Kelly Preps for Summer

We are currently gearing up for summer here at YouthWorks. Kelly, one of our Training Associates, is working hard to get everything ready. Here is what Kelly had to say about how she is currently prepping for the YouthWorks summer.

What are you doing to prepare for the summer?

The word for this season is “Technology.” We’re gearing up for a series of summer staff training events and are knee deep in training outlines, PowerPoints and session handouts. Now, that may not seem like much, but consider this: Even after online training prep, it takes 279 hours of in-person training events to make a YouthWorks summer happen. That number doesn’t even take into account the prep work that goes into planning and designing our 4 staff training events. Maybe that’s why my days look like a lot like this:

What has been helpful as you prepare?

I’d like to thank Sir Timothy John “Tim” Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, and Bodum, the manufacturer of my coffee press, for creating the products that fuel my summer preparation.

What moment are you looking forward to this summer?

Every Thursday night I get goosebumps thinking about the thousands of students from coast to coast who are experiencing the exact same thing – servant leadership through the act of footwashing. We’re all in different locations, processing unique community experiences and listening to an individual Program Coordinator’s distinct spin on the Club Talk, but Thursdays are a reminder that we are unified by the love of the same God, encountering the power of the same Holy Spirit and  empowered to live as servants through the same teaching of Jesus. This will be my 6th YouthWorks summer, but those goosebumps still come every Thursday night as if it’s the first time I’ve experienced footwashing.

Kelly has served in a number of roles since 2007, taking a hiatus from YouthWorks for three years to support adults with intellectual disabilities in finding employment. Kelly was drawn back to her current role in 2013 by the opportunity to train, equip and resource summer staff to love youth and communities. In her free time, Kelly enjoys working on her house with her husband Mike, hosting parties for friends or cooking up a real, whole foods meal.