Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit
Not all weeks can be the best week ever.
For example, this week I got trapped in the parking deck. I don’t like elevators, so I take the stairs as often as I can. I took the wrong stairs and went out the wrong door and there was a garage door for the cars so I couldn’t just walk out. I was trapped. And then my boss found me, wandering around the parking deck. So they can’t all be the best.
On the bright side, the actual work I’m doing with NCSC is always incredibly interesting and a phenomenal learning experience.
This week, our work covered a variety of topics. First, I worked on the measurement and evaluation for CBSI. CBSI is the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, which is designed to address core threats facing the Caribbean. The initiative was developed to help the Caribbean Community increase public safety and security through programs ranging from professionalizing law enforcement institutions through technical assistance and training, to improving rule of law by supporting the development of the justice sector. We use measurement and evaluation techniques (like surveys and data visualization) to better quantify the effects of the program. It helps our donors understand how we use their money and also helps us create better, more sustainable programs.
Want to learn more about CBSI? Go here.
I also got to work more with Bangladesh. In 2012, NCSC partnered with USAID to run the Justice For All (JFA) program, which seeks to empower vulnerable populations (including women and the poor) to understand and exercise their rights effectively. For the last six years, they have delivered technical assistance and training to help enhance judicial self-governance and increase citizen awareness of legal rights and responsibilities.
How do I factor in? I am working with them now to look back at the impact of the program. Much like what CBSI is doing, we look backward at what’s been done (and what’s worked) to ascertain where we still need to go and what work still needs to be done. This kind of needs assessment is what helps NCSC to develop new proposals and new programs.
Additionally, I worked hands-on with company ethics. I read sections of the ethics code and got to work on revising the ethics compliance forms. We also went over hypothetical ethical dilemmas, to better understand how these situations arise in real life. NCSC works in a handful of different countries and different situations around the world, which all generate unique ethical problems. We are drawn to places where the rule of law is weak, which increases the potential for conflicts to arise. In a wild west, every-man-for-himself environment, having a strong ethical foundation is important.
We also got to go into the city to work with Judge Mize when he was the acting judge in chambers. I learned about what it takes for police officers to get warrants and about the procedure for temporary guardianship, among other things. I also learned a real-life civil procedure lesson: service of process is really important.
I started by saying that not all weeks are the best week. But nothing comes from nothing, right? It is worth the hard work put in to get something amazing out. And getting lost is just a learning experience, right? This week I put a lot of myself into the work and I’m learning more and more every minute.