Exhibit: Volunteering with the Jackson Democrats Benchmark: Teamwork/Communication Skills: TC107 Understand and contribute to the mission

n and goals of the team; TC110 Help other team members accomplish their tasks The skills of understanding and contributing to the mission and goals of the team, and helping other team members accomplish their tasks, go hand in hand. They go hand in hand because they are so closely related to one another, and they are in several ways. First, in order to contribute to a team, you must be able to help others in the team accomplish their tasks. Helping your fellow teammate in order to better enable said team to accomplish its goal is part of the very foundation of the idea of a team. I have done both of these things through volunteering with the Jackson County Democratic Party in their concession stand at Michigan State football games. I understand the mission and goals of the Democratic Party, and I understand the reasons for the partys participation in MSU concessions. Therefore, because I understand these things, I am better able to be an active and energetic member of the team. Also, because I am active in and committed to the group, I am able to not only help myself to achieve my roles, I am also able to offer help to others when needed. In order to be a positive and contributing member of a team, one should be able to understand the teams purpose, and use this information to enable him/herself to become a positive member through helping others, which therefore helps the entire team. Both of these skills are very important to my life presently, and my future career. They are important to my life now because I am involved in many extracurricular activities. Because this is true, I must be able to understand the mission of each team I am a part of, and help to further each team through offering assistance to other team members when needed. They are important to my career as an elected official, as well, because as an elected official I must be able to understand the teams that I am involved in, namely government, and work to contribute to it positively through helping others. I will also use these skills as an independent adult, because, throughout my life, I will be involved in teams that are unrelated to my career, such as friendships and relationships, and contributing to these teams is crucial to a fulfilling life.