The Same Page: Getting the Organization Working Together

Looking Back on the CS First Rollout

CS First has now been running at Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland for 4 weeks. In that time, we've seen some major successes in the program and some notable hurdles. Apart from technical issues and difficulties with having a large number of volunteers in place for a new program with short notice, we've had some challenges with implementing the program according to our vision. A lot of this comes down to sharing our vision accurately and effectively with the Unit Directors and Program Directors of the various Clubhouses: something it has become clear we could have done better.

 

"I Thought You'd Have a PowerPoint."

 

A few days after coming on board at BGCP, my co-VISTA and I made a brief presentation at one of the Unit Director meetings. We introduced ourselves and gave a one-minute spiel about CS First and our purpose at the organization. After the meeting, one of the Directors and a friend of mine told me something that's stuck in my mind ever since: "I thought you'd have a PowerPoint." The purpose of our presentation was just a brief introduction, but I think that comment hints at one of the big gaps of our project rollout: we never gave a purposeful, planned project overview to all of the Directors at once.

 

The In-House Interview

 

In the first weeks of our planning for summer CS First, we adopted a very fluid model for introducing the program to the Clubhouses. We scheduled a meeting with each Club's directors and drove out in person to discuss the program and how we could fit it into their existing summer plans. We came in to the organization late in the game, and the summer schedule was already mostly set, so we needed to tailor our approach to each individual Club's needs to a greater extent than most programs. This approach had some significant advantages:

• We met Directors on their terms. We showed the Directors that their concerns were important and that we were willing to work with their needs right from the get-go. We also demonstrated our willingness to go the (literal) extra mile to make sure each club got the attention it needed

• We saw the Clubhouses in person. We were able to personally visit each of the sites and figure out specific technological challenges to overcome, and plan how the program would look in each location.

• We had a personalized experience. We took time to discuss with each of the Directors their needs and concerns individually, and give them the information and reassurance they needed, as well as learn about the specific needs of each Clubhouse.

This approach had some limitations, though. For one thing, it took two weeks to schedule and travel to each location. Having a personalized experience was a double-edged sword, too: though we gave each Director personal attention, our presentation and our expectations were not unified and consistent. It didn't help that we were just starting, either: we were new enough that articulating our specific expectations was difficult, and we didn't have all the pieces of information we would need from our sponsoring organizations to give the complete picture.

 

Outcomes

 

Some of the outcomes of our approach to rolling out the program through in-house interviews have been awesome. We've been able to tailor the scheduling and themes of CS First to each Clubhouse, rather than subjecting them to a one-size-fits-all approach. Our personalized attention has increased the enthusiasm and buy-in at each of the Clubhouses, and the staff there are, for the most part, excited about CS First. We've identified some shortcomings to our current implementation, though:

• Lack of Registration. In most of our Clubhouses, the program was not promoted well beforehand, and kids were not registered for the program ahead of time. This has resulted in a fluctuating roster of kids, and in some cases only a small core of members completing the entire module.

•  Missing Pieces. Some of this comes down to us not having all the information ahead of time, but some parts of the program are not being implemented in all cases. None of the Clubhouses have updated their demographic survey sheets for any modules so far, and it remains to be seen if the pre- and post-assessments are being run at any locations where my co-VISTA and myself have not been present. Group e-mail has not proven to be a successful way of communicating to the Directors, and a presence at UD meetings would be a significant help in this regard.

• Communication Disconnect. Communication is understood to be a major stumbling block within the BGCP organizationally, and our current model is contributing to that. In speaking to the Unit Directors individually and not to the whole group, we gave up our presence at the discussions they have with each other regarding the program. We are missing a big piece of the puzzle in their understanding and what information regarding the program, if any, they share with each other. There may be practices or understandings forming within the group that are harmful to the program's intended implementation, and we have no way of addressing the community of directors about them, or indeed knowing if they are there at all.

• Lack of Group Accountability. This ties into the previous one. As the group was never formally addressed regarding our expectations for the CS First program, there is no accountability or forum for addressing the shortcomings of the implementation, Club-side. As e-mail fails to create the changes we need, we have no way of making the group accountable to each other and making our requirements real to the UD community.

 

 Next Steps

 

As we move forward into planning for the school year, I think it's important that we create a presence for ourselves at UD meetings. We need to be able to speak to the group regarding the needs of the program and the changes that are necessary in a way that is not a unilateral, easily-ignored e-mail or individual follow-up. Creating a space where Directors and we, the VISTAs, can speak to each other and agree to make changes is vital to the program's improvement.

The organization currently holds that VISTAs should not regularly attend Unit Director meetings, and this is unavoidable due to some internal necessities. However, we need to be able to address that forum in some capacity. I plan to speak to my supervisor and our VP of Programs about our need to have a presence there, and hopefully arrange for time to address the group as necessary.

What methods have you found useful in getting directors or managers from different areas on the same page for a program? Let me know in the comments!

First Experience with CS First in Club Setting

A First Look

So, yesterday was the first time I had an opportunity to see CS First being run in the Club environment. It was the second day of the Inukai Club's first module. I had recently been contacted by the Program Director at the Inukai Club, asking if we could use CS First as part of their Game Makers summer camp for teens. As this was a natural fit for our program, I agreed, and took steps to ensure that we got supplies as quickly as possible to facilitate the program. This was exciting, as evidence that even before the summer program schedule has gotten underway, Staff members are beginning to see CS First as a really valuable tool. We decided to run the camp with a similar structure to others we've planned, with 2 "days" of the camp per day for a week.

We were scrambling to deliver the program, because a shipment of Chromebooks from Boys & Girls Clubs of America had arrived Monday after the first day of the program had already happened, and Inukai's technical capabilities were very poor. Additionally, we had not yet received the headphones we requested from CS First, due to a change in schedule, and the computers there were not equipped to provide sound. With that in mind, the first day of CS First (before my observation) was not a success. One child had completed most of the tasks available, including the extension activities, but the rest had not completed much at all. Much of that was due to technical issues, but some was due to the method of delivery. I'll reflect more on that in a moment.

The Positive

 

The kids were engaged, and were having fun. The passport system worked well, and the kids used it as a reference for their login information as intended. They were excited to show each other their work, and frequently wanted to continue with what they were doing rather than move on to the next step in the program. The Staff member in charge had not known about the pre-evaluation for the program, so we administered it and the kids did not seem to mind at all.

The shout-out system was not in place ahead of time, and we set it up during the program. The kids were hesitant about it at first but seemed to warm to the idea by the end of the day.

Areas to Improve

 

Our tech was just not in place ahead of time, and it really bogged the program down. We essentially lost an entire day of program and had to start over to get everyone up to speed, which was a waste of the first day and boring for the child who had already completed the tasks.

The "summer camp" structure that Inukai was using called for the kids to have a bit of free time on the computers before beginning CS First, and that seemed to be a big mistake. At that point, expectations were lax, and it was an uphill battle to move kids' attention away from YouTube and Tangerine Tycoon, and on to CS First.

The Staff member in charge (it was his last day) was not entirely invested in following the plan in the handbook, and the kids were essentially running through the program at their own speed. This meant that often they would skip the videos or close them halfway through, then be confused about what to do after the fact.

A lack of headphones was a big detriment to the program's smooth operation. Kids would make sounds to annoy/impress the rest of the group, and many were constantly distracted by the sounds others were making.

The unique structure of our schedule produced an unexpected problem. Kids logged in to CS First during the time allocated to Activity 1, and were put on Activity 2. I suspect that since both activities were scheduled for the same day, this moved the kids to the latter of the two. If this is the case, we are going to see this problem for every Club that runs more than one CS First "day" on the same day. Once the kids navigated to the correct activity, it may not have recorded their behavior correctly as many of the participants were shown on the Dashboard to have not watched any videos.

In an environment where multiple CS First activities are delivered consecutively, some of the time allotments in the timer/schedule are unnecessary. The time to wrap up headphones and turn off computers before another activity as well as the time to get on the computers and navigate to CS First were skippable, but we opted to use them as a break time for kids to stand up and move around.

The Takeaway (Or, What to Do Next Time)

• Make sure all tech is in place before the club starts. Headphones especially are essential.
• Likewise, make sure the Guru(s) review the material beforehand. If they understand the structure of the day and know what each segment means, they will be more committed to delivering the program as intended.
• Start with CS First, as soon as you enter the room. If you have kids transitioning to CS First from a less structured activity, there will be a lot of resistance that's hard to overcome.
• Set clear expectations. Kids should only have two windows open at any given time: CS First, and Scratch. YouTube and other distractions should be watched for as Gurus move around the room.
• Respect the timer. Having kids stay on one activity at a time, and move on at an orderly pace, means kids (hopefully) won't feel the need to skip the videos to get to the next part.
• If the program is running multiple "days" consecutively, make sure kids know how to get to/are on the correct one.
• With older kids at least, and with a small sample size, the opening assessment does not seem to be a big obstacle. They don't seem to need the fun activities between questions.

Overall, I think yesterday was a qualified success and I'm very excited to see how CS First will work once we get the ball rolling in earnest!

Have any other observations or suggestions about how to better the in-Club experience? Let me know in the comments!