Working through the Heart for Community at Zoongizi Ode

By Fiona Slota, 2nd year MDP Student

For my second placement, I have been working with Zoongizi Ode, (formerly Fearless R2W) dedicated to empowering youth and families in Manitoba impacted by complex systems, through advocacy, education, and support. This organization supports youth and families, including those connected to the Child and Family Services (CFS). 

My role as practicum student focused on what goes on behind the scenes. This includes helping to create and organize Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s), creating filing systems for documents and creating templates that are transferable and easy to use. These resources can support staff, volunteers, students, and future MDP placements. Some of the areas I have worked on include volunteer on boarding, youth intake, confidentiality, case notes, incident reporting, cultural protocol, research consent and meeting notes. I had the opportunity to experience what it takes to plan a conference. It involves continuous meetings and communication. This makes me value the importance of record-keeping because it shows respect for someone’s time and energy, more importantly it reinforced being on tasks a staying organized. I experienced being a panelist for the first time at a conference which boosted my confidence in a low stake sort of way. 

This placement has helped me understand that strong community work requires both heart and structure. I am grateful to contribute to the organization and future students going forward.