As of January, we have doubled the number of staff working in our NY office, we have also added one in our European office, and replaced one in our Latin American office. I love new staff!
In Europe, Francois Jacob has stepped into his role as Director of Europe. After taking the first week to feel his way around the office and read through the archives he is now meeting our members and supporters and beginning to plan activities throughout Europe.
In Latin America Carlos is in the process of a staff transition, learning the systems, files, procedures and responsibilities of his new job as Director of Operations for Latin America.
In North America, Shannon Joseph is the new Director of North America. She is the first Director in almost two years now, and I have to admit that I am relearning my role as President now. Since I've started working for WYA I've been performing the job of President while also doing my best to keep some semblance of activity and communication alive in NA. This means I've been dialoguing and working with a number of persons who rightfully would work with the Director.
Since Shannon has begun her work, I've been able to tackle so many projects and issues which had been building and accumulating for months and had given up hope of ever having time for. She has given me a renewed appreciation for all the talented staff I have.
Two new international staff have also joined WYA. Kristen Panico is joining Maria Grizzetti on our Development team. She's already had a number of exciting, useful ideas for us to pursue which we hadn't thought of. Her experience in marketing is proving to be quite valuable to us all. Lastly, Cathy Young is our new Director of Communications. She comes to us from a background in neuromolecular research for cancer, so her new position is quite a change from all she's done before. Thanks to her background in science she is determined to meet deadlines, and thanks to leaving science is determined to discover every creative ability she has and use it for WYA's benefit.
I have only one last position I am searching for, International Director of Operations. All I will say is if this title sounds cool check out the website at www.wya.net.
So, why am I bothering to post what sounds like an annual report? Cuz it's my life! I truly do love new staff, and these amazing people make all of WYA's work possible. Since I spend the majority of my life currently trying to make our work more efficient and our ideas reach more people, anyone who contributes to this with me makes my life so much happier! Thanks guys :)
Friday, January 11, 2008
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Small Joys
People watching, quite possibly the best past time. My office window overlooks an arts college and all day long the street life unfolds beneath me. Early in the morning businessmen rush to work and students hang about on steps smoking or chatting. Mid-morning the construction and city workers hang about on those same steps smoking and chatting and following every pretty girl with their eyes down the block. Late afternoon the mothers and nannies push babies in strollers or chase after small children trying to get away. Evening, the street dies. We are in a residential area. Only the lone car drives by every few minutes.
It can be so much fun to people watch, to catch snippets of another person's conversation and life, to catch them in a boring moment, a thrilling moment, an emotional moment, an angry moment. Angry moments can be quite entertaining as people bare their soul to the world around them in an effort to express themself to whomever they're walking with or yelling at on a cell phone.
Different parts of the city bring about entirely different personalities. People watching in Central Park, Harlem, Wall Street, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Queens, even on 5th Avenue in comparison to York. Even the homeless seem to select the parts of the city that reflect their personality. Homeless people in Central park are often much friendlier than homeless people curled up outside a store on Lexington - perhaps because they're also just visiting for the day and consider it their vacation.
If you people watch in one area frequently enough, you'll notice the regulars, those who have the same schedule. If you switch your schedule, you'll discover a whole new group of regulars. I love naming regulars on personality. This was much easier in university when regulars could be spotted in the cafeteria based on class schedule, regulars in NY are hard to spot unless you yourself are a regular. It has happened before that after naming a regular I've become friends with the regular. It is so difficult to remember their actual name , I always feel that the one I've given them is just so much more appropriate, Adonis is so much more unique than Jack, Fraggle Rock is so much more unique than Lisa. Of course, rarely does Lisa appreciate knowing her past name was Fraggle Rock no matter how striking the resemblance.
I only hope people don't misunderstand me, I don't follow people. I watch people, you do too. You just may not have taken it to an art form which gives you so much joy as this gives me. Try it. Listen to three words of a conversation, watch the person's gait, check out their shoes and hair, and then try to imagine what they ate for breakfast, what they enjoy doing in their free time, what sort of work they do. Chances are that all of your surmising is wrong, but that's ok cuz you're not their shrink, you've just gone outside of yourself and entered another person's life momentarily. Who doesn't like making new friends, or at least watching potential friends walk by?
It can be so much fun to people watch, to catch snippets of another person's conversation and life, to catch them in a boring moment, a thrilling moment, an emotional moment, an angry moment. Angry moments can be quite entertaining as people bare their soul to the world around them in an effort to express themself to whomever they're walking with or yelling at on a cell phone.
Different parts of the city bring about entirely different personalities. People watching in Central Park, Harlem, Wall Street, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Queens, even on 5th Avenue in comparison to York. Even the homeless seem to select the parts of the city that reflect their personality. Homeless people in Central park are often much friendlier than homeless people curled up outside a store on Lexington - perhaps because they're also just visiting for the day and consider it their vacation.
If you people watch in one area frequently enough, you'll notice the regulars, those who have the same schedule. If you switch your schedule, you'll discover a whole new group of regulars. I love naming regulars on personality. This was much easier in university when regulars could be spotted in the cafeteria based on class schedule, regulars in NY are hard to spot unless you yourself are a regular. It has happened before that after naming a regular I've become friends with the regular. It is so difficult to remember their actual name , I always feel that the one I've given them is just so much more appropriate, Adonis is so much more unique than Jack, Fraggle Rock is so much more unique than Lisa. Of course, rarely does Lisa appreciate knowing her past name was Fraggle Rock no matter how striking the resemblance.
I only hope people don't misunderstand me, I don't follow people. I watch people, you do too. You just may not have taken it to an art form which gives you so much joy as this gives me. Try it. Listen to three words of a conversation, watch the person's gait, check out their shoes and hair, and then try to imagine what they ate for breakfast, what they enjoy doing in their free time, what sort of work they do. Chances are that all of your surmising is wrong, but that's ok cuz you're not their shrink, you've just gone outside of yourself and entered another person's life momentarily. Who doesn't like making new friends, or at least watching potential friends walk by?
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