Already into the second half of my stint leading a Seattle Community Crew, and I can’t believe it has gone by so quickly! I guess it’s true that time flies when you’re having fun.This week’s theme for educational lessons was professionalism, and on Monday, we started off with a session on budgeting. We discussed expenses, savings, money management, banking, credit/debit cards, etc.<p>On Tuesday, we were able to work with the Washington Conservation Corps (WCC)! Much like SCA does nationally, the WCC partners with Americorps to provide hands-on conservation experiences in the state of Washington. We drove up to Bear Creek in Redmond and, with our newfound WCC friends, got up to some blackberry removal, mulch work, and, something new – planting willow branches. Fun fact: if you cut branches off a willow tree and stick them into nutritional grounds, they will eventually grow into another tree. Pretty cool, right? After our work was done, WCC members took us to a local farm where we saw extremely adorable chickens, ducks, and rabbits. We also learned about all of the different plants in the farm’s garden and forests. Overall, everyone had a lot of fun and it was a truly awesome day. Here it is in collage form:
A. A tree fallen over due to erosion – so many roots! B. Beemnet and yours truly feed some ducks C. Catie Rae cheesin’ with a chicken D. Swampy swamp in the forest E. A humongous tobacco plant in the garden
Both Wednesday and Thursday, were back home at our Delridge site, and we did a whole lot of burlaping and mulching. With every bit of burlap and mulch that we lay down, the site that much prettier and free of invasive species.
Here’s a photo of crewmember Kume lying burlap down.
Continuing with education in professionalism, we went over how to write a successful resume, and tips for a great interview. To practice these skills, we had one-on-one mock interviews with true-to-life, and maybe some not so likely questions, such as, “if you were a piece of athletic equipment, what would you be and why?”<p>For our Friday environmental education session, we visited the Center for Wooden Boats. The crewmembers learned about boat parts and got to team up to row a long and (surprise!) wooden vessel. It was a challenging task to keep our strokes synchronized and on time, but this ultimately led to greater group cohesion.<p>Later, we visited the Cascade Peoples Center and learned about future opportunities in the youth and environmental field – there are so many really exciting opportunities available within our reach!! We ended the week perfectly; filled with sunshine (yes, the sun does come out in Seattle!), games, laughter, and smiles.<p>Plant more trees, remove more invasive blackberry, and have fun everyone!<p>Until next time,
Kalina
