MODULE 1 - Section 4
Creating A Healthy Short-Term Team: Process
15 Minutes to complete section and related assignments
In this section, you will learn:
Pre-Community (3-6 months): Plan details, form team, prepare, and communicate.
In-Community: Arrive, orient, engage community/team, debrief, depart.
Post-Community (1-3 months): Return home, debrief, partnership, and account funds.
Introduction
With our strong foundation of Purpose, Priorities and Perspectives in place, we can now build off of those elements to create healthy short-term teams.
We already discussed the two of the additional three components needed for a healthy team in Parameters in People, but now we turn our attention to the final component - Process.
Process refers to the practical steps and items needed to bring order and forward progress to a team. Process helps to ensure that all short-term team opportunities have a similar flow and experience every time they are carried out. This brings a level of consistency and ensures that key aspects of an opportunity are incorporated every time.
Presently, we have three distinct short-term team opportunities to invite goer-groups and individuals to come alongside our communities:
Virtual Tours Virtual Short-Term Teams Traveling Short-Term Teams
Each platform has the intentionality of the PPP foundation built into each unique opportunity and process. While the primary focus for this section will be on the process of Traveling STTs, you are highly encouraged to learn more about Virtual Tours and Virtual Short-Term Teams. They offer numerous benefits of allowing goers a convenient and accessible way to connect with your community as they grow in their compassion and interest in what God is doing in your community either before visiting or to continue the relationship after they return. These opportunities are especially helpful for secure context communities or those that are distant to get to. As you’ll also see, all three STT opportunities are complementary to each other and provide an increasing invitation to come further alongside the vulnerable. among many other benefits.
The primary administrative leadership for the execution of Traveling STTs is typically led by the STTs Dept. With Virtual Tours and Virtual Short-Term Teams, these opportunities are largely executed by you, the short-term team coordinator, with support from the STTs. Dept.
Both virtual opportunities have a 1hr+ training along with fully developed resources that will literally walk you through either of these platforms. The heavy lifting has been done for you. For a brief overview of what a Virtual Tour or Virtual Short-Term Team is like, please access the resource at the end of this section entitled Virtual Tours & Virtual Short-Term Teams Flyer.
Traveling Short-Term Team Process
At this point, we want to give you a brief overview of the TSTT process to give you a feel for the timing and flow of how this opportunity unfolds.
The process of a Traveling Short-Term Team is represented by three distinct pillars:
Pre-Community
In-Community
Post-Community
You will see under each pillar the ideal timeframe for each pillar, along with a brief explanation of the overview. Further down, each pillar is explained in more detail. Keep in mind that while the process is shared in an ideal linear fashion, there may be times when several aspects may occur simultaneously depending on when a team starts the process. To that end, please take note of the ideal timeframes in the overviews to ensure a team has enough time to prepare.
Finally, as you look at the process overview, remember the STT opportunity requirements we discussed back in Section 2. You will see how those are woven throughout the process as well.
Pre-Community
Initial Details
Global Engagement works with Host-Community and Goer-Group to ensure a good fit for all involved. GE works with HC and GG to finalize team details (dates, # of team members, and budget). Meanwhile, GG recruits team leader and GE finalizes approval. After, a GE send team registration document to the GG encapsulating deadlines and details. GG acceptance of the team details makes the team official.
Team Formation
Once the team details are set, the team leader begins to recruit participants and the team deposit is placed.
Preparation
Global Engagement has a leadership coaching call with the team leader prior to the start of team meetings to help set healthy expectations for the team and to help move this group of individuals into becoming a team. Meanwhile, the team begins fundraising, completing the necessary documentation, and engages in team meetings that include required training from Global Engagement.
Communication
As the team is preparing, Global Engagement and the Host-Community are in communication regarding team progress. Global Engagement gives the team time to build chemistry and engage training before connecting the team leader directly to you to converse regarding any questions while in-community. You can also begin to distribute any resources (ex. team handbook) or have any calls you wish with the team to enhance their preparation.
Final Steps
Team funds are distributed to the HC approximately 30 days prior to team arrival for team preparations. Global Engagement has a leadership coaching call with the team leader prior to departure to shift perspective to leading while in-community.
Post-Community
Team Returns
Global Engagement welcomes the team home and invites them to take next steps with your community and our organization.
Debriefings
GE connects with the HC to debrief the team's visit. Afterward, a debriefing with the team leader is had to gather stories, feedback, and discern partnership potential.
Partnership and Beyond
If capacity and fit are in place, we extend conversations between short-term team/partner with the host community to explore potential partnership and future short-term team opportunities, inviting Global Connections to join the conversations.More on this in Module 4. Sustained Relational Momentum
Financial Accounting
The host submits a financial reconciliation to account for the funds received to execute the short-term team.
In-Community
Arrival & Orientation
The team arrives and the coordinator welcomes the team. The coordinator/community team holds an orientation within the first 24hrs of the team's arrival.
Community Engagement
The team engages in daily activities relevant to the long-term work going on in the community.
Team Engagement
The team has a daily time together both to engage in personal/group devotions and to engage in a daily debrief, processing what happened that day. You have the option to be a part of this time with the team, which is highly encouraged.
Team Debriefings
Within the last 24-48 hrs, the team has a self-led end-of-week debrief in which they reflect together as a group and begin the mental transition home. The coordinator/community team has the option of debriefing with the team as you look back on the visit and invite the team to take next steps with your community. A free half-day/day is an optional tho often welcomed activity towards the end of the team's visit.
Departure
The team departs.
At this point, we hope that seeing an overview of the process let’s you know that the STTs Dept. has a well-structured process that is tried and true. We are here to guide you through this entire process. And want your goer-groups to experience the same - from relationship building to encouragement to leadership equipping and consistent team direction - we are here to ensure they are set up to enter your community with a flexible, listener, learner posture. To find out more about why you and your community benefit when a team is sent through our organization, check out the resource below entitled Working with Our Organization in Short-Term Teams.
Lastly, if you are wondering what role you will play in the team process, you can see those items in the Role Breakdown section found on the main dashboard of Modules 2, 3 and 4. You will also learn more about the intricacies of those breakdown deeper within the sections of each module.
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