Trainings that Stick

Trainings that Stick

April 1, 2020 Reflections from Changemakers 49

Think about the trainings you’ve participated in thus far this semester. Which training has stuck with you days or weeks after participating in it? Why? How can or have you been able to transfer it beyond the seminar room?

 

49 Responses

  1. Kiara Woodward says:

    A training that sticks out to me every year is the article about why we serve. I enjoy this training because it forces us to evaluate our motivations for service and recognize that an individual who serves may not be inherently good. I believe that taking this step back and looking at our motivations for serving especially before going out into the community helps people understand their role at their sites. This training allows students to understand that they are not going to their sites to fix anything or anyone.

  2. Kate Callery says:

    I think the training that stuck out to me was the action and vison planning training that Cassidy ran. I thought it was first of all really interactive which made me able to really engage with the material that she was presenting. Additionally, I think action and vision planning is an aspect of change-making that isn’t always discussed but often proves to be the most valuable. I liked that there were worksheets and tools that were given out that we could take outside of the training. It was also great how the junior and senior class was so receptive to the training that they wanted to enact real-world change with the knowledge that we were given. I hope to see us continue with that momentum in future semesters.

  3. Taylor says:

    Although all of our trainings teach an important message, my favorite was the privilege walk. This training was powerful and eye opening because we were all willing to participate without fear of judgement. We also took part in this training with all of the ACE members which showed how we are united through the program despite external factors that separate us. Because of the serious prompts I was able to reflect on my personal accomplishments despite the setbacks in my life. Our discussion of how some of us feel as if our “setbacks” were actually things that we felt pushes us forward will continue to resonate with me through out my future.

  4. Tori Mangelli says:

    The privilege walk was the training that stuck with me the most. It was extremely impactful to see the things that some of us had or didn’t have and to really highlight the notion of privilege in a sense that I never thought about it before. For instance, some of the questions that I stepped forward for I never thought of it as a privilege but then seeing that not everyone was able to take that step forward really showed me how lucky I was to have certain things. I’ve transferred this knowledge outside of the training by being more conscious of the privilege I do have and realizing those things that I didn’t necessarily ever think of as privilege prior, many people do not have. It allowed me to put a lot of things into perspective.

  5. Kayla Sweet says:

    My favorite training this semester was the privilege walk led by Bonner Foundation ladies. The logistics of the pace allowed for the exercise to be more impact as there was room to move and to most importantly reflect. I liked the vastness of the room letting people creates more defined lines of people and their peers according to their experiences and privileged. The questions that were asked covered a wider range of life areas and exposed other privileges that some of us have.

  6. Erin Spence says:

    The training from this semester that has been most impactful for me was the migration training. This discussion was really eye opening for me. Before this training, I felt that I did not have much knowledge on the topic of immigration and refugees, especially on a personal, individualized level. The simulation activity that we did at the beginning of this training was my favorite part of the activity. It allowed us to look at each scenario from the perspective of the refugees and make decisions that we thought would be best. Depending on who our “character” was, our options changed, and I think this was a great point to be made. Everyone who is in a situation like this is given different options depending on who they are and their decisions must be altered based on this. This activity made it clear that these decisions are never easy to make and there can be challenges and consequences that may rise at any moment. I found this, and the information that followed, to be very eye opening to the struggles that are faced by these people fleeing their countries to find a better life.

  7. Sydney Maughan says:

    A training from this semester that has stuck with me most was during Winter Retreat with the 2 women from the Bonner Foundation. I believe the training was step forward, step back or something along those lines. Everyone stood in one line and several different things were read to us; are you the first in your family to go to college, etc. and if you were you stepped forward/backward depending on what each question was.
    This stuck with me because even though we all started in the same line, by the end we were all in different spots. What I got from this training is that everyone isn’t given the same opportunities as others, but being in Bonner, we have all achieved goals.
    I have been able to transfer this beyond the seminar room by always keeping in mind and reminding my friends that we all have different privileges and you shouldn’t judge someone else because you don’t know what they’ve had to do/overcome to get to where they are.

  8. Nia Colon says:

    The training that stuck out to me was the harm reduction training. It was extremely informative and educational. I found that it stuck to me to this day because I never knew about it until the training. I think that the term harm reduction and the training that goes along with it should be something for all. It is not just for those who are going into the medical field it should be something for everyone. I think a great way to expand this information outside of the seminar room can be to educate those on the term of harm reduction. This could even be something that is done on campus in the SSU so everyone on campus has the opportunity to go.

  9. Maura Lynch says:

    When I think of the most impactful training in Bonner so far, I think of Diversity training. As a Bonner I think it sets us apart with our abundant understanding of sensitive topics such as this. Without understanding these fundamental ideals, we wouldn’t be able to understand the issues in the capital region. I’m glad this was a training we had right at the beginning of our Bonner careers because it set a good foundation for how we impact our community.

  10. Tristan Hunzinger says:

    I think that the training that stood out most to me from this semester was the public speaking training that the sophomore class participated in. I thought it was beneficial to be able to practice our public speaking skills in a setting that we all felt pretty comfortable in so that we could take those skills and apply them into our careers.

  11. Pierre Dalce says:

    We have had a lot of trainings here during my time with the Bonner program. However the training that stuck with me throughout long after it occurred was the training with the womens group and the presentation from the the mother who had lost her daughter from domestic abuse. That training was the most profound training that is still lodged into my brain. This training goes far beyond the seminar room and spills over into the real world because domestic violence is a topic that must be topic that does not die out it is so important that we keep those most vulnerable safe from the dangers of domestic violence and physical abuse.

  12. Mara Golden says:

    One training that really stuck with me was the Harm Reduction training. I had heard of harm reduction before but was not 100% sure what it really was. It was interesting to learn something new and have my eyes opened to a new problem that affects all people. I had not thought about harm reduction being anything but having to do with drugs. One way to move this training outside of our seminar room would be to check if our sites have harm reduction options. An easy option to apply to all sites would be to have condoms available to those who may need them. It is something small that can have such a big impact on so many lives.

  13. Ecli Vazquez says:

    One training that had a huge impact on me this previous semester would be when we spoke about Redlining. It really made me think of where I lived and how the labels from the past can really affect an environment in the future. From this training, I was inspired to explore more this topic of Redlining and made it my capstone topic. It also really showed me how these zones from the past exist in the future. Overall, I became really invested in this topic and I can’t wait to write my paper.

  14. Hayley Pij says:

    I really enjoyed being able to facilitate a training with Kayla on Harm Reduction! I think it is so awesome that we can incorporate our passions and academic interests into Bonner meetings, while simultaneously educating peers. I hope that this tradition of trainings that reflect the intersection between Bonner commitments and relevant social justice issues continues. I also enjoyed the training that Sam and Kate led on Refugees.

  15. Abigail Hoekman says:

    One training that has impacted me most thus far (since I do not attend seminar training this semester) would be a self care training we did last year. One person at a time we went up and responded to a series of questions. With each question we would either place or remove a textbook from a garbage bag we were holding. This training was eye opening for me to have a physical representation of all the work and responsibility I have on my plate. After a while, the bag would tear and all the books would fall out. Although this was a simple exercise, it stuck with me to truly understand the importance of self-preservation and maintaining a healthy balance of work and relaxation in life. Every time I go to sign up for an additional responsibility I first think about this exercise now and seriously consider whether I can manage the additional load or if the addition will be what breaks my theoretical garbage bag. I am now much more in-tune with my energy level and am better able to recognize when I am feeling weighed down and strained and stop to take a break or figure out what’s gotta give in order for me to continue functioning at my best in all areas of life.

  16. Dana Wakeman says:

    One of my favorite trainings this semester was the Harm Reduction training that Kayla and Hayley facilitated. It focused on how to find a better way to help people who are suffering from substance use disorder. I think this training provided a completely new understanding because it acknowledged that recovery is a process and is different for everyone. It goes beyond the seminar room for me because my capstone/thesis next year is focusing on drug diversion programs, and it may be useful for me to include information about harm reduction in that project.

    Another training was the MLK event with environmentalist Winona LaDuke. I enjoyed this training because she described her work as a water protector. Also, she stated that just because we can do something because we have the technology, doesn’t mean we should. I think this is an important point to take outside of the seminar room because with all of the technology available, we need to be cautious about the consequences of our actions.

  17. Michael Averill says:

    The training that stuck with me the mot this semester was “Migration” which was facilitated by Sam and Kate. I thought that this training was one of the best ones that we have ever had in regards to the social justice topic of migration and refugees. There were interactive portions such as the refugee journey simulator and the walk-around statistics about migrants in the United States throughout the room. There was also opportunities for small and large group discussions about the topics we discussed.
    I think that it’s critically important that we have trainings on migration and refugees because in some way or another, all of us will work with migrants and refugees during our time in the Bonner program. Albany is a very diverse community with people from all walks of life. In my own service experience, I have worked with children and families that are migrants and refugees. Additionally, I have been doing active research for Mayan Hands over ways in which to prevent mass migration from countries such as Guatemala over economic hardship. People do not want to flee their homes and communities, but when desperation strikes, drastic measures have to be taken. It s up to us as agents of change to help migrants and refugees adapt to their new environments and understand the economic and political landscapes that led them to flee their own communities and end up in ours.

  18. Samantha Lunt says:

    The seminar that really stuck with me was from winter retreat when we did the privilege walk. This stuck with me because I think a lot of times I think I know someone, especially spending a lot of time with everyone in bonner. However, there are always things you don’t know about a person. This training showed me how we all come from such different backgrounds and are able to bring so much to this program because of that. I was able to take this beyond the seminar room and think of it and how it applies in the real world and understanding how everyone comes from different backgrounds and has different opportunities. Also in my first year seminar class when talking about diversity. I think one of the biggest takeaways for me is in this training we all started on the same line, however the reality of this is that in life we don’t all start in the same spot.

  19. Sarah Ahmed says:

    The training that has impacted me was MLK speaker Winona LaDuke. The issues that she discussed not only surrounding the environment but the struggles of the indigenous people was very shocking. I, of course, knew the history of Americans attempting to drive the indigenous people away, but I was not aware that corporations are continuing to place pipes and other things to benefit themselves instead of considering the territories sacred. It was upsetting to also to hear how hard the indigenous people have to fight every day just to keep their land pure. Americans are still continuing to instill their beliefs on the indigenous people which is an issue I don’t think is discussed enough. We constantly attempt to force indigenous people to assimilate when they have every right not to, yet powerful corporations are not respecting that. This has stayed with me because we talk about indigenous people as part of history, but not part of today’s society.

    • Andraya Perez says:

      Sarah I also really enjoyed Winona LaDuke talk. I thought it was really important to have this conversation on Siena’s campus. It is definitely a topic people do not talk about and I was happy to be a part of the conversation.

  20. Grace Harris says:

    The training that stood out to the most to me was the harm reduction training. As a social work student I have been familiar with harm reduction for a while now but I always enjoying seeing other reactions to it. I think harm reduction is also relevant to Bonner because we do it so often at our site but never even realized it! I also think harm reduction is a great way to live and it has personally been a great tool for me when it comes to managing some of my day to day when it comes to recent events. Overall love harm reduction theory and I was glad it was introduced to Bonner!

  21. Marykate Del Gais says:

    The training that has stuck with me the most was the privilege walk we did during Winter retreat. This stuck with me because I’ve met everyone in that room and spent time with them during the semester, but never would have guessed any of what was stepped for. It was interesting to see how different everyones lives are behind the scenes, yet we all come together at Siena sharing so many interests. I was able to transfer this beyond the seminar room because we talked about privilege walks during my first year seminar class. My professor mentioned how she used to do one at the start of the spring semester with her classes, but she stopped because she wasn’t sure if people were comfortable with it. My peers all said they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable doing it. However, I spoke out about how you feel that way going into it, but when you’re participating in it you may feel uncomfortable with where you’re standing. I also mentioned how we all started in the same line when in reality we are all starting at different points when we enter the world.

  22. Jack McKenna says:

    For me, the harm reduction training stood out the most. It’s not something I’ve considered, or even talked about that often. Usually when I learn about drugs and things of that nature the whole lecture is about how harmful it is, and why you should never do it. They hardly ever discuss how you can provide these people with safe and regulated options. I also liked how Haley and Kayla, two social works majors, connected the idea of harm reduction to other aspects of social work. My biggest take away was that it’s not just about drugs, it’s more about respecting everyone right to make their own decisions, but providing them with the safest possible options. This gave me a new perspective on people who struggle with addiction, showing me that they’re humans first, and deserve just as much protection and support as anyone else.

    • Dana Wakeman says:

      Jack, I completely agree, the harm reduction training was great! And, I like how you describe the importance of harm reduction as giving people more autonomy over their own decisions.

  23. Andraya Perez says:

    One training that has really stuck with me this semester was our first training back from winter break, Money & Communities (redlining). I thought it was a great first training back this semester and got us talking about a difficult topic. It was really eye-opening to me when we got to see the way redlining affected the communities we served such as Albany, Schenectady, and Troy. I thought when we were talking about the cycle of poverty we got a better understanding of redlining and how it relates to our local community. My group talked about the issue of Education, being that I minor in Education I was engaged in the conversation we had. Beyond the seminar, I have been looking into how redlining effects other communities I am apart of besides the Captial Region.

  24. Cody Romani says:

    I am not exactly sure if this counts as a seminar but I really liked when we talked about privilege and did the privilege walk during Winter Retreat. This was a very eye opening experience for me. Different situations were uttered and if you aligned with one of those situations or did not, you took a step back or a step forward. What was amazing was that we all started at the same place but, ended up in different places in the room. This really demonstrated how real privilege is and how some people must work harder in order to achieve the same results as the person next to them. One way I can transfer this beyond the Seminar room is by being aware of my privilege and the privileges of others. Also, I can use my privileges to help those who are less privileged than me. At my service site, I am using my privilege of being a Bonner to help people and their families get necessary sustenance.

    • Alexis D'Aloia says:

      I also really enjoyed this training! It really puts things into perspective and makes you more aware of the people around you. An old mentor of mine used to say that you always have to “remember who’s in the room.” By this he meant that we don’t always know everything about an individual, and the privilege walk certainly helps us to learn more about each other and recognize diversity!

  25. Abeer Jafri says:

    One training that has stuck with me since we did it during Summer Gear Up was the Damietta chains one. I think the fact that it shows such a shockingly visual representation of how stereotypes work and can damage a person is what made it so impactful to me. It was also very raw and honest without being sugar coated, which added to its effectiveness. Beyond the seminar room, it just added more force to my pre-existing beliefs that no one should be marginalized based on stereotypes, and it is important to watch our words because we don’t know what a person could be going through.

    • Dana Wakeman says:

      Abeer, we’re so glad that you enjoyed that experience! Also, I like how we are able to learn something new every time that we do that training.

  26. Stephanie Da Fonseca says:

    The training that impacted me the most was the training where we got to edit our resumes and do mock interviews and etc. To me it was so fun and memorable because it is something that’s sneaking up on us and is going to be so useful so soon. So many of us didn’t have resumes before this training and now we have one that has feedback. To learn about how to make your job search your full time job was also very interesting, I never thought how important the job search is, maybe even just as much as the job itself. I lived this training and it was also so much fun!

    • Alexis D'Aloia says:

      I’m glad this training was so impactful! It was definitely beneficial to get some tips and tricks in all those different areas and to be able to start building a resume and get it critiqued is sooo helpful, even as you get older and make changes to it.

  27. Jamie del Rosario says:

    Technically not a seminar since it was a part of winter retreat, but I actually quite enjoyed when we split ourselves into issue areas and had discussions (both of the problems and solutions) related to the populations affected. I think it was particularly effective because it focused on a range of levels (individual, ACE, Siena, community, society, etc.) which was realistic considering issues must be handled differently at each level and our level of personal involvement can look different too. Part of the reason I enjoyed this so much is because it gave us the chance to have a really good conversation about both Bonners and NExT members about something we were passionate about or interested in, so everyone was very involved and had experiences to talk about, which made the conversation much more meaningful. I love trainings like this that really engage the students into a discussion that they care about so that it’s more authentic.

    • Andraya Perez says:

      Jamie, I agree I really enjoyed that part during winter retreat. I thought it allowed us to have a more in-depth and authentic conversation about the topics!

  28. Liliana Sanchez says:

    One of the trainings that have stuck to me the most have been the river stories along with the privilege line we did during winter retreat. River stories although we do them very often, always make me think deeper and learn something about myself. It is like self therapy. This has helped me make better connections with people by relating to similar struggles or victories throughout my life and being able to help others through those same struggles or victories. The privilege line activity we did during winter retreat I feel also makes you look deeper into yourself and get to know and understand the people around you who are on the same line. Same with the river stories, the privilege line helps you to connect with other who you never thought you would connect with.

    • Jamie del Rosario says:

      I have always loved river stories and the fact that we do one each year. I still have all of mine! And I agree that the privilege walk is a very powerful training.

  29. Chandler Edbauer says:

    I was very interested in the seminar for career improvements. I felt really happy about looking through my stuff again and finding things that could help improve my resume. Along with your resume there is a lot of other factors that affect an interview and learning to improve those helped a lot. This stuck with me because I like planning for the future and improving my skills in the business world. I definitely feel like this will help me later when I need to remember tips and useful information to help me when preparing for an interview.

    • Jamie del Rosario says:

      Trainings like these are always helpful, especially for freshman bonners. And you will have more chances in the future to improve and finetune those skills even more!

  30. Samantha Gisleson says:

    This semester, the training that has stuck with me the most was the MLK Speaker, Winona LaDuke. Her talk about water protectors, indigenous lands, and environmental protection was extremely impactful. On a recent trip to Arizona with the Franciscan Center I was able to see a documentary about the movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline that happened at Standing Rock and I was also able to hear from someone who was at Standing Rock. Standing Rock is an Native American Reservation that is located in both North and South Dakota. While learning about Standing Rock, I was able to learn more about water protectors and what they will do to protect the earth. The Dakota Access Pipeline was first proposed in 2014, and after three years of pauses, it was unfortunately finished in 2017. Throughout the three years of construction, water protectors protested every day. The pipeline has leaked multiple times, which only further proves the point of those who protested its installment. Both Winona’s speech and this experience have reinforced the notion that we must protect the earth. They both also reminded me that a majority of the land that makes up the United States is indigenous land. We have to remember that we are all immigrants, and that it is not our right to use it as we please.

  31. Aedan says:

    Think about the trainings you’ve participated in thus far this semester. Which training has stuck with you days or weeks after participating in it? Why? How can or have you been able to transfer it beyond the seminar room?

    I think that the training that stuck with me the most was the MLK speaker Dr. ALex Pieterse (I might have spelled that wrong). I really enjoyed his talk on the mental health of students of color, especially on private campuses. I think that often with speakers, although the information that they provide is important, it is not new or very thought provoking. I thought that this speaker was relevant and thought provoking, as well as important to a campus like Siena. I think that it was important that he emphasized that in order to be effective Siena would need to be extremely devoted to their efforts in embracing diversity and supporting diversity. I also think that his discussions of rejecting multiculturalism as the only aspect of diversity is very important in a Bonner context.

    • Andraya Perez says:

      Aedan, I also thought Dr. Alex Pieterse was very inspiring. I thought he was a great speaker and loved the way he talked about the mental health of students of color. I agree this was not new or shocking information to me but an important conversation to have on Siena’s campus.

  32. Marlie says:

    One of the most impactful trainings this semester was definitely the Harm Reduction training. Like Nancy, this is not something that I heard about prior to this training. Harm reduction techniques can be used in so many instances, pretty much all of which I never thought about before the training. In particular, one takeaway I had from this training was how harm reduction gives the power and autonomy back to the individual. I find this to be one of the most important aspects of the training because it highlights the self-worth of everyone, regardless of whatever situation you are in. I have been able to implement this training beyond or class in my capstone work with electronic health records and have found the information useful in reference to empowering patients with such records.

    • Jamie del Rosario says:

      I definitely think it was great that we were able to expand the thinking on harm reduction and where it can be applicable in our fields. I’m glad you enjoyed it too!

  33. Kylie Gilbride says:

    I definitely agree with Alexis about how impactful the Maintaining Professional Boundaries Training was. As college students and as bonners, we have certainly learned how to properly conduct ourselves and how we should be acting in professional settings; this training was a great reminder on how to do so and to hear peers’ strategies for maintaining this. This training especially resonated with me because we also talked about how our sites/supervisors should be conducting themselves as well. It’s important to acknowledge that there are two components that make up a professional setting: us and our sites. This training was important because it helped me to remember that both us and our sites have roles to play in maintaining professional boundaries.

    • Dana Wakeman says:

      Kylie, you bring up such a great point, we need to work with our sites to create this professional environment!

  34. Alexis D'Aloia says:

    One of the trainings that has stuck with me was the Maintaining Professional Boundaries Training that I did with the juniors and seniors. I really liked this training because it helped to outline different factors that can affect a professional relationship and how to navigate different situations. It stays in the back of my head because I feel like it can be applied in so many different areas of my life in addition to Bonner. I’ve been able to transfer the knowledge and skills beyond the seminar room in all different areas. I keep these boundaries and situations in mind when working with ACE mentors as well as in the classroom with my professors. It has also been a big help in working with OCL as a CA because we essentially live and work with our bosses and one another. Recognizing how to create and maintain those boundaries is super beneficial especially given the situation of work and life being so closely tied.

  35. Nancy Rasmussen says:

    When I think of the most impactful training from this past semester, the training we had on Harm Reduction stands out. Before this training, I never heard of the phrase “harm reduction.” It was interesting to learn about it from two senior social work majors. I think Kayla and Hayley did a wonderful job of explaining the ins and outs of harm reduction and clarifying that it is not just about drugs. I think I can transfer this training beyond the seminar room by simply knowing about harm reduction. I think that knowledge is power, and especially as a college student, it is so vital to have information like this because you never know when you may need it.

    • Alexis D'Aloia says:

      I agree! Knowledge is power. Just being aware of harm reduction and the different ways it can be implemented is super beneficial. It can help you to think outside the box in all different situations to potentially help. Glad you got something out of this training and I hope you find ways to apply it in different communities beyond Bonner.

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