Elizabeth’s last blog is a thoughtful analysis of her term at Texas Low Income Housing Information Service.
One of the first important things I learned during my term as an ASSET member was on the very first day of training. As we closed our binders and prepared to leave, Salena told us we had one more activity to complete before we were dismissed: Plus/ Delta. The basis was simple enough, but I’d never actually heard the term. We all volunteered aspects of the day that we liked, enjoyed, learned from (the pluses) as well as things that we would like to change, or work on (the deltas).
Oddly enough, the idea of Plus/ Delta stuck with me throughout my term. I’d like to say I made an everyday habit of doing it, but that’s not entirely truthful. I did, however, occasionally reflect on what was going well and what could improve, usually in times of frustration. Thinking of an aspect of my service or site as a “Delta” instead of a “Negative” made a big difference to me mentally and helped me keep a constructive attitude even during tough times, to focus on what I could change as opposed to what I didn’t like.
So as my term comes to a close, I’ll offer a couple of Pluses, and one Delta, just to keep things balanced.
+ I came to my site, Texas Low Income Housing Information Service, with little to no understanding of the challenges facing low income families, especially not in Texas. At the end of my term, I am able to give people advice on taking steps to find housing, and I have some background knowledge on the successes and setbacks my organization has faced in advocating for safe, affordable housing for all Texans.
+ I learned valuable research skills and put them to work finding information that would help my coworkers be better informed on the issues they were representing. Since our Americorps service prevents us from taking any active political role, it was great to be able to collaborate with my more political coworkers and be able to understand the background on what was going on on the state and national levels of housing policy.
Delta: These months contained many more quiet days alone in the office than I’d experienced in any other position. While sometimes the quiet is peaceful, it didn’t take me long to learn that I work best when I have the opportunity to collaborate with people. I looked forward to the monthly meetings and conference calls for the chance to talk to other ASSET members about their sites and the work they were accomplishing. As I take my next steps, I’m glad I learned that I’m not built for solitary work, and I’ll seek out positions that complement that.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate in that my pluses have far outnumbered my deltas during my term as an ASSET member. I know I’ll take the knowledge and skills I learned this year wherever my career takes me.
