Through this program I have learned how to make myself to become professional entrepreneurs in the future. I have learned many skills during the program including having to learn and think fast. Communication is also key here to be able to finish the work on time. I also learn to develop resilience in the process of writing the proposal and finding the right words to talk and speak our opinions to keep the conversation of the group going.
What's more is I also gained knowledge about how to be more courageous and grab an opportunity in the right moment. Mostly, this is learned during the open space where we can share our thoughts and skills with our friends. I did participate in the open space, I talked about the city in my home country, Indonesia and I am very glad to be able to share with international friends about my background. I really enjoyed the part when we sang together, I guess it have been a fun week.
As a reflection, because of this program I have been able to create innovation in response to an ongoing problem. I have been creating a prototype using a single cardboard which I previously colored and modified into a coupon bank. So basically, the idea was to put this coupon bank in one of the villages, for example, at schools where people can take the coupons for free shopping discounts just by voluntarily giving a speech for girls in rural areas.
Hopefully, the prototype can minimize stereotyping girls in achieving higher education and educate as well as inspire girls to become successful in the future. Creating inclusivity within genders and promoting sustainability in the community which help them to grow and develop by their own abilities.
I think the most meaningful part of the two weeks program were the examples of succesful projects given to us in the meeting session. I found these examples to be very intriguing because I have not heard some of it before. The meeting also really provokes discussion and to speak up about our opinions on things. One of the examples that I think is interesting for me is the cigarette trash which have two pouches each represent its own supporters for Ronaldo and Messi. Personally, I think this is a brilliant idea.
However, I also found the idea of creating lights in front of the toilets for saving energy is also mind-blowing. I think with this method people are challenged just like in a game. They automatically wanted to make the lights green because ofcourse they wanted to win the challenge and feel good about themselves. So, this method of installing lights in front of the bathroom is not only fun but also really beneficial for the community and to reduce power and electricity usage which damage the environment.
In my opinion, the greatest challenges I have faced are during the finalization of the presentation. We were constantly changing our slides because our ideas keep developing through times. And also, understanding the instructions given could be a challenge because sometimes we think that the speaker might have been speaking too fast and becomes unheard. So, it will be good if we have some time to note down and understand the instructions because for some of us it is our first time to create a position paper or a proposal.
Overall, the program was very useful for me especially because I have gained entrepreneurial skills along with the components and steps on starting a sustainable business. It has greatly inspired me to improve my english and become more confident as a human being.