Katie and Ben Evenbeck, were amazing and welcoming to our group. They taught us about the camp, the area, the importance of fuel reduction, and particularly applicable to the life of a TL, the importance of Self Care. Katie lead a workshop for us our second and final night there all about Self Care and the reality that leadership is lonely.

The two and a half day trip was brief but the impact will not be so brief. We came closer together as a group of Team Leaders, got some experience with hands on project work and chain saw skills, and learned about another wonderful NCCC project sponsor. Thank you to St. Dorothy's and Katie and Ben Evenbeck for a fantastic getaway retreat!

The Chapel at St. Dorothy's

Pam and Katie in the Main House Lodge (where there was constant access to coffee and an abundant tea collection at all times) just after our arrival at Camp