Reflections from my first Going Greenheart Tour (GGHT)!
This summer, Greenheart Exchange staff members hit the road on “Going Greenheart Tours” (GGHT) to meet with international Summer Work and Travel participants, host organizations, and other program stakeholders. During GGHT trips, staff, participants and host representatives also volunteer in the local communities through service projects with community organizations. Let’s hear from Taylor Kay, Senior Director, Work and Travel Program about his recent GGHTs!
“Having joined Greenheart two months earlier, July presented the opportunity to join my first Going Greenheart Tour (GGHT) and to meet Greenheart participants and host employers in person. I relish any opportunity to speak to participants and their American coworkers, particularly our points of contact as there is much we can learn! Early Monday morning flights delivered me to Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, Pennsylvania, where a three-day visit to Hershey Entertainment & Resorts started off with a volunteer event at the Hershey Community Gardens. Produce from these garden plots are donated to area organizations including the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. Braving 95-degree temperatures, nine Greenheart participants and five Hershey Entertainment staff joined us to weed in and around the plots and to add fencing to keep out uninvited critters. Volunteering is central to Greenheart’s mission, and it was fascinating to talk about the concept in each of our respective countries.
Over the next two days, my colleague Marcelle and I visited participants inside Hershey Park and the two Hershey Entertainment & Resorts. The generous Human Resources staff showed us their training facilities and nearly every corner of these properties. I was impressed with how integrated and distributed participants were with the thousands of domestic staff. Participants told us that they were learning new skills whether in food service, culinary and customer service and how much their English had improved in just weeks. One participant we met, a gregarious lifeguard, was named Partner of the Quarter just days later! Everyone was excited for the upcoming employee ride night in the park. We also visited housing at two area universities, where residents can make use of the athletic and dining facilities. The outdoor pool was a popular hangout spot.
From Hershey Entertainment, I ventured on solo to northern Ohio, first to Put In Bay Island and neighboring Port Clinton, and then to Sandusky. After Hershey, meeting with small business owners who hosted only a few participants showed me how the Work and Travel program can create family-type atmospheres. As an example, the three participants at the Put-in-Bay Candy Bar were not just serving customers but were so proud of learning to make lots of different candies and sweets (I can attest to them being delicious) and declared that they had the best housing on this beautiful island. Perhaps it was the ferry ride, but PIB definitely had a laid-back feel, like the islands in my home state of Maine.
That family feeling continued at the hotels I visited in Sandusky, but then I got to tour the huge Cedar Point Amusement Park. The drive-in provided glimpses of Ohio’s very unique Manhattan skyline – just made of roller coasters! Upon entering the park, I could just see that everything is bigger at Cedar Point and it’s also at the beach. This is no midway at the county fair! The housing, recreation facilities and activities provided to their thousands of seasonal staff were fabulous. The HR staff talked about the regional trips that they provided participants. The Greenheart participants were scattered throughout the park and enjoyed their days at work and told me of their adventures on their days off.
On the long drive back east Friday afternoon, I reflected on the stories, participants told me about exploring their communities and the surprises they encountered acclimating to American life. I also thought about the stories managers told about their first interactions with the Work and Travel program, whether a few months or a dozen years ago. I loved swapping interview tips with HR staff and hearing how they appreciated my colleagues at Greenheart. When do I get to do this again?“
Thank you, Taylor, for the wonderful stories from your GGHTs! We would like to also thank and express our appreciation to the host organizations for hosting our Summer Work and Travel participants and offering them incredible opportunities for cultural enrichment and growth.
If you are a business who would like to host international seasonal staff for a cultural exchange, please visit HirewithGreenheart.org to learn more.
To learn more about Greenheart’s Work and Travel program visit GreenheartExchange.org.