THANK YOU!!!!
It's been twoeks since conference, and I am still so excited!
First off, I want to say another heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to my trip. I am humbled by your support, and I cannot wait to apply what I have learned at conference to our agency.
I wanted to show you all some highlights from the trip, and what the future holds regarding the information, best practices and ideas I have learned while at conference.
THANK YOU!!!!
It's been twoeks since conference, and I am still so excited!
First off, I want to say another heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to my trip. I am humbled by your support, and I cannot wait to apply what I have learned at conference to our agency.
I wanted to show you all some highlights from the trip, and what the future holds regarding the information, best practices and ideas I have learned while at conference.
From Burbank To Dallas
The flight from Burbank to Dallas was super smooth and easy. I got a quick nap on the plane and was lucky enough to sit with the whole team.
Once we landed in Dallas, we quickly learned our trip was going to be a hot one with a lot of humidity. The heat did not take away from our excitement and motivation to have a fabulous time!
First Day of Conference
Our team took in some of the sights before checking into the first day of conference.
We saw The Giant Eye Ball, The Kennedy Memorial, Dealey Plaza, The Old Red Courthouse, The statue of George Dealey and more.
We learned some history, paid our respects to an influential leader in our country, and bonded as a team.
After site seeing, we headed over to the conference. The hotel was decked out to the max in Big Brothers Big Sisters branding! We took a team photo in front of the Dallas sign, then headed to our first workshops and the opening session. My first workshop was learning about the new updates for the nationwide campaign, "It Takes Little To Be Big" and the next steps our agency needs to take to continue the trajectory of recruiting Bigs.
We got to listen in on a Q&A between President and CEO of BBBSA, Artis Stevens and New York Times Bestselling Author and Ted Talk speaker, Brene' Brown!
Later in the night, our team accepted our Platinum Award for 2023! It was such an honor to receive this prestigious award, and it has motivated us to win it again for 2024!
We also had the opportunity to meet with our fellow California
agencies at a local restaurant called "The Rustic" for dinner.
Conference Highlight
I had the privilege of meeting and taking a photo with the President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Artis Stevens.
My colleague Kathleen, who could not make the conference, requested a photo with Artis, so I obliged with a cut out of her face.
Second Day of Conference
Our second day of conference was filled with Super Sessions. These are open sessions that you do not need to register for, and there are a wide variety of topics to choose from. I chose another brand update workshop, and a second one on how building trust within our brand is extremely important in our success.
Our team got to see amazing performances from some local groups, like the super cute youth mariachi band and the extremely talented African dance and drum group.
At the end of the day, we got to eat some bonafide Texan BBQ at Terry Black's BBQ. Our team went back to the Air BNB with full stomachs and heads full of knowledge.
I got into the cowboy spirit with this fine green cowboy hat.
Third Day of Conference
Our third day of conference was a busy one! I got to attend one of my favorite workshops that I have ever attended. It was a recruitment panel workshop, where three different agencies presented their best practices for recruitment within their agencies.
I couldn't write fast enough with all of the fantastic ideas I heard. Making our flyers, graphics, videos and reels more localized was a big takeaway for me (no pun intended). For instance, instead of saying, "The youth in our community are in need of mentors", we can say, "Ventura County, defend the potential of a young person in your community by becoming a Big today!".
I also learned a great way to appreciate our mentors, while also recruiting folks from their various places of work. I will have a presentation with all of the information I learned soon!
That evening was also the Alumni Hall of Fame, and we got to celebrate the achievements of some of the most inspiring people. I was honored to wear a lei to commemorate the legacy of an amazing leader, Dennis Brown. He was the FIRST Little Brother in Hawaii, and eventually moved up to become the CEO. He retired last year and we got to celebrate him and his agency
Fourth Day of Conference
That evening was also the Alumni Hall of Fame, and we got to celebrate the achievements of some of the most inspiring people. I was honored to wear a lei to commemorate the legacy of an amazing leader, Dennis Brown. He was the FIRST Little Brother in Hawaii, and eventually moved up to become the CEO. He retired last year and we got to celebrate him and his agency
On our fourth and final day of conference, we started the day talking about cultivating happiness with New York Times Bestselling Author and speaker, Shawn Achor. It was a positive and fun way to kick off our last day.
I took a workshop on creating a marketing plan. I was pleased that I am using a lot of tools and best practices that were shared. I am very motivated to make my processes even better!
We had the opportunity to have a working lunch with a variety of staff from other agencies around the country. We shared our experiences on what works and what doesn't work when it comes to recruitment, on-boarding new staff, being JEDI (Justice, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) ready and more.
We learned that the 2025 National Conference will be in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!
We ended the night with a reception to honor the Bigs & Littles of the Year, and our fellow agencies. We had some musical guests, like Flo Rida and an awesome MC, Sway Calloway.
Our last day in Dallas was a travel day. We checked out of our Air BNB, walked around the NorthPark Center Mall and checked in for our flight home.
It was a successful conference and I am motivated and looking forward to applying all that I learned within our agency and community.
Stay tuned for my next steps!
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County |
805.484.2282 | info@bbsvc.org |BBSVC.org
Federal Tax ID 20-3425568