Making Contact
It never ceases to amaze me, the kick I get out of successfully making contact with fellow Diversional Therapists/Activity providers on the other side of the world. It gives me such a buzz, I’m like a child with a new toy, (I mean that with the utmost respect of course).
I’m not joking when I say that it really gets the heart pumping, hoping that everything goes well during the phone call. I have a well thought out plan as to what I want to say to the person on the other end, I guess I just stick to the basics, telling them briefly about myself and then mainly of DTA, what we do and stand for and why I am making contact with that person. Sometimes you can hear the surprise and disbelief in their voices. You can almost hear them thinking,”Why would someone be calling them from far off South Australia?”
The feeling was no different the day, a few days into the New Year when I gave Alisa Tagg, who lives and works in Las Vegas, USA, a phone call. Alisa is the President of NAAP which is the National Association of Activity Professionals. This is a very similar organisation to DTA. They are US based and are made up of members from most of the US States, Canada and as far down as Bermuda.
On this occasion I introduced myself to Alisa and said that I was calling on behalf of DTA and the International Portfolio team. I then went on to say about what we had achieved and was hopeful of achieving in the near future in regards to forming an alliance and working with other organisations that represent Diversional Therapists/Activity Providers, around the world. After a brief conversation, I thanked her for her time and said I would send her an email shortly, outlining in more detail what we wanted to do.
After a few days, much to my delight, I got a reply from her saying that they are very interested in working with us in the International community and she extended an invitation to Louise Absalom, as President of DTA and myself to attend a conference call to their Board meeting that will be in progress at their National conference in Dallas, Texas, in April. With the aim being to discuss a working strategic plan for the future relationship of DTA and NAAP.
It is a very exciting time at the moment with DTA making contact with other DT’s and Activity providers around the world. With the recent meeting of Sylvie Silver from the NAPA organisation, ‘The National Activities Providers Association’ in the UK, with Margie Kennard our Executive officer in Sydney to speaking with Alisa Tagg, the President of NAAP in the US and the subsequent invitation to attend their National conference Board meeting in Dallas via a conference call, the future of DTA and Diversional Therapy/Activity Providers international relationships is alive and well.
Heading up the International Liaison Portfolio, it can be a long process to successfully make contact with someone and build a professional relationship in the process, so it is worth the worry and risk when it all works out in the end.
Darren Robinson
Board member DTA.