05-24-13
10:50 PM
P15
ACC Project Reflection #1
To
My Fellow Toilers:
The
ACC Project was definitely an eye-opening experience. Correction: the ACC
Project helped me understand my ability to work under pressure. Overall, I felt
that I was constantly challenged by the time-crunch developed by our stringent
class schedule. I always knew that I worked well when I capitulate to my
procrastinator tendencies; however, rather than planning to save work to the
last minute, this project tested my ability to work in a constrained time lapse
with no option but to deliver during this time period.
The
project itself was simplistically conceived and executed through the ease of
technology. Since my group was able to create multiple google docs, with all of
the necessary pieces to the puzzle, my group functioned efficiently and
effectively to finish our backgrounder and information for volunteers. In order
to complete the Congolese Backgrounder, I read a myriad of different sources to
learn about the acculturation process of Congolese refugees in the United
States. These readings included sources
about the assembly of legislative bodies to combat the issue of the overabundant,
uneducated, underrepresented, marginalized population of the Congolese. In
addition, I read the good majority of a book concerning the resettlement of
refugees in Great Britain. My hope was to create an analogous account of the
resettlement process so that individuals in the United States could apply
similar, successful practices in America in accordance with the successful
practices of Great Britain.
Thus,
the researching portion of the project was arduous but appreciated. I learned
so much about the different public policy methods implemented to accommodate
refugees. This opened my eyes to a new world of refugee dilemmas and economic
implications. While reading and studying these different sources, I focused on
the application of these concepts to big business and the private and
non-profit sectors. So what if I know
about Great Britain policies to help refugees in the workplace? I needed to
know how to make this information applicable to the general business employer, hoping to hire a refugee. This was an
interesting angle to attack—my audience was very specific. I needed my
Congolese Backgrounder to be narrowly-tailored for this audience. This was a
challenge as I had never imagined life from their limited point of view. In the
process of writing, I discovered, unfortunately, that the general business
employer is only looking for one piece of the pie, one portion of the
triple-bottom-line, one steadfast truth: profit. With this in mind, I had to
make sure to market the accomplishments and skills of these unique individuals,
which could then produce profit for any type of business (versatility was the
angle!) I had to portray the incoming refugees as commodities, as rarities, as
gems of a treasury of ordinary workers. Fortunately, this was not too difficult.
Naturally, refugees come with their own set refined economic and working
skills. These skills serve them well in any position, and their overall
persistent, courageous, and determined personalities will help drive their
success in any position.
In
regards to the “Information for Volunteers” section, I would judiciously claim
that my section was the easiest as I am a volunteer and can adlib my advice for
any future volunteer. In this section, I primarily focused on developing a plan
for future volunteers to arrange travel to the African Community Center. I
formulated the “Tips and Tricks” section as a way to pay homage to my street smarts
and pass on this very valuable information to prospective volunteers.
Overall,
the two sections which I primarily focused on were great triumphs in the final
deliverable. While there is always room for improvement, Aileen, Taylor, and I
dedicated ourselves to providing and eloquently writing information concerning
Information for Volunteers and Congolese Refugees. My interview with previous
refugee and Employment Specialist for the ACC, Mani, concretely defined this
special relationship which I have with the African Community Center, their
respective employment needs, and the demand for volunteers. Through this project
I learned to efficiently work under pressure, communicate with team members
using technology (sans face-to-face interaction), and reach out to
organizations for supplemental information regarding refugees.
During
this group project, I made the mistakes of not communicating well with my group
and taking too strong of a position on the sections that I wanted to cover in
the Backgrounder and Information sections. My life motto (as it states on my
twitter account) is that if you are not doing something right, you might as
well not bother doing it at all. This motto is something that I would like to
alter in the course of my upcoming projects. I should not have an “all or
nothing” mentality for each and every project, because this framework then
spawns the need for unrealistic perfection.
In future projects, I would like to work on modifying this “all or
nothing” notion, and simply try my hardest for the sake of group consistency,
collective collaboration, and ultimate prosperity.
With
this goal comes a flexible, down-to-earth, and servant leader, toiling for the
sake of the unified group rather than the personal ego.
Peace
and Blessings,
Jaser
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