Reflections of an NCCC Team Leader

This week's guest post comes from an AmeriCorps NCCC Team Leader Alum who currently works at NCCC HQ selecting and placing new NCCC members.  If you apply, you might get a chance to talk with him! Enjoy!





First day of Team Leader Training



Late one night back in October 2009, I picked up my laptop and applied to be a Team Leader with AmeriCorps NCCC.  I never thought in a million years that I would actually interview for and be offered a position.  Two years and three months after applying, I sit here in my cubicle at NCCC Headquarters in DC; reminiscing about some of the greatest memories from my two years of service as a Team Leader.



Upon seeing myself in uniform for the first time, I was in disbelief.  “I’m really a Team Leader”, I thought to myself.  Team Leader Training was intense and very informative, which prepared me for the rollercoaster ride that was AmeriCorps NCCC.  My team, Raven 7, worked with: City Neighbors Charter School, Rebuilding Together Baltimore, Serve Rhode Island, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, Eden Mill Nature Center, American Red Cross, Copper Cannon Camp and the Long Island Nature Conservancy. 


Although I was nervous about leading a team, once we started working, all of my fears quickly disappeared.  We tore down lockers, recycled aluminum, performed flood relief services, built 5 homes in 5 days, created mountain bike trails, removed tons of invasive plants and a lot more.  We fought hard but we also loved just as hard.  Those ten members quickly became a part of my extended family.  Also, if it weren’t for my Unit Leader, the Raven Unit TLs and Team Green, I would not have survived the year.  Graduation came and went and five days later, I was back in Mississippi, living a somewhat normal life. 

Raven 7 at Girl couts of Chesapeake Bay





I learned how to sleep in a school without hot water and heat.  I learned about the importance of physical training and how it can have a tremendous effect on your work performance. 

 



Raven 7 during project wtih Copper Cannon Camp



I learned to drink lots water before doing construction work in New Orleans in 100 degree weather.  I learned how to effectively manage finances, write reports and a host of other skills.  Most importantly, I learned how to lead, advocate for and co-exist with a team of individuals from very diverse backgrounds.

One day, I received an email from my former Unit Leader and two weeks later, I found myself back in Perry Point, donning the green “A” and tan BDU’s once more.  My team, Raven One, worked with: Delaware State Parks, the VA Medical Center, Stone Soup Leadership Institute, Vermont VOAD, Greene County Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross and The Loading Dock.  We did beautification work, painted buildings, worked on a farm, traveled to Martha’s Vineyard, mucked and gutted homes, became chainsaw trained, met the first lady of Delaware and so much more.

 



Raven 1 on team reveal day



Many might think that a second-year Team Leader like me would know everything, but that was not the case.  I encountered many personal and professional challenges that made me question whether or not I could finish the year but I knew that I had a team of eight individuals who were counting on me and I could not give up on them.  Life is full of ups, downs, twists and turns but one must never give up.  We successfully finished our year all together as a team and I could not have asked for anything more. 

 

Raven 1 after graduation ceremony

After two years in the field and reaching the “tipping point” as my Unit Leader stated to me, there was no way that I would be coming down.  After several weeks of searching, I finally landed a job here in Washington, DC with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) as a Selection and Placement Assistant in the NCCC division.  Yesterday (July 17) makes six months that I have been here at HQ and I love it.  I review applicant applications, produce the monthly newsletter and recently, I’ve been learning how to assign members and send out welcome packets.  Most importantly, I get to continue GETTING THINGS DONE behind the scenes.



Raven 1 in Greenville, TN after a hot day of chainsawing



Although there were challenging moments during my years as a Team Leader, this experience was also one of the most fun-filled, exciting, life-changing, memorable experiences ever.  Call me crazy but if I had the opportunity to do it all again, I would not hesitate.  I will never forget the journey and would recommend AmeriCorps NCCC to any and all.

Taken during Raven 7's first round project- I did actually lift that entire piano and throw it into the dumpster

A little piece of advice to current and future members: Enjoy every single moment of this journey.  Communicate with each other.  Work hard and represent the “A” to the max.  Have fun! Remember that the work that you are doing is helping to strengthen communities and develop key leadership skills that will be beneficial to you in the future.  Document your experience via a journal, a blog, photos and/or video.  As a former project sponsor of mines once said, “You may never come this way again”. 

-KJ