"Wait! Hawaii?! Give me your secrets!"

This is a common phrase I've been hearing over the past few weeks ever since... well, ever since I officially found out I was coming to Hawaii. They've varied a bit, such as:

• "Good Grief, Jenn. With luck like that, I'm going to have you breathe on some lotto
  tickets for me!"
• "Okay. Clearly I have upset the karma gods. What did you do to get such a deal?! Send
  me some hints!"
• "Damn girl!"
• "Hold the phone! You're going where?! How?! Can I come too?"
• "That's so awesome, yet so not fair! You better point out which star you wished on so I know which one to look for tonight!"
  

Yes, it's true. I managed to secure a practicum position in Hawaii. And after all this pestering, I'm about to share my "secret" on how I got here. You ready? You sure? Okay... here it is. I networked. Simple. Remember when we were told that networking pays off? Yeah, it did. I'm an example. Here's my story...

Back in late April - when I was seriously starting to freak out about finding a practicum - I decided to reach out to some old employeers from my AmeriCorps*VISTA days (figuring that that line of work would lead to something that would fit my practicum needs). One of those contacts was my old boss (for like a month), Gary. See, during my tenure as a VISTA, I knew Gary in different capacities. During my first term he sat on the board of my organization, during my second term when I needed to switch organizations he offered me a position, but then moved to Hawaii about a month later to take the position he is currently in.

When I contacted Gary, it wasn't to ask for a job, but rather to explain my degree/program/practicum situation and ask if he had any contacts for me (considering he's worked at many different universities and in multiple states). Once he learned of what I was looking to do, he simply asked if I'd be interested in working in Hawaii 4-H. He said that he knew it might be a stretch, but that there were organizational issues, and issues between participants that could benefit from my education/experience, and that he could really use the help. At first, I was dumb-founded... I mean, Hawaii?! Heck yes! But it was just an inquiry, not an official offer. I continued looking for other practicums, but kept in close contact with Gary throughout the remainder of the school year and the summer. Once we nailed out some of the details, it was full steam ahead.

So that's how I landed this "dream" opportunity. It's not the perfect practicum, and to be honest, if this would've have been any other state 4-H program, I would have had to consider it more to see if it was the best fit, but I'm happy I'm here.

As for what I'm doing here... I'm working as an intern for Hawaii 4-H, under the State 4-H Director. My main responsibilities are:

1. Introduce strategies for building an inclusive team focused on the development of
   children and youth.
2. Host workshops with 4-H leadership focused on program sustainability and integration
   into the community.
3. Work with small groups of paid and volunteer staff to practice strategies for working
   with other adults focused on child and youth development
4. Work with 4-H adult leadership, youth leadership and youth-adult leadership teams
   on strategies to promote and practice organizational unity.
5. Introduce conflict resolution/transformation skills.
6. Introduce behavioral standards appropriate for those working with children and
   youth.
7. Develop strategies to developing sustainable partnerships within the local and greater
   community.
8. Develop strategies for organizational (state-specific) sustainability and conflict
   resolution/transformation policies.
   

It looks like I may have my work cut out for me, but as for right now everything is still in the figuring-it-all-out stage. I'll keep you posted on which direction everything pans out. :)