The Final Days of PST 2010!

Continuing along in the mini-series is the final week of pre-service training, called Bridge to Service. By the way, I got bored of the mini-series title, so now we'll have more interesting topic-related titles again!

After the 10-Day Future Site Visit, trainees returned to Belmopan for their final days of training (Bridge to Service). During Bridge to Service there are a few more safety and security and medical sessions for trainees as well as sessions on the volunteer handbook and policies and a few final wrap up presentations.

trainees compete in safety and security family feud

Each CBT site group prepared a 25-minute presentation about their experiences throughout CBT – this year, we trainers did a great job of encouraging them to be creative because all the presentations were well done and interesting. From a fun news cast to an MTV-style cribs show to dramatizations and to a Belizean version of The View, we all learned about each others’ sites in really creative ways.

The training culminates in one of the most anticipated activities of PST – the Talent Show! Actually, I began to wonder if it was only the training staff who got excited about the show, but this year’s group really brought out their talents and we got to enjoy comedy, singing, inspiration, and even an interpretative dance. It was a lot of fun and we staff members did not disappoint with this year’s video which was titled PST: The Musical. Last year, we did a pretty funny video that involved a reverse Peace Corps in which Belizeans went to volunteer in America – it was also hilarious. Neither video will be posted due to personal image rights and a lack of interest in further embarrassment… seriously, they are not for the internet, but we will share with friends and family upon request only. They are definitely videos made in the context of training and probably only make trainees and staff laugh anyway, so we won't force them on anyone!


Just following the talent show, trainees have their closing activity – one of my favorites, and one I used to do at the end of retreats with SGA and OLs – Touch Someone Who, a closing teambuilder that has an inner and outer circle. The people in the inner circle close their eyes as the people in the outer circle walk behind them and touch their shoulder when a statement is read that applies to them (such as “touch someone who helped you get through training/taught you something new/you consider a friend…”). It typically results in tears and hugs, as was the case here as well. In fact, this group is big on the group hug, so of course a massive group hug ensued.