By Elda Pineda, Senior Education & Programs Manager
At P.S. ARTS, when we say we foster learning and collaboration, we mean it! Learning is not just for our young students; our office staff is just as invested in expanding our own collective experience. As a nonprofit administrator, it’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of daily work, but at P.S. ARTS, we’ve made it a priority to take the time to stay abreast of best practices in the field, explore new ideas, learn from each other, and find new ways to work together.
In the spirit of our program theme this year, “Exploring Our Dreams–Expanding Our Universe,” this fall we formed our version of a Community of Practice (CoP), a concept that’s been kicking around the social sciences for the past 2 decades. A Community of Practice is a group of people who share a common interest, share their experiences and learn from each other. We combined the CoP with an even older concept from the 1870’s, Study Circles, which is a gathering to facilitate dialogue and learning. We call our events Community Study Sessions.
So, what does a Study Session look like? Every few weeks, a different staff member chooses a topic for study and facilitates the session. We’ve had a few formats, but most often our “stimulus” is an article about nonprofits, philanthropy, or arts education from an academic or trade publication. A few weeks before the session, the article is distributed, the staff reads it, and then we gather for 45 minutes to an hour to discuss the main points and explore ways to apply new concepts to our work, both individually and collaboratively. (And if you were slammed with work and didn’t have time to read, not to worry. A 10 bullet-point version is prepared so you can still join in the conversation.)
It began as an experiment, and participation in Study Sessions isn’t mandatory. I honestly didn’t know if anyone would be interested. But I’m happy to say that my co-workers are co-nerds so almost everyone shows up regularly! We’ve had some amazing conversations, “spirited debates,” and major “ah-ha” moments. But what’s been most rewarding is how much we learn from each other. I’m thrilled to be working with such intelligent and thoughtful people, each with strong opinions and an eagerness to learn. Through our sessions, I’ve gained a new perspective and appreciation for my work, P.S. ARTS, and my office mates.
Past Community Study Sessions Include:
- “Collective Impact” J. Kania & M. Kramer
- “The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong” D. Pallotta
- “When Good Is Not Good Enough” B. Shore, D. Hammond, A. Celep
Want To Learn More About CoPs and Study Circles?
