Volunteer Profile: Jamie Woods

Jamie Woods keeps medieval combat alive at Hellgate

Name: Jamie Woods

Organization: The Flagship Program

Site: Hellgate High School

Position: Gladiators leader

Woods joined the medieval foam-fighting Gladiators as a student when the club first began at Hellgate in 2004 and is still close friends with the club’s founder, who was also a student at the time.

When he graduated in 2008, Woods, also known by his fighting name “Zuloo,” knew he wanted to give back to the club he had enjoyed so much. The 21-year-old waited a year after high school before volunteering with Flagship and is starting his second year as a leader for the popular medieval combat club.

“It was one of my favorite things to do in high school and I wanted to share that experience with them and keep that going,” says Woods.

The club’s popularity has erupted – it boasts the highest membership of any Flagship club in the school – and the activity has now even spread to Sentinel High School. Woods says he would have never guessed it would become so popular when he first joined.

“There were quite a few teachers that didn't like us just because of our premise,” he says. “We fight with foam weapons.”

Gladiators is actually part of a larger foam-fighting not-for-profit organization called the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. Founded in the ’70s, Belegarth has “realms” across the country and one larger group in Missoula. Sometimes participants base their fighting characters off of fantasy, such as J.R.R. Tolkein’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, though Woods says the Gladiators group contains few role-playing elements aside from choosing their distinct fighting names.

When he’s not volunteering through Flagship as a Gladiator or working, Woods takes his enjoyment of the activity home with him and fashions medieval armor.

“Since I do custom work, I can do just about anything someone asks,” says Woods.

Though foam-fighting battles can get heated – Belegarth participants are encouraged to be aggressive and physically fit – Woods says rules are in place to ensure no one gets seriously injured. At Hellgate, students must turn in a parental permission slip to engage in the fighting activities before they can even touch a weapon. Though students can watch others practice, the permission slips are a non-negotiable safety net.

Once they get into the fray of battle, students still have some safeguards built into the rules of Belegarth melee. Woods cites one rule over all: No hitting another participant in the head. Even though the medieval-style foam weapons are not lethal, only a few ultra-padded pieces of “offensive equipment” can be aimed at a person’s head.

With a history rooted in the group, it’s no wonder Woods says his favorite thing about volunteering with Flagship is continuing the club for students. Though it is very popular in the school, the 3 to 5 leaders who show up to run the club offer essential experience and guidance.

“There's not really anyone else there that knows the rules enough to keep the club going,” says Woods.

Since the school year is still young, more students may join the Gladiators in their sport, and on top of leading the club, working and making armor, Woods is currently forming his own unit in Belegarth based on the Knights Templar.

Hot-button Issue: Constructive Feedback

Giving feedback to volunteers: a process-oriented approach
By Steve McCurley
Corporation for National and Community Service Resource Center

Many volunteer supervisors have trouble giving effective feedback to volunteers, especially when that feedback is designed to re-direct the behavior of the volunteer more productively. Typically, inexperienced supervisors will avoid giving feedback until a number of offenses have occurred and will then overwhelm the volunteer with a litany of criticisms. In addition, inexperienced supervisors oftentimes will word feedback in such a way that the volunteer feels personally attacked and will tend to react defensively rather than respond to the substance of the feedback.

Read more here.

Tips From Pros

Personal Safety for Kids and Volunteers

Personal safety tips from “Working with Kids: What You Need to Know to Make the Biggest Impact & Get The Most Rewards” training.
Volunteers must know and follow the agency’s guidelines. Some volunteers will be doing risky behaviors with kids; others are in classrooms; all should follow the rules and use common sense.

• Dos: Shoulder to shoulder or side hugs; handshakes, high fives, get permission before touching.
• Don’ts: Hair, head; no piggybacks; sitting on laps; full-frontal hugs; tickling or wrestling or any action that immobilizes or compromises the child’s movements; no contact with the child’s private areas; engaging in any other action that could be construed to be sexual (e.g. massage, etc.)
• No exchange of phone numbers or emails without parental consent
• No exchange of gifts without permission from parents and supervisors
• Provide privacy in changing rooms and bathrooms.

Developed by: Lisa Beczkiewicz, Anna-Margaret Yarbrough, Loraine Bond, Desirae Ware and Mary McCourt

Community: Flagship keeps students engaged

Volunteers head up Hellgate clubs

When Hellgate High School’s Flagship Youth Development Coordinator Niki Vanek transitioned from working with elementary students to working with teens, she knew it was the right move.

“I think I’m still kind of a teenager in my head,” says Vanek, laughing.

Though she started her work with Flagship years ago at Hawthorne Elementary, Vanek is now in her second year as the program’s coordinator at Hellgate – recruiting and supervising the community volunteers and students that run and participate in creative clubs during lunch and after school.

Keeping kids motivated and confident by channeling their interests, Flagship clubs at Hellgate include: Gladiators – a full-contact study in the art of medieval combat, Respect Club – which coordinates Diversity Week, and Elementary Buddies – who partner with students at Lowell Elementary to engage in community service projects and also implement programs they’re designing for the Missoula Children’s Museum.

Clubs are created by community volunteers or by students, as with the popular Gladiators.

“The student-driven clubs are the most successful,” says Vanek.

Volunteers for the program, which is based in 11 MCPS schools, apply through Flagship and undergo an interview and screening process as well as training sessions. The program served about 2,500 students last year.

At a glance, Vanek already has over 20 volunteers signed up to lead Hellgate’s Flagship clubs, which also include a graphic novel book club, knitting “Yarn Yetis”, yoga classes and a lunchtime anime club. Over 100 students are currently involved in clubs, and Vanek reports 285 students participated in Flagship activities last year and 53 volunteers completed nearly 780 hours of service in the program.

To keep students informed of offerings, Vanek visits classrooms, makes announcements and even uses Facebook to promote the program.

She says it’s great to see the students get involved in the school and channel their energy. Flagship even keeps some students coming back after graduation, as several Hellgate alumni have signed on to give back to their alma mater by volunteering for the program this year.

“I’m just so thankful to be in the school,” Vanek says. “I think it is important. Kids participate and I think it’s a really effective program.”