Oui Please: Week 5
This week I jumped in on a new youth program initiative, helping to structure the program from the ground up. Our plan is to create a workshop for about eighty high school girls ages sixteen to eighteen that teaches about professionalism. The goal is to cover workplace basics like writing an email to a boss, but in the framework of teaching human rights issues. I had the idea to create a country packet, using one of the IBJ country offices as a reference, and have a team of two to six high school students problem solve issues for a fake client in a given country. To start, we are implementing the program next week with two high school interns as a trial run.
At the start of the week we only had an idea for a possible youth outreach initiative because a funder stated interest in funding a youth focused event. As with many things in life, when the opportunity presents itself, you just make it happen.
The program is only in the beginning stages, but so far, we have been able to create a packet that the students can progress through in about two hours. The packet includes an initial overview of the country and issues on the ground, a client profile, three fake CV’s of potential attorneys they can hire to represent their client, and four problem-solving issues that arise throughout the workshop. These issues include having to give an immediate update on the client to their boss, which forces them to write professionally but also outline their next steps for the client. Another “issue” is that their first-choice attorney asks for a salary increase they must negotiate for with a finance director. This issue results in the students having to justify their work decision, practice negotiation, and reinforces the initial exercise in sending a professional email.
Getting to design the structure of the program has been exciting and rewarding. Having the responsibility of how the students will learn the information, and what that information will be, has been an interesting realization of my own learning and organizational style.
This weekend was just as much a whirlwind of opportunities! I caught the early 6am train to Paris. I walked everywhere, and seemingly saw every monument and museum. I made it to Musée d'Orsay, a Siene River cruise, the Louvre, Sainte Chapelle—if trip advisor named it, I went to see it. The best part about being in a couple themed city on your own is skipping the line at top rated restaurants. Table for one, please!
