My overall assessment of our group project, My Sister Place, was that it was a great experience where a team of individuals came together to work towards a common good. Each of these individuals was compassionate and dedicated and had years of experience helping others. Throughout the journey, I felt a sense of closeness to each member despite the fact that each of us came from different backgrounds and specialized in different fields of social work. What I appreciated most about my team was that we were able to communicate openly. Each of us had individual ideas for the project and we were comfortable analyzing, discussing and settling for suitable options.
Our team was able to demonstrate professionalism throughout our time together. We were all informed of any developments and updates using emails, telephone calls and meetings. For example, in case a member was unable to attend a meeting, that team member would inform the team leader. The team leader would then inform the rest of the team of the member’s absence. Members of our team also demonstrated high levels of personal responsibility. I was impressed by the fact that even though someone was unable to attend a meeting, that individual ensured that his/her task was completed on time and thus did not slow down the team. This shows that each of us took our responsibilities very seriously.
Everyone seemed to participate actively in every aspect of the project. Every member would put in extra effort beyond what the task required so that our team would be the best at the end of the project. We all agreed to raise as much money as we could as team members. What was important was the team effort and not individual effort; all that mattered was that we as a team would work towards the success of the project. As the project progressed, we had a few issues to resolve but our team was good at problem solving.
Our first problem was how to address our letter so as to receive contributions. We asked our teacher for input on what she thought would be an appropriate opening line to address everyone in the community. After consultations, we all agreed on the opening line and moved on to the next task. This was to find out what we would present to My Sister Place to help the women out. Everyone came up with good ideas but it was a time consuming process and we only had a semester to successfully complete the project. We all agreed to give each woman a gift card. We felt that by giving each woman a gift card, it would give them a sense of self and empowerment because they would be able to go out and buy what they felt they needed. In addition, this women’s history indicated that they had not the opportunity or strength to make their own decisions.
Our leader showed great leadership abilities and was able to guide us through difficult times throughout the project. She showed great communication skills and kept the team informed on what we had done so far and what we needed to do so as to finish the project. She was always available to talk when one needed any help and her response time to returning emails and telephone calls was good. Her ability to share her time among the team members was commendable. I found it very helpful when she assisted me in an assignment or reading for the following week. She was very organized and had all the materials and items we needed at hand. She was able to get along with everyone, was always calm and this would reassure you that she was in control of things. I believe that as a result of this process, I gained a friend beyond graduate school.
The attitudes and behaviors of my team members were great; we all got along and were respectful to one another. Each of us aimed to do the best job that we could do for the success of the project. Each team member worked hard on this project and we all had faith in it and in each other that it would get done. We also displayed high levels of professionalism with each other; everyone was a delight to work with and had high energy levels in executing tasks. I felt that we all had high morale throughout the project. We were all excited when we were getting donations to fund our cause as this showed us our productivity. We realized the importance of team work because it takes an entire team to complete this process and we appreciated that one person could not do it alone. We also demonstrated flexibility; each of us had an opportunity to lead at various points throughout the project. This allowed every member to demonstrate their strengths. My final thoughts about my team and the success we achieved are ‘GREAT JOB!’
