We're working on personal empowerment. That's me standing in the background.
Hello, fellow direct care workers.
Helping to plan the DCA’s Voices Institute National Leadership Training this year is making me think about last year’s training. I want to tell you what that was like, in case you’re thinking of joining us this year.
Last year’s training was at the Dekoven Center in Racine, Wisconsin – the same place where it will be this year. The Dekoven Center is on a 20-acre, wooded campus on the shore of Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Chicago. It’s a beautiful place, but there wasn’t much time to enjoy the scenery. A few of us took walks every morning at 6, and we had a few classes outside, but that was about it.
They said it would be a retreat. When I think of a retreat, I think of relaxation and kicking back. Boy, was I wrong about this one! We started classes every day at 9 and finished at 5 or later. Some nights, we didn’t get done till 7. It was really worthwhile – it’s a good training – but it was intense. You’re there to learn.
We even had optional classes at 8 p.m. on two of the nights. Those classes were fun, though. We did sing-alongs, read poetry, danced, and told jokes. We also had body relaxation and bio feedback. And we celebrated after graduation on our last night together.
My buddy, Lorenzo, sharing my vision for the future with the rest of the group.
When we first got there, each of us was assigned a buddy and coach. My buddy was Lorenzo Raffa from Maine, and my coach was Bob Hudek from Wisconsin.
We did a lot of one-on-ones with our buddies on different exercises. One of them, called “growing edges,” was about personal empowerment. As music played in the background, we were asked to think about what parts of our lives we wanted to grow and change, sharing our answers with our buddies. We also explored our core beliefs, starting with our childhood. We each thought about one belief we had that might be holding us back and what we can do to turn it around.
There were other personal growth exercises, like thinking about a time when we felt powerful and a time when we felt powerless. In an exercise involving positive affirmation and visualization, I came up with the idea for a National Leadership Council for the Direct Care Alliance.
We had to talk about the most courageous act of our life and the success you have done that you are most proud of. I told them my most courageous act was joining the Iowa Caregivers Association, because it brought back my passion for direct care work.
CNA Anderson Waldon and DCA Executive Director Leonila Vega grab a moment outside.
I was getting burned out, and if I hadn’t joined the ICA I think I would have left the direct care field. Instead, ICA taught me how to talk to other CNAs about what going on in the health care field.
We also explored issues together in small groups. Each person had five minutes to speak about a challenging situation they experienced at work and then we all discussed it.
One session was about fundraising, but I don’t remember much about that one, since I don’t have to do any fundraising for the ICA. There was also some advocacy training. We learned about public speaking and practice by giving speeches about the Supreme Court’s Evelyn Coke decision. We learned that there are different ways of giving speeches. Some can do it well from their paper and some just need cue cards to let them know what they are talking about. I found out that I can’t read from a paper. I do better with cue cards or no notes at all.
The night before, when we were writing theses speeches, the stress level was high. Hardly any of us knew how to write a speech, and we were all nervous about speaking in public.
I hated giving a speech, but I enjoyed being the MC at our graduation.
They split us up into groups of four so we wouldn’t have to speak in front of the whole group. Each of us had a coach to work with on our speeches, and then we gave the speech to the other people in our group.
But since then, I’ve had to speak on a panel and it went all right. I’m sure it’ll get better as I do more.
Vicki Erickson, Certified Nursing Assistant
Direct Care Worker Specialist
Direct Care Alliance
Vicki it does get easier the more you speak in front of people. It is also easier when you speak from your heart are passionate about the subject. I know after the VI I now look for opportunities to speak about the issues we face as direct care workers. This would have never been the case without my attendance at VI. So keep it up and before you know it you’ll be looking for opportunities to tell your story for the cause.