I'm the youngest person at my workplace, and even some of the interns are older than I am. I'm most often the youngest person at most of the conferences/convergences/committees that I'm a part of. As a recent college graduate, you'd probably expect that I would be among the youngest folks no matter what professional setting I'm in.
I don't necessarily mind that, since I can't change when I was born, and I'm pretty comfortable with most aspects of myself. The only thing that annoys me is when people make comments about it. I'm sure you know some of them, but here are some of them:
--"You sounded so much older on the phone/in your proposal/insert-situation-here."
--"You write/speak/present so well for your age."
--"You're a lot more mature for your years."
I know they are probably well-meaning, but does anyone besides me see the condescending nature of these comments?? What they're implying is that what a twentysomething writes or speaks about usually wouldn't have much merit, but I happen to be the exception. Or that twentysomethings usually aren't all that mature. And their comments really are not an observation about how young people act, but rather how they think young people act. I know that some folks may maintain that ageism is directed toward the older members of our society, but I don't think that it's any better or less harmful directed toward the younger members. In fact, it really underestimates and de-values their experiences for the same reason--age! It's equally awful, no matter who it's directed at.
Let me get this straight. I don't write well for my age. I write well. Period. My public speaking skills aren't good for my age. They're good. Period. Public speaking is something I like to do and really excel at. I'm not mature for my years. In most cases, I am just that, mature. (And in other cases, I'm quite the opposite, because, like everyone else, I'm human.) When talking to many funders, I would wager a guess that I'm a lot more knowledgable about crisis work than they are. It has nothing to do with age, but rather experience (which I have a lot of).
I think some of the deepest friendships and best professional relationships I've had with folks older than me (and by that I mean by at least a decade, not one or two years) have been with people who recognize the blessing that is their experiences and wisdom as well as recognizing that the young people have a good deal to share and contribute to the world as well. I think that's so important. It's one thing to realize the experience that comes with age, but it's also vital to recognize that experience and wisdom comes at all ages.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Six months...a revel's reflection
I haven't written in ever so long, mostly because I've been unbelievably busy and partly because I am not entirely sure how I could condense everything I've been feeling into a blog-ready, condensed entry. I've been at my job for six months.
Doesn't seem that long, does it?
I feel like I've grown a lot in that time. I'm still marvelling over the fact that I'm there. For those of you who don't know, I'm working at the rape crisis center where I interned a few years ago. I figured that when I entered the "Real World" it'd most likely be at a non-profit, preferably a women's organization like a crisis center but not necessarily this crisis center. I've learned so much in this short period of time: how to write grants and proposals, how to analyze budgets and audits, how to improve my public speaking skills (I was good at public speaking before, but I think I've really improved), and what it means to represent my cause. All that and more. I feel like I'm really making a difference in the lives of women and children.
Being at the flagship agency in the state also really has made me aware of everything that goes into being among the best. I remember that I studied the history of crisis intervention back during my senior year, and I had made the case that advocates needed to get back their grassroots approach to their work. I still agree with that, but I see the current state of crisis intervention as the next phase in that grassroots movement. No matter how much a center can be sophisticated and polished, the fact is that we still need to advocate for victims of violence. And the kinds of things that we do help bring advocacy and the horrifying subject of violence against women and children into the public consciousness. As much as some of our popular fundraisers may seem like a far cry from the grassroots days of yore, they represent the next stage on our journey because they show that anyone can advocate for a victim, in the largest or smallest of ways.
Being at such a big and multifaceted agency also has made me wonder how the small centers do everything they do and still stay strong. I remember during my days at Rape Crisis/RACES (they go by RACES now but are still as fantastic as ever), all the employees did direct service as well as all the administrative and fundraising tasks. I remember when I'd go there after hours, many of the staff members would be there until 7 or 8 PM. I know that there are agencies that are even smaller and more pared-down, and I really have gained a greater respect for the way that they can do all of that hard work and still stay on top of their game.
Well, I'm sorry I kept you all waiting to hear about my updates, but I think this sums it up well. Happy 2010, everybody!
Doesn't seem that long, does it?
I feel like I've grown a lot in that time. I'm still marvelling over the fact that I'm there. For those of you who don't know, I'm working at the rape crisis center where I interned a few years ago. I figured that when I entered the "Real World" it'd most likely be at a non-profit, preferably a women's organization like a crisis center but not necessarily this crisis center. I've learned so much in this short period of time: how to write grants and proposals, how to analyze budgets and audits, how to improve my public speaking skills (I was good at public speaking before, but I think I've really improved), and what it means to represent my cause. All that and more. I feel like I'm really making a difference in the lives of women and children.
Being at the flagship agency in the state also really has made me aware of everything that goes into being among the best. I remember that I studied the history of crisis intervention back during my senior year, and I had made the case that advocates needed to get back their grassroots approach to their work. I still agree with that, but I see the current state of crisis intervention as the next phase in that grassroots movement. No matter how much a center can be sophisticated and polished, the fact is that we still need to advocate for victims of violence. And the kinds of things that we do help bring advocacy and the horrifying subject of violence against women and children into the public consciousness. As much as some of our popular fundraisers may seem like a far cry from the grassroots days of yore, they represent the next stage on our journey because they show that anyone can advocate for a victim, in the largest or smallest of ways.
Being at such a big and multifaceted agency also has made me wonder how the small centers do everything they do and still stay strong. I remember during my days at Rape Crisis/RACES (they go by RACES now but are still as fantastic as ever), all the employees did direct service as well as all the administrative and fundraising tasks. I remember when I'd go there after hours, many of the staff members would be there until 7 or 8 PM. I know that there are agencies that are even smaller and more pared-down, and I really have gained a greater respect for the way that they can do all of that hard work and still stay on top of their game.
Well, I'm sorry I kept you all waiting to hear about my updates, but I think this sums it up well. Happy 2010, everybody!
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