Adia’s Perspective 2019 – MA to LA!
Adia Bennett is joining us in Los Angeles again this summer for Our Place Summer School – and we are so grateful to have her strong, sweet, graceful guidance in the field, as our first Counselor in Training program launches this week, July 8th-12th.
Adia has walked as a Biocitizen for almost 10 years now! She nows steps into her role as a mentor and leader, and we are so happy to have her working with our aspiring leaders this summer! Welcome back Adia! Below are her thoughts on what it is to be a Biocitizen CIT.
What is a CIT?
CIT is easily the best title to have within the Biocitizen family. CITs have the opportunity to learn how to be a staff member in the field while still experiencing the fun of being a student. The extra help they offer is extremely useful, but of course they still have much to learn.
A big part of the Biocitizen CIT role is to learn how to become a teacher at the school. That involves a lot of watching older staff members while they supervise tubeless-tubing, counting heads, or bandage up a ground bee sting. CITs also have to pay attention to the smaller, unspoken responsibilities the staff takes on, such as resolving conflicts between students, identifying different trees, or even telling a story.
The job of a CIT is to connect, to assist, and to learn. They often end up being the ones carrying the water bag, two life preservers, and eight backpacks on hikes, but they are much more than an extra set of hands. CITs are essential members of the Biocitizen team. They offer a bridge between campers and staff that no other Biocitizens can bring to the table. Their youthful energy allows them to connect to campers on a different level than staff are able to. CITs help us by simply interacting with the students; listening, teaching, and storytelling is what the school is all about.
Source: Biocitizen Inc., Los Angeles, CA
