Consolidation Post

Where is your learning going? How will you apply skills, qualities you’ve developed outside of IFP?

Looking at what I have learned in IFP and what I am doing or planning on doing with all the knowledge I have gained is impossible to say. The one thing that is clear to me at this point is that this knowledge is an incredible base that I can keep on expanding on  and learning more about. I have been able to apply what I have learned in the personalities session to avoid several conflicts that were merely about different attitudes on a topic. The sessions have helped me immensely in understanding and realizing  several of the things are happening around me that I hadn’t noticed before. All the skills and qualities I have developed in IFP have shaped me into a more aware person. I hope to share this knowledge with the people around me because I believe that the things I have learned could help several other realize thing they would have otherwise not .

What have you learned about collaboration? Have you learned to be more effective when working with others? What’s your biggest obstacle when asked to contribute to a team?

 

At the joint training session with Dover I realized several things. Collaboration is the most essential tool needed to plan and lead a conference or even just a session. It has become evident through all of the session how the facilitators must collaborate to successfully lead a session. The most important thing about collaboration I have learned, despite it being essential, is that it works better when the group collaborating is composed out of individuals with diverse personalities. Everyone has different personalities and thus different priorities. While this might seem as a problem, it isn’t. It is more effective because several opinions will be present and it will create a sense of balance within the group.

Training session at Dover

 

After having had an intense session discussing the personality types I realized several things about myself. For the first time I fully realized how introverts perceive me as an extrovert and how all the traits of my personality impact my interaction with others. This lead me to discovering what my biggest obstacle is when it comes to working in a team. I am a very talkative and outgoing person but this is not always a positive thing. I often talk so much leading to me giving my opinion while others don’t have the chance too. After realizing this I have used all the 10 tips on how to have a good conversation from the active listening session to improve my listening skills and make sure that whenever I work in a team or even just have a normal conversation I don’t do all the talking and listen to others too. Those 10 tips have been an incredible help in more effectively working with other because they have taught me how to keep a conversation interesting and all the parties present actively involved in it.

In what ways have you been a mentor to others this year? Where and when have you shown initiative?

Having learned so much valuable information about how to properly engage in a conversation, how social media can be used as a peacebuilding tool or the personality types and what they mean I have always felt the need to share theses “discoveries” with others. With all this new knowledge I have gained, I have managed to help others.  Rather than serving the purpose of a mentor to others I feel like I have a a mutual growth relationship with the people I have aided. While I shared my knowledge and ideas about IFP with them their responses and questions made me reflect on several of the things we had done on a deeper level.

The activities done during the training session at dover or as a matter of fact during any IFP session always reminded me of several of the activities done at the German UWC National Committees selection weekend and  co-year meetings that I decided to become a part of the 2018 German NC co-year meeting facilitation team with the hope to introduce my co-year to what it means to be a  peace builder.

Which session has done the most to address your areas for improvement as a peace builder? How did that session encourage growth?

The joint training session with Dover was definitely a session that pushed me to improve as a peacebuilder. Having to plan a 20 min session about the issue regarding the resources of the Mekong delta proved to be more challenging than I had imagined. During this  session I had to work in a team with several people I had never talked too forcing me to step out of my comfort zone.  The resource and time limitation we had showed me that being flexible was a skill that my group and I had realized was essential to being a peace builder because of the time and resource limitation and most importantly because the activity in our session didn’t work out at planned but we still had to continue the session without panicking.  It was a very rewarding experience teaching me several valuable lessons and motivating me to continue developing my skills.

The experience of having to plan and lead and actual peacebuilding activity was a huge turning point in my IFP experience. After the day at Dover I felt more motivated that ever to continue down that path. I realized that the more I was in touch with peacebuilding and the more time dedicated to it I would grow as a peacebuilder. It not only encouraged me to definitively join the IFP Cambodia team but also to look out for the progress I, as well as the people around me make to encourage myself to continue developing.

What have you learned about leadership & what qualities and skills have you developed in IFP to help do this?

Things I have learned about leadership:

  • Behind every leader there are people helping them
  • It takes self determination to become a leader
  • Some people’s personality makes them more suitable for being a leader, but being a leader takes initiative.
  • It is a useful attribute that several peacebuilders have ( not that it is required )

The main skills and qualities I developed in IFP that help me learn about leadership are my conversational and observation skills . The session about leading an effective conversation provided me with a lot of knowledge on how to take in information, formulate what I want to say in a way other will properly understand, and pay attention to some details I hadn’t thought about before. These skills have proven to be really helpful when learning about leadership because they have allowed me to realize what it takes to be a leader through observing leaders speaking and manage to assess what leadership characteristics they display and discussing what it truly means to be a leader.

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3 thoughts on “Consolidation Post

  1. norbu86462@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg says:

    You have written a very nice and worth reading post. I liked it and I can see with your words that you have gained lots of new experiences and knowledge through the wonderful sessions of an IFP. Just keep the same positive attitude towards learning and working. Cheers!!!

  2. Eileen says:

    I really like how you also considered how others may feel when they’re collaborating with you (that was really thoughtful). It’s also good to hear that you went through some challenges and learnt from them during the process. I can see that you’re passionate about peace-building, and you’re clearly a great leader! Keep it up! 🙂

  3. wu76744@gapps.uwcsea.edu.sg says:

    I like your understanding of collaboration! And I can see that you have improved a lot from the IFP sessions. Nice post!

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