by VANESSA GOMEZ (CYMIA’s Unofficial Training Correspondent)
Fourteen major training days laterand we are one away from graduation! Most people have countdowns for how many days are left in our year, but I count down how many training days are left. Why? Well it has gotten to the point where I'm not sure know what else we could be trained on. When I heard we were about to have spring break trainings while I knew my friends on spring break were tanning and our kids were sleeping late, I was Peanut Butter and Jealous. Friday happened and Charlie Rose had me on a City Year high but then it only took a weekend and a serious case of the Monday Syndrome to have me back into “Not Another Training” Mode.
To my surprise Monday’s training went by and I didn’t want it to end. I took in every word that was said just like my friends took in some serious rays of sun, except in my case I wasn’t sun burnt. I felt enlightened and empowered and felt like I finally got to interact with my colleagues on a deeper level. Hearing Emani’s powerful words during his Life Works and then joining into some of the best talks I have had in the “unconference” made this training day feel more of an “unTraining Day” and I loved every bit of it.
Tuesday morning comes around and I was ready to get into my same daily routine where I wake up too early (#SouthVillageProblems) and end up looking routinely on fleek in my khakis. Instead I got to wake up and spend a little more time on hair, makeup and real-people clothes! In the midst of this year, I had forgotten how many different options are actually in my closet.
I plan to empower & educate young people to become health advocates for themselves and their communities.#CYLACYSuccess @CityYearMiami
Wilfredo from Lab Miami started the day off telling us about his story and it was amazing to see it ripple into LACY plans for one of my coworkers. Then off I went into my very personalized schedule and went into “Girl Power;” they basically put my “fired up” to shame! The way they spoke and the energy they radiated made me feel like I was in one of my Vixen Workout classes. Their mission is amazing and the way they praised our work this year was humbling and felt pretty rewarding. Speaking of rewarding anyone that knows me knows that there is nothing in the world that I love more than shopping. I am great with my money but there is always room for improvement and that is when Wells Fargo came in with their Managing Your Money Seminar.
After speaking with Ansh Grover, my #LACY plan is still indefinite, but full of potential! #cylacysuccess @cityyearmiami
Let’s talk about skills Baby, lets talk about you and me! In I walk into the skills expo and see familiar faces: PMs and staff. I first went to the “How to Dress Professionally” rotation and realized that this skills lab had a lot more to offer than I originally anticipated. Times up and I decide to go to the “Negotiating Salary” talk and wow was I doing things wrong. Michelle Vidal was very insightful and it blew my mind how much I learned in the few minutes with her! Seeing PMs on a daily is awesome but we don’t get to pick their brains as much as I would want, so it was nice to be able to ask David Pringle, a Program Manager at Madison Middle, anything we wanted on his life as a PM and working for a nonprofit. I came into this room hesitant but left full of knowledge and ready to take on LACY and the career/college expo!
Overheard at @CityYearMiami, "This has been one of the best trainings since BTA." #CYLACYSuccess
They say you take things for granted until they are gone. In this case, it being my views on training, it is completely accurate. Although it has been dreadful to wake up ridiculously early to travel half of Miami for so many trainings, they have helped each and every AmeriCorps member grow in some way or another. Whether it has been working with children or simply working on ourselves and our surroundings, Emani Jerome, our Training Manager, and the City Year Miami staff have done an amazing job making sure that we are not only prepared for this year but for years to come.
Now, will I miss sitting for hours in very cold and far places? Probably not. But will I ever forget at least one thing I learned from a training day? Probably not either, and for that I have Emani and his team to thank for.
Vanessa Gomez is a Math Interventionist at Pine Villa Elementary. Follow her story at #makebetterhappen on Twitter and @cymia_pinevilla on Instagram.
