Well, as Scott would say…..It's time for some reflections.

There have been some interesting and memorable moments since the SPEC'S introduction of John Snow and Muhammad Yunus. In the beginning, the literature seemed as simple, widespread practices. Some of the thinking was that the coursework represented a positive reinforcement into the general practices and believes already established by many businesses in the non-profit world. Much of my skepticism (in the beginning) was openly in the buy-in process. However, taking a look back, reflecting on the early days of the project, it amazes me how soon we (the course members and representing agencies) were going to find ourselves practicing several of the guiding principals behind SPEC's.   

My first SPEC's "a-ha" moment was around March 2009. With the support of Isaac, Ora, Scott, and the rest of UM's School of Education, Switchboard of Miami was able to conduct a social service advocacy summit. The event was guided by the SPEC's principles of adopting a humble, but comprehensive approach, where a collaborative of multiple community groups gathered together, to collectively identify and address barriers that affected the delivery of social and behavioral services in Miami-Dade County.  It took into account both the constraints of each organization, as well as the common causes of unmet needs, and how each agency sought to address them.  

The second was six months later around September 2009. The problems which most agencies providing social services were facing, were not just affecting county residents, but were also directly affecting each originations fiscal infrastructure. Due to local government budget restrictions, it was proposed that all county funding be eliminated from its fiscal year. As a result, many of the impacted agencies were able to come together to address the issue. The campaign that was originated (created by participating SPEC partners), adopted a comprehensive, collaborative approach. This collaborative of social change, explored organizational functioning, and taking into account the systemic causes of the problems commonly faced by each agency.

The results of these two memorable events, partnered with the multiple class self-assessments, have provided me with the most impactful moments as it relates to the project. The ability to openly discuss and share ideas such as the events listed above, with the ground rules established from day one, made the process easy. additionally, the sharing of class readings and materials, and promotion of our ongoing transformation team, despite the completion of the funded part of the SPEC's project, has resulted in a positive engagement and buy-in of others at Switchboard.  It appears that as a result of these types of interactions, SPEC's will have a long lasting affective atmosphere stimulating our staffs' own well being.