March 16, 2023
Are You Ready?
I’m not sure about you, but I honestly do not know where 2023 has gone. It seems just like yesterday it was December! How is it the middle of March? Things are gearing up and summer is just around the corner. Are you ready for all that summer will bring?
With the summer months comes more time for programming, county fair activities, volunteer recruitment, and the list goes on. These opportunities can also bring about conflict. I’d like to encourage you to look at a professional development opportunity this spring and consider attending the spring KAE4-HA meeting. This two-day event has some training offerings which will help prepare us all for the summer months. Of course, the content is applicable all year round! Drs. Thompson and Johannes will be leading a session on adult bullying and conflict. I will be leading a session around volunteer development, specifically looking at the developmental stages of an Extension Professional. The flyer has additional details, along with the association website. Registration is due April 5. Consider joining Extension Professionals from across the state in Salina for this professional development.
Additionally, with summer comes being prepared for the unexpected. It is hard for us to always be proactive in our jobs, but when we can be, it pays off.
- Be sure to assess the risk for programming activities. Can anything be tweaked to avoid or minimize the risk?
- Over plan. It is always good to have more things to do than you have time for. You never know when something may take a lot less time than planned!
- Speaking of over planning…have some filler activities ready in your back pocket. You never know when you might need to pull out a good icebreaker or initiative for some unexpected downtime. No prop activities are usually a great strategy to go with, so you do not have to worry about supplies. I strongly encourage you to look at a resource by Dr. Jim Cain, Find Something to Do! No Prop Activities. This book is full of no prop activities and this book is very portable in size. It is a great resource to add to your library if you do not already have it.
As spring approaches, be sure to take some time for yourself! What can you do now to help you personally be ready for summer? Make you a priority too!