Digital Arts Service Corps - vista leader

yeah 2011

Bill Brown — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:29:00 +0000

Things got a little busier over November and December. Expectedly I had an increase in phone calls/e-mails during the "Storming Phase" but nothing too out of control. I've been lucky that major issues with different VISTAs have not overlapped so I haven't had to juggle too many concerns at the same time. I've also gotten into a basic routine of e-mailing people about a month after I've last heard from them and that seems to be working alright. Everyone definitely has a different way they like to communicate and I construct my e-mails according to whatever standard thats evolved naturally with that person. I'd like to read more field reports but there has been a lot of artifacts and tangibles sent over so I think we are doing alright.

Howie and I finished this huge database of all 400 and some odd Digital Arts Service core members over the past 10 years and I'm now working on how to best display the database on the transmission project's website. I've been toying around with different custom google map icons but haven't yet settled on anything.

In November I attended Edward Tufte's class on information design and it had a very big effect on me and how I design things. I'd highly recommend going to one of his classes if you can get someone else to pay for it.

Projects Completed: Some info-graphics and normal-graphics, database of past DASC members and host sites, some google map icons, transmission project website redesign but not implementation, secret DASC swag design, increased Drupal knowledge, some conflict management action and some dealing with sticky situations action.

Projects in the works: Implement Transmission project redesign, more swag, increase Drupal knowledge further, do all that I can to help people when they ask.

Resolution of the Year: No TV (sit-coms/dramas mainly)

Why I Love Being a VISTA Leader

danielle martin — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:46:21 +0000

No, it's not the fame...or fortune...or the layers of paperwork and bureaucracy. It's definitely NOT trying to explain VISTA to someone for the upteth time. It was the moment several times this week, after what seemed like the millionth voicemail I left for a VISTA, when a VISTA picked up the phone and said "HEEEaaaaYyyah! Danielle! What is UP?"

When I could crack yet another joke with Tony about the heat in Arizona. When When Richard says "Oh Gina, it's Danielle." (implying it'll be a while because he has lots to tell me) and Sarah yells in the background. When Elisha's answering the main phone for TINCAN and in the middle of writing a grant, but takes five minutes to explain to me why she's excited about her new project finally getting started. When Naomi said even though the school she worked with was disorganized, she was glad she went and finished the workshop. When Lauren B. and I get so chatty that we're talking about mothers suing food companies to stop advertising to their kids. Even when Will blogs "Hey Danielle here's your links."

When, in the middle of my own crazy day, one VISTA calls to me this amazing story. When she was at her lowest, thinking that her work didn't affect anything. And one kid walks up to her and says "I don't get what your job is." Sigh. But then the youth listed out all the things he say her doing over the past year, then said "All that wouldn't have happened without you." That's all it took to make this VISTA want to stay and keep working. After delays, disappointments and people quitting, she could say to me "Danielle, I'm good...I'm alright. I'm going to keep going strong."

After 11 months of calling folks, I was actually glad that I had did it. Even when the stories were sad, or the frustration level was nuts, or even when Gareth and Dan Chen only answer my questions with one word answers. :) I'm privileged enough to get monthly updates from a group of dedicated people trying to create change at the ground level. It's like my own social change reality show....but about people I actually care what they do (instead of freaks like Paul Abdul or Scot Bao).

Peter Miller said at the last PSO, "The Project is entering an era where the direction that the work is taking is really being fueled by the VISTA Leaders." We made a very conscious decision last fall to be different kinds of VISTA Leaders than the Project had seen before. We wanted to establish both one-on-one and group relationships with VISTAs that were real and lasted all year. So that VISTAs weren't just calling us when their paychecks didn't show up or their supervisor was driving them nuts, but they blogged or shared stories of small but meaningful triumph.

SO I loved being a VISTA Leader because I got to hear it all.

Oh and it's also when the Robot landed on the moon (thanks Paul).

Leading by example...sort of

danielle martin — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 21:34:19 +0000

After a spent the week trying to catch up with all the VISTAs under my care, encouraging them all to blog and read the blogs, I realized I haven't really blogged myself. What AM I working on? Well the first three weeks as an official VISTA leader has been a lot about finding a balance between two new roles.

Role 1 : VISTA Leader at CTC VISTA Project at UMass Boston

This role was a little easier to figure out, since I've got the Project pretty much figured out by now. In fact, most of these first three weeks have been about helping the Project HQ staff get on the same page and think strategically about where the Project wants to go. I hosted a little strategic planning retreat at my new apartment in Medford, where we compared assumptions, knowledge of the Project and whittled it all down into some concrete goals and actions for the Project. Most of the fall will be consumed with populating the new CTC VISTA resource portal and putting the Digest together with Erin.

Role 2: Program Coordinator at massIMPACT

[I just got that title today, mostly because we had to figure out something to put on my new business cards.] Now, working with massIMPACT is all new. massIMPACT is a non-profit housed at MassHousing that works to provide support to technology in housing developments accross MA. So far, it's done work in digital storytelling train-the-trainer projects and partnered with Northeastern University among other things.

The first three weeks were mostly shadowing my supervisor, Thaddeus Miles, and being amazed at the amount of people he interacts with and is able to remember all their names and stories. Meeting everyone and figuring out the housing development environment has been fascinating for me because I know a lot about non-profits in Boston but not much about this group. The funniest part is how amazed folks are that I want to take the T to these meetings - I think it's a combo of fearing for the "white girl" in the Roxbury/Dorchester and not liking to walk on their part.

The other sub-role I have at massIMPACT is project managing the development of a collaboration portal for community digital storytelling facilitators at StoriesforChange.net. I've been reading as much as I can of emails from all the volunteers who want to build this site for sharing resources, curriculum, and lessons learned while providing place to publish stories as well. I'm excited because this site is truly a project fueled by the users (and not by a funder or higher power) and I get to work with new VISTA Jessica McCoy at the Center for Digital Storytelling.

On a personal note, I spent a good amount of free time these past couple weeks seriously thinking and researching my graduate school possibilities. I highly enjoyed the session at the Comparative Media Studies Program at MIT, especially because I connected with another prospective student (Ms. Audobon, who moblogs and with whom I had way too much in common with for Fate not to be involved) and a few of the current grad students. Imagine, Danielle at MIT....