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Mentoring in Times of Transition
By Von Elison, Executive Director, and
Gretchen Thatcher, Independent Living Advisor, Central Washington
Disability Resources (CWDR), Ellensburg, WA
In November 2002, I happened to notice the
application for the Rural Independent Living Leadership Mentoring
Initiative (RILLMI) for intensive on-site mentoring. A collaborative
effort between the Association of Programs for Rural Independent
Living (APRIL) and The University of Montana Rural Institute, the
intensive on-site mentoring program is offered to two rural Centers
for Independent Living (CILs) to provide training and consulting
over the span of a year. I immediately grabbed the application and
scrawled across the paper, “HELP ME!.”
Central Washington Disability Resources (CWDR) is a small,
rural CIL located in Ellensburg, WA. Home to the Yakama
tribe and with a total population of approximately 30%
Hispanics, the Central Washington area is rich in diversity.
As is typical of rural CILs, we attempt to cover a large
area from one office and with seven staff, serving 1200-1300
individuals per year across our varied programs. CWDR,
although providing core services plus a recreation program
for approximately 16 years, has been experiencing many
changes over the last three years in staff turnover, programs,
management, and community relations.
The Impact of Change
Transitions can be exciting, exhilarating, challenging, and
painful. For some, changes are an exciting journey into unknown
territory and they embrace them. For others they are a complete
upheaval of comfort and familiarity, and yet there are those
few others that just seem to adjust with ease in the face of
changes. Frankly, some of the changes of the last year were more
painful than exhilarating.
These transitions, although not always smooth, are a true test
of staff resiliency. There have been no manuals and no directions,
just the vision and mission to guide the changes. The CWDR staff
is extremely committed to providing a diverse independent living
program, and each person has been and is an invaluable component
of developing and implementing the programs.
Yet we had also been experiencing growing pains as a result
of these changes. So after having taken on several new programs,
staff, a name change, and planning an expansion to Yakima, WA,
it seemed as if everything at CWDR had changed dramatically,
thus leaving some of our staff feeling uncertain about what would
change next. With each change, it began to feel as if we were
losing sight of our vision and purpose, and what had once been
a healthy exchange of ideas was becoming internalized frustration.
RILLMI Training
When I discovered that CWDR had been accepted for RILLMI project,
I felt assured that the project could truly address many of those
needs in order to transition smoothly through our previous and
upcoming changes. Our consultant, Mike Flaherty from the University
of Montana Rural Institute, began the series of four trainings/technical
assistance (TA) site visits by spending the first day getting
to know CWDR staff, our philosophy, and the programs we offered.
Part One of the training was titled “Values, Mission,
and Corporate Culture.” The training addressed
an integral component of the changes at CWDR, including
how to sustain our mission and commitment to stakeholders.
One of the primary concerns was being able to maintain
an atmosphere that promoted self advocacy, systems advocacy,
and participant driven services.
The training explored the value and meaning of being
a mission-driven organization, and it was valuable because
each participant was pushed to identify their own values
and was challenged to determine whether their values
were consistent with the mission and values of the agency.
Three months later, Mike returned to CWDR to conduct
the second training/TA on “Communication, Conflict,
and Negotiation.” We learned how to identify different
types of conflict, as well as how to perceive conflict
as a valuable foundation of change rather than a negative
strain on resources. The training also gave the participants
a foundation for identifying potential problems before
the problems became irreparable.
The staff and Board are looking forward to Mike’s
next two trainings and on-site consultation, as each
of the trainings gives CWDR Board members, staff, and
community members the opportunity to develop similar
skills. The staff and Board of directors have seen the
immediate benefits by the revisiting the CWDR mission
and providing tools for conflict during these changes.
Suddenly, due to the RILLMI intensive mentoring, the
transitions do not seem so painful and CWDR is approaching
those changes with excitement instead of dread.
Contact Information
Central Washington Disability Resources (CWDR)
422 North Pine
Ellensburg, WA 98926
Phone: (509) 962-9620 V/TTY
Email: cwdr@televar.com
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