Boys and Girls Club

In class this past week we discussed establishing a rapport during a consultancy, and asked the very important question of whether one can have a successful appointment if there is no common ground between the consultant and the student. Tomorrow we will have the very real opportunity to apply this theoretical discussion into a very real situation at the Boys and Girls club. As always, theory does not fit perfectly with experience, and it will be interesting to see how what we talk about in the classroom applies to not just the University Writing Center but also outside of the Richmond bubble. 

In preparation for this appointment, I have thought a lot about how exactly to find this common ground, especially with someone with whom on the surface I might not have a lot in common. I will introduce myself, ask them about themselves (grade, school, extracurricular activities, how they like the Boys and Girls Club, why they wanted to do this project), and then just talk with them a bit about the project and who they're planning on interviewing. I think it'll be very important to show them that I care about what they say and who they are, all the while creating a relaxed atmosphere, hopefully helping them see me as an ally and not a power figure. Talking about what brought them to this project and who they are going to interview will be important and will help segue into discussing their own digital story. I found a good example of a digital story on the center for digital stories website:

http://www.storycenter.org/stories/

and I will most likely show them one of our stories as well. What's important for me is for the student to leave the appointment knowing exactly what they want to learn from their interview, good interviewing techniques, and an idea of how to transform this interview into a story. Discussing what makes a story a story, maybe talking about popular movies or books, will also help. 

I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings!