- [ ] Identify things a new volunteer may not know about how to participate in class.
- [ ] List things it's useful to tell a new volunteer to help them participate in class.
- [ ] Identify differences in how different volunteers may need orientation based on their background.
- [ ] Identify what is likely to make a new volunteer more or less likely to volunteer again.
As a community, it's all of our job to make sure that on a volunteer's first day they:
- Feel welcomed
- Know what to do
- Feel empowered, not blocked or confused
- Know how to get help
In this workshop we will practice some of these skills.
Get into groups of about 5.
Take turns to role-play. Imagine we're in a class focusing on CSS flex-box and grid.
One participant should act as an experienced volunteer.
One participant should act as a volunteer showing up to their first class. Pick one of these personas. Don't tell people which one you've chosen.
- A professional frontend engineer with several years of experience. You know CSS well, but have never taught before.
- A recent boot-camp graduate who has learnt CSS, but never used it outside of personal projects.
- A professional backend engineer who knows many programming languages well, but doesn't know the particular CSS we're covering today.
- A CYF graduate from a previous cohort which used a more lecture-style rather than flipped classroom.
The rest of the group should watch the exchange.
Set a timer for 5 minutes.
The experienced volunteer should approach the new volunteer, and have a conversation. Your goal is to help them get started, and help ensure they will have a good first day.
After 5 minutes stop. Have a discussion about what went well, and what could have gone better.
Write down takeaways which will help you have this conversation in real life.
Gather everyone together and compare your groups' takeaways.