Re: Time

From: edequity@phoenix.edc.org
Date: Fri Dec 03 1999 - 17:16:33 EST


I can't resist commenting on the earlier post about "time."
Frankly, MOST of the costs involved in ANY of these efforts require little
besides "time." Time to plan the programs, time to get all those
individuals and organizations with good intentions and willingness to have
their facilities, equipment, materials, and expertise tapped (as long as it
doesn't take up too much time!), time to coordinate the myriad of details
involved in any educational program or enterprise. There are only 24 hours
in any given day. All of us wrestle with how best to spend our time and
balance competing demands and interests for use of it. Time means people,
often skilled people, and these resources cannot be seen as insigificant.
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, impediment to sustainability, or
even scalability, of any of these wonderful, well-planned, effective
programs that help inspire girls and young women, is the failure to account
fully for the time(=human resources=staff+volunteers) required. People
will put aside regular work, famly commitments, sleep, and recreation in
the short term, to commit and spend time needed for a one-time, innovative
event they feel is worthwhile. But not accounting for that time, and
including it in the costs, as a very real, hard expense, will not only make
a program unsustainable, but also give the false impression that these
efforts can be accomplished without a major investment.

Carol Muller
Executive Director, MentorNet
<cbmuller@email.sjsu.edu>



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