Leading a Volunteer Team
Leading a TCHH team consumes an extraordinary amount of time and energy but the payoff is immeasurable. As camaraderie builds and the work flows on the deployments there are moments of intense pride in what has formed from a group of caring, skilled people from across Canada.
It is fun to welcome new team members who are well suited to the team and help them navigate their first trip as they are faced with a huge workload with a fun group of people. It is even more rewarding to see old friends waiting at the gate at the airport as we all merge for the final leg of the journey
During the evening in so many countries, as we prep for the next day and relax a bit it is fun to hear team members’ personal stories and adventures.
Sometimes the blend of all personalities does not work, but that is a whole different story for another day.
The planning includes hours of work behind the scenes. Emailing team members to see who is interested, forming the team, finding accommodations and reading a lot of online reviews about those accommodations, identifying safe ground transport, sorting meal plans based on everyone’s dietary requirements, organizing distribution of bags of equipment from one team member to another to meet luggage allowances, finding and communicating flight details that work to get a team from across Canada to all land in whatever country we are going to on the same day. Details such as figuring out who will do well with whom as a roommate can be tricky especially when bringing in new team members.
All team members are usually busy leading up to the trip hoarding donated wheelchair cushions, backs, positioning belts and headrests to augment to basic chairs we have access to.
Volunteers also have jobs in Canada that they are madly wrapping up in order to be away, knowing full well when they come home it will be to a mountain of work to catch up on but with a refreshed perspective on life’s challenges.
There are meetings to be completed in planning with Walkabout Foundation and email exchanges with other partners on the ground.
There are team emails to write getting everyone up to speed on all these details and copies of people’s travel insurance, passports, next of kin info to gather and organize. Making sure everyone gets visa applications in place and share vaccination information in prep phase.
On the ground the fun starts collecting all those hockey bags in airports and ensuring all team members get through customs and then off we go to find our local driver.
As the trip progresses, team leaders keep tabs on daily schedules, deal with problems as they pop up, pay bills, liaise with local team members, sort out where things will be stored and how they will be transported……every day a new, odd challenge pops up.
Many things spring up as we go like sudden illness in a team member or bug bites gone bad and what to do with them. Patricia’s bug ravaged legs many years ago in Haiti prepared me on trips to come so that Gary’s bug bitten legs in Uganda could be properly treated and we could keep working him to the bone!
Usually the last day or so is dedicated to a fun activity. Planning around this can be a lot of work as well, you really want your team to finish with a day of fun and relaxation so the pick has to be awesome!
Team leaders really don’t relax until everyone boards their final flight home safe and sound. That flight is one big exhale and a solid coma like sleep for me!