Angel Saylor (R) with home care aide Kelvin Jefferson at a DCA focus group
The Direct Care Alliance’s signature program, the Voices Institute, is about to hold its second National Leadership Program. The week-long retreat is an intensive learning journey, and this year’s class is another remarkable group, which will surely join the pioneers from the VI inaugural class to leave its mark on the direct care worker movement. We are returning to the DeKoven Center, where the roots that were planted at the first Voices Institute National Leadership Program will again thrive.
This year, we are welcoming men and women who care for people of all ages in a variety of settings, including nursing homes, hospice, group homes, day programs, assisted living, and home- and community-based programs. Consistent with the DCA’s objectives to build a broadly inclusive movement of empowered direct care workers, the class of 2009 represents a wide spectrum of direct care workers.
For example, Donald Krutsinger is a Minnesotan working with people with developmental and physical disabilities in group homes. Donald has an impressive history as an advocate as well, starting with work he did while living in Kansas. After moving to Minnesota, he took classes on how to advocate within the governmental and agency systems. His main interest is advocating for more funding and supports for people with disabilities and the programs and direct support professionals that support them.
VI participants will sharpen their skills with a challenging program designed to learn leadership skills as well as coalition building and much more to make sure that they can effectively lead a movement to create a long term care system that creates good jobs and quality supports. This program is not for the faint of heart, but the faint of heart are not to be found in this class.
Bridget (L) and Renee Tillman at the 2008 Voices Institute NLP
Take Angel Michelle Saylor from Virginia. Angel is a career certified nursing assistant who works in a nursing home. She is also active in The Community Partnership for Improved Long Term Care, participated in the Better Jobs/Better Care initiative, and works to improve recruitment and retention of direct care workers by improving the workplace environment. When her employer collaborated with the Partnership on a number of projects to inform and empower direct care staff, residents, and family members, Angel played a key role. She is interested in being a role model and leads by example.
Class members hail from twelve states, including Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. They’re all affiliated with state associations that are building local constituency bases and advocating for policy changes, better education, and more to better support direct care workers and expand the opportunities available to them.
When they leave the DeKoven Center on October 3, the skills they’ve developed and the colleagues they’ve made will help them branch out even further from the roots they’ve grown at home.
Bridget Siljander
Voices Institute Coordinator
Direct Care Alliance
I can’t wait to see what this new class will accomplish. I look forward to reading all about their success in the future.
Here it is, October 3rd already, and the 2009 VI Class is on its way home and on its way to shaping the direct care world to make it better. I can’t wait to talk to the folks from Maine, to learn about their experiences at Voices. Congratulations to the 2009 Voices Institute Class!
This was a remarkable class of people, and Tracy I can’t wait to meet you and start with WIDCA! Leonila, Bridget , Roy , David and BOB..are wonderful inspirations to become the best we can be!
I don’t quite know where to post this so I will just post it here under the Wisconsin heading.
Hi my name is Christine Holmes, I have been a direct care worker for 20+ years, and I am also one of the recent graduates of the 2009 Voices Institute National Leadership Program.
This morning I was walking my dog Max in the quiet and thinking about my experience at VI. What did I learn? What have I taken from this that I can apply to my job and my direct care alliance here in Wisconsin? I also remembered a question asked of all of us. “What was your defining moment?”
Now to be honest I experienced many “moments” but none really stuck out as being THE ONE! That is until this morning, walking, contemplating and really examining my week in Racine.
I want all of you to know where I am coming from with this so I need to share a little bit about myself with you.
As I said I have been in this profession in way or another for 20+years. In those years I have tried many times to gather my co-workers together in order to form a union. We are all tired of low wages, lack of affordable benefits and working short. I heard the complaints, the sense of injustice and the reasons why many of the best CNA’s left the profession. My idea was that if we gathered together as one, our voices would be heard and responded to! Everyone I talked to agreed. The cards were signed and hopes were raised. Everything looked promising until the vote. It seemed as if everyone was afraid. Afraid of being fired, afraid of union dues, afraid of making waves. I couldn’t believe that these people would rather complain to each other than take a chance to change our workplace conditions!
After many attempts to organize I admitted defeat. I came to the belief that one voice cannot do anything. One voice cannot change the world. One voice can only get lost in the crowd.
Now, I suppose you are wondering where this is heading and how it relates to the “defining moment.” Well here it is.
During the closing session, everyone was taking turns saying what they learned, how they changed. Now, I have never been one to get emotional in front of others and during this week I had been numerous times, (that is a story for another occasion!) so I was just hoping it would end. Everyone was quiet, it was looking as if I would succeed in not crying, when someone else spoke up, and it happened. I said something, not to be mean but in the end it ended up that way. Someone I really admired and liked had been hurt by me; by my ONE VOICE!
That leads to this conclusion, I can use my voice, my lone voice to make someone smile, feel better, raise their spirits or just let them know they are not alone. But I learned that with my one voice I can inflict pain, embarrassment and hurt.
I know now how powerful my ONE VOICE actually is. I wish I could have had this defining revelation in a different manner. I know now that if my words and voice have that much of an effect on people what my voice together with hundreds, thousands or even millions of others can achieve for all direct care workers. I hope if you read this you will realize your power. That together we can change the world for direct care givers! We can fight for the changes that are needed for us and those we care for. How powerful one voice can be.
Hello to the VI-NL2 class of 2009.
I sit before you looking at my computer and wonder, “What do I say that has not already been said in this past week.”
I can tell you it has been an amazing week, filled with smiles, tears, singing, and networking. Food, campfire, sharing and story telling. It has been a week that I’ve been proud to be part of.
I know that all of you will have gone back to your home states with memories that will never fade.
I’d like to thank all of you who stepped out into a part of your life of which you were unsure of, you had the faith, trust and strength to use your voice and be HEARD… So thank you to the class of 2009.
A special thank you to all the trainers. You all worked many hours to continue this project and to see it grow. Thank you to Bridget for the long hours and hard work.
I look forward to working with all of you way into the future to have that, “ONE VOICE” heard.
Thanks for the memories.
Brenda what can I say?? You are my sunshine and sometimes I am happy and I know it! You are an inspiration to us all, Thank you for guiding us during our journey!
Christine,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the experience. I really enjoyed reading your post. Your thoughts and experience validates the DCA’s investment and focus on building the leadership development of workers. I passionately believe that supporting direct care workers gaining their voices is absolutely the heart and center of the Voices Institute. I look forward to working with you and seeing the results of your powerful voice.
Christine,
ONE VOICE can make a difference. Your post was an emotional experience and I wasn’t even there this year. I look forward to working with you. You sound like a powerhouse!