No. 6 - Be Well Organised
In the last post we talked about the need to be consistent and to not change information and arrangements in an over-reactive way. I have to admit that sometimes when I run programmes I do this to my volunteers. I let them know what's going to happen, and then I change it. I don't do this a lot, but usually when I do it's for a very simple reason... because I failed to organise myself properly and missed something important.
Let's be honest, we're all disorganised and a bit last-minute from time to time. It's human. And when it's just us, we can usually get away with it. When we're responsible for other people though, it's unfair. If other people are relying on us being prepared then we have to make sure it happens because they need the confidence of knowing that they're part of something that's being run in the right way.
So, if you're running a day for your youth group in two weeks time, sit down and plan it this week. Make sure that you have access to the things you think you have access to, confirm the bookings, draw up a programme and a list of responsibilities and then let your leaders know this week. Give them time to suggest changes and ask questions.
At the end of the day we all get that experienced youth workers can get away with 'winging it.' We don't admit it, but we know it's true, and we take advantage of the fact more often than we'd care to admit. Problem is though, we just can't do it when others are relying on us. It's not fair to them!