For my Insprie week I worked with the Adapdiv Sports Association. ASA goal is to get pele woth physcal or cognitive disabiliys out into the outdors to enjoy some sports that they eoulf not habe been able to do alone. We worked with them at purgarty to get polpe outside on skis and sit skis. Our role as shadows was to help the instudtor with getting students equitment and keeping them in good moods so we could ski all day. We where able to work with the student on the hill by holding them back fro goung to fast guriding them where to go. When the stutn wher able to lsten to you could give them tips on turning and stoping.
Big Takeaways My biggest takeaway from this week was how lucky I am. I have been enjoying skiing and outdoor sports since I can remember. To work with there people who are not as lucky I am was very impactful. We were able to give people the opportunity to do something they would have never done before. When you could see or hear that they were having fun doing something I love was amazing. Their faces would say it all. We had given these people an insane opportunity and I was there to be a part of it. It has shown me that even people with disabilities can enjoy being outside.
Connections Between Work and School. One skill that I developed over this project was communication. First of we had to communicate with our instructors to see what we had planned for the student that day. If I had not been able to communicate with them I would have just followed then around and I would not have known what I was doing. Lucky I was a very big part of teaching the student because I could communicate with the instructors. Another big piece was communicating with people with disabilities. Somethings they couldn't communicate with their words so you would have to observe their actions and faces to see how they were enjoying or learning.
Time management. I think that my time management on this project was great. I arrived on time every day with enough time for me to get ready and prepare for my instructor and student to arrive. Once the student was there I helped them get their gear on and keep them company when the instructor was doing other things. When lunch came around I either ate with my student or I talked to my instructor to see if I could take a couple of laps with my friends. The instructor would give me a time that I needed to go back and I would make it there in time to get my student back out onto the hill to ski more. I also recognized when I was not needed anymore in the lesson so I went back to the cabin and worked to clean up and help out with equipment.
Connections to Future Goals and Plans. I enjoyed this week overall. I enjoyed working with students to ski. I don't think that I would be doing this in the future. One thing that I did realize is that I enjoyed being able to work outside. During school, I don't get much if any time outside. When I was able to go outside and be in the mountains I felt like I was refreshed and able to focus and get good work done. Also when I'm outside it doesn't feel like work. What I took away from this was that if I can find a career with engineering involved that is also outside a lot then I would be able to enjoy my work more than if I was stuck inside all the time.
Advice for Future Students. To get the most out of your future inspire week I would first choose the one that interests you the most. For me, that was being outside and working with people. The major advice that I would give you is don't just stand back and watch the whole time. You are there to help out and make everyone's lives easier. Work with your instructor or leader to ask what you can do and get in there and do good work. If you stand back and watch you are not going to get much out of the week. If you get in their and work then you will take away first-hand experiences that can help you in the future with jobs and volunteer service.