Reflections on the JRS Learning Day

“I think the students felt inspired, challenged, and perhaps even entertained!” Our intern, Rezaie, who was managing the logistics of our LEAP@JRS workshops reflects on the JRS Learning Day in November and December 2023.

The Learning Day workshops held over 2 Saturdays (25th November and 2nd December) were a comprehensive exploration of skills which are essential for students who are thinking ahead about their careers. The workshops included writing effective resumes, basic book keeping, resilience, and tips on how to manage one’s entrepreneurship journey.

As an intern my task was to coordinate the workshops. Initially, I was concerned that managing the logistics would be complicated. However, having gone through the event, I feel better prepared to manage future workshops and sessions.

I think that the workshops were good for the students because there was a mix of engaging content and interactive activities. The workshops felt like a “mental playground” — a place where students can explore new ideas, get hands-on experience, and even have a bit of fun along the way while interacting with the instructors and fellow students. The facilitators/trainers demonstrated a remarkable ability to engage participants and create an inclusive atmosphere. They provided practical applications of the concepts and the material shared during each session really helped students to recall what was covered in the workshop.

The workshops I attended were enriching and well run and I am looking forward to more of such learning opportunities. I hope that there will be an expansion of the topics covered and more sessions to help solidify the lessons learnt. But of course, there is also a need to balance the time scheduled for these workshops. Each session should have a well-defined timeframe and maintain a consistent pace to prevent information overload!

So far, I have learnt to work with the trainers and prepare the materials before the session. It is my responsibility to find out the materials each trainer needs to conduct their session and then ensure that these are properly shared with all participants. Now that I am more familiar with the tasks, I feel more confident coordinating the workshops. If the opportunity arises in future, I hope that I could be a trainer in a graphic design workshop and mentor other students in this area.