As an educator, I often had to keep in mind that I would probably not get to see the full impact of my work. Realistically, the impression I made on students may only become apparent years down the road and I may never hear about it. The past few years I've had multiple former students … Continue reading October 16, Planting Seeds of Connection
Author: Carrie Bennett
Educator, facilitator, mediator, backyard chicken lover and (retired) derby girl. Hoping to make the world a better place one difficult conversation at a time.
October 8- Slow Going in Case Development
I remember when I was an educator, one of my biggest frustrations was the speed at which some things seemed to change. In particular, when coordinating services with families in need, it seemed that it was always incredibly difficult to get in touch with people in need AND the services providers who could most help … Continue reading October 8- Slow Going in Case Development
September 29- Sustainable Chart-Writing 101
This week I got to support Kevin (my supervisor at Neighbor to Neighbor) in a community meeting for the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition. This grassroots group has been working for roughly six years to make a community-based plan to make Corvallis more sustainable. They are interested in a broad range of stakeholders and components to the … Continue reading September 29- Sustainable Chart-Writing 101
Sept. 19- Back in the swing of things
After two weeks out of town, I was starting to lose all sight of a daily routine. In visiting family we were bouncing between different beds every few nights. In visiting with both friends and family our mealtime routines were all funky. Finally, in mixing personal time with intense work time (round two of working … Continue reading Sept. 19- Back in the swing of things
September 2, Gratitude and Chasing Opportunity
I felt really torn over the last few weeks over the opportunity I had of going to Colorado to help with the CIR Panel there. I had originally planned a trip home (to visit family) squeezed between Wednesdays of working at N2N and, in particular, helping lead a workshop in Sweet Home on Wednesday nights.When … Continue reading September 2, Gratitude and Chasing Opportunity
August 26- Reality Checks and Moving Up
Last night we hosted a community workshop called "Communicating Through Conflict" with Neighbor to Neighbor. This is the workshop I have spent the vast majority of my time with N2N working on. It is a workshop that Kevin has taught in the past but which he has also wanted to revise for a while. It … Continue reading August 26- Reality Checks and Moving Up
August 26- Identity negotiations and exhaustion
The last few weeks have truly been a whirlwind of activity and craziness. While there isn't time to explain it all now, let me say I've identified two common themes in my work on the OEIB RAC Summit in Bend and the Healthy Democracy Citizen's Initiative Review Panel in Salem.First, I am recognizing the difficulty in … Continue reading August 26- Identity negotiations and exhaustion
August 6- Competency and Compliments
Today I had my mid-internship review with Kevin at N2N. I was looking forward to the feedback and excited to hear what Kevin had to share. I feel like we have developed a strong working relationship relatively quickly. I like Kevin's laid back style, he is well connected with the broader Oregon mediation community, and … Continue reading August 6- Competency and Compliments
August 7- Whirlwinds
I feel like this summer has already been super busy but the next few weeks are going to be absolutely absurd. I met with Shannon today to start working on more details for the RAC Summit. I feel good about how things will go for the pop-up sessions and I feel like I've gained her … Continue reading August 7- Whirlwinds
July 29-30: Materials Preparations
Since I wrapped up the mailings for the Manufactured Home Communities last week I spent time this week "finalizing" our workshop materials. This includes our PPT, facilitators' agenda, and participant handbook. I feel like I've already spent a TON of time on this project and it's feeling a bit never-ending. It reminds me of teaching … Continue reading July 29-30: Materials Preparations
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