Chapter Volunteer Orientation Program 2024 - Vix Kouyoumjian, AMTA-MA
As a recent graduate from Spa Tech Institute, I’m excited to be out in the field learning from every body I encounter. After more than ten years on the engineering side of manufacturing, I made the leap of faith in myself to work with my hands in a more meaningful way. My process improvement skills, with a foundation in root cause analysis, were easily transferable as our bodies are like biological machines.
I am a people person and enjoy co-worker friendship. Many of my work friends have become my regular friends. The option of joining an in-person chapter group is the WHY behind being signed up for a student membership before I even started school. Learning about what the AMTA provides for massage therapists both at a state and national level by attending the Annual meeting in 2023, is how my desire to make friends became a desire to make a difference.
Interested in membership growth; I am the Chapter Liaison of Schools. I am hopeful to get back out there post-covid and make connections with students before they graduate. I was already sold on AMTA being an awesome an organization so when I received the CVOP invite; I was excited to learn more about what the AMTA can do for me as a therapist and how I can assist in those goals as a volunteer. Overall, I was looking forward to learning how the AMTA is currently interacting with schools, so that I can look for ways to improve the process.
CVOP 2024 - Day 1
I showed up on Thursday in my AMTA Massachusetts shirt ready for the day! Like any convention, swag was provided; a CVOP branded notebook and a hip pack. Although I can completely understand the functionality, I’m a child of the 90’s and I don’t think I’ll wear the fanny pack. I’m not sure I will use it, but I brought it home with me. If I ever do use it, I’ll absolutely take pictures! And as a person who was about median age in the room; I did appreciate that I got some laughter out of my 80’s vs 90’s fashion jokes.
The ice breaker activities were standard, but they got me talking to people I might not have approached otherwise. One task given was to line up by birthday, but we couldn’t talk. I wrote my birthday down on the index card they gave me for questions. I saw one other person also chose this resourceful option; they were also a November birthday if I remember correctly.
The day was packed with speakers, each one teaching me something new about AMTA or massage life. The AMTA 101 gave me data and statistics to understand AMTA as a business and as a service provider. The AMTA does so much for MTs all over the country, and they heavily rely on volunteer labor to meet their goals.
Kat Vellos as the keynote speaker was a big highlight of CVOP, for me. Of course I expected to learn more about the AMTA. I did not expect to have such a powerful message on exactly what I was there for, connection. Knowing the AMTA chose Kat to speak also made me feel like the AMTA values do truly align with mine; that they understand the importance of the intangible even as a data driven organization.
CVOP 2024 - Day 2
Connecting with AMTA Schools was on the Day 2 agenda. School outreach is where I want to put my energy. The AMTA already has a process for school contact. The pandemic put a pause on outreach but the infrastructure does exist. During the Volunteer Hub breakout session on Thursday, I learned that I have access to membership lists. I can see new students that have signed up. Friday’s break out session expanded my resources with what we should and can communicate, both electronically and in person.
Ultimately though, I believe it will be through face-to-face, in-school interactions that we will be able to connect with students. Through the Meeting and Event Planning breakout, I learned the process to make those interactions happen. I am sure that AMTA has all the tools I need to meet my chapters goals in outreach, and through these trainings I now know how to access them.
Volunteer Connections
Although I exchanged information with almost everyone I spoke; Matt from Pennsylvania was probably one of my favorite new friends. He was also a recent graduate, so we were able to compare notes on schools in different states.
I think what excited me the most about volunteering with the AMTA, is the excitement that veteran volunteers still have. I met people at CVOP that had been volunteering with the AMTA from months to decades and everything in between. Each one had different reasons for being volunteers but overall, they each spoke highly of what their AMTA local chapter has offered them, both tangible and intangible.
CVOP 2024 Impact
At the end of CVOP:
I felt included.
I felt appreciated.
I am inspired.
I am empowered.
The AMTA created a welcoming space for me, as a brand-new therapist. They created engaging material to present the information, with thought provoking discussion on policy. These sessions truly felt like conversations rather than instruction.
The AMTA spoke heavily in presentation about how much they appreciate the volunteers, as they are a volunteer run organization. But they also showed us, this weekend, the time and effort the AMTA spends on its volunteers at a national level.
I am inspired to grow my AMTA local chapter. I am inspired to get other MTs excited about getting involved. I do think there is opportunity to educate both newly graduated students and seasoned professionals alike what the AMTA has to offer them as members.
I am empowered to put my skills into action, by both the CVOP experience and my local chapter. The past president and the current president have both encouraged me to direct my desire to make a difference into actionable items. CVOP has given me the road map to execute those actions, and I am eager for the opportunity to get into schools and start connecting with students.