by Edward Doty and Margaret Hawthorne Doty
Program Consultants, Catholic Network of Volunteer Service

SUMMER 1995 - (archived information - please note the date of publication)

Visiting someone else's program can be an amazingly helpful, invigorating, and enlightening way to spend valuable work time. Or it can be interesting but irrelevant or even downright pointless. The difference between these scenarios lies in the planning, implementation and follow-through that goes into a peer visit.

The Corporation for National Service (CNS) has initiated a Peer Exchange program to enable AmeriCorps program directors to observe other established service programs in action. To enhance the quality of peer visits, the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service (CNVS) is coordinating the Peer Exchange program. With its nationwide network of 168 programs and extensive experience in program development, CNVS can provide invaluable assistance in all phases of peer exchanges to make them productive and informative as possible.

Deciding to Go

Should you go on a peer exchange visit? Ask yourself more than, "Do I have the time?" or "Am I impressed by Sarah Smith's program?" First look at your own program. A peer visit can enable you to see how someone else is dealing with challenges and provide you with ideas for your program, but it will not solve your problems. If you are in the middle of a crisis, you need more direct help than a peer visit can give. If you're feeling overwhelmed, demoralized, or burnt out, this is also not the time for a peer visit. And if you think everything's fine at your own program, seeing another may make you feel good, but it won't be a productive use of your time.

However, if you're at a turning point, facing new challenges, ready to expand or go in new directions, or you're in a position to make some changes and have the resources to proceed—then that's the time for a peer visit.

Getting Started

Keep in mind that a peer visit is not a passive observation. You're not going just to look around. Your visit should be an active inquiry about aspects of a program similar to and applicable to yours. The first step, therefore, is to determine what you'd like to learn. As you think about your visit, evaluate your program's challenges and choose two or three areas of focus that are appropriate for a peer visit. Work on areas that you can change with the resources you have. Few things are more frustrating that seeing something you think really works, only to find out you can't implement it in your program. CNVS can assist you in this process.

Finding a Program to Visit

Once you've determined that a peer exchange is appropriate, and you know what you want to learn, it's time to find a program to visit. It is important to find a program that is meeting similar challenges with similar resources. If you run an after-school program for at-risk youth, it may not be relevant to observe a public school program which provides help for at-risk students in school. Though it might be interesting, the resources available to the two programs and the regulations governing them are so different that trying to effect changes in one based on the other will probably be impossible.

Finding this program on your own can be difficult, so both the Corporation and CNVS can help. Share with the CNVS contact or your AmeriCorps program or training officer the type of program you have and the areas you would like to observe. You will end up with a peer exchange that is more profitable than that engendered by "I just have to see Joe Jones' program."

Making Contact

When a match is found, it's time to make contact with your potential host. CNVS can facilitate the initial introductions but you will need to talk with your host so that you can make the most of your visit. And don't make the first question, "When can I visit?" Before you talk "when," you must know "why," "what," and "who." Be prepared to discuss your areas of interest and what you would like to learn. Ask what activities are most likely to provide information about these areas.

Also think about who you would like to talk to and who can best answer your questions. Provide some suggestions of people that might not initially occur to your host. These may include the program director, staff, clients, AmeriCorps members, or supervisors, but keep in mind that your contact knows the personalities involved, and may decide one person is likely to be more helpful than another. Finally, ask if there are any written materials about the host program that can provide a context for you when you visit, and if they can be sent to you in advance. This helps avoid time wasted during the visit answering questions that could have been cleared up before your trip.

When to Go

Now, at last, it's time to consider when to make the visit. Unfortunately, your "slow time" is probably the slow time for any similar program, so it's not the best time to get the information you want. Wait a few months. Go when both your program and the host program are humming along smoothly and the activities you're interested in will be running normally. Don't go just before or after a vacation or a big event in your own program. You want to be able to give the visit your full attention. Once you've determined when you want to visit, CNVS can make all your travel arrangements and take care of logistical details.

And Finally...

Finally, follow up your call with a letter. Put the key elements of your conversation into writing. This will remind both you and your host of the activities you plan to observe, the areas about which you're gathering information, what changes you are considering implementing, and the people you would like to talk to. Also include any scheduling that's been done or conflicts that may occur. This gives an easy reference for your host to help plan a smooth visit.

Planning is the most important thing you can do to make a peer exchange a valuable way to face challenges and strengthen your own vision. Both the Corporation for National Service and CNVS can help provide you with other materials which can help facilitate every phase of a peer exchange, including planning, the visit itself, follow-through and assessment. Checklists, evaluations, and further guidelines can maximize the effectiveness of your visit and minimize the frustrations. Make your visit count!

To arrange a Peer Exchange, call or email Simon Park at the Catholic Network of Volunteer Service, (800) 453-5046, in Washington, D.C. (202) 529-1100.

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