This week marked an important shift in my internship because I began moving from identifying challenges to developing a potential solution. Based on conversations with the BIHD team and my previous experience working in financial literacy, I began focusing on the barriers immigrant entrepreneurs face in achieving financial independence and starting or maintaining businesses.
The tangible outcome of this week was the beginning of the Small Business Support Framework. I identified several recurring barriers, including limited access to credit and capital, gaps in financial literacy, limited access to resources in clients' primary languages, challenges navigating business registration and regulations, and fear of interacting with financial institutions or government agencies.
I am proud that I took initiative while still trying to ensure that the project remained connected to BIHD's needs. The idea of developing a financial literacy and business development program emerged from connecting what I had observed at BIHD with skills and experiences that I could personally contribute.
At the same time, the project required more rethinking than I initially expected. I had to consider whether a financial literacy and business development initiative fit appropriately within an organization primarily focused on legal services.
The Changemaker values most visible this week were Determined and Good. I was determined in working through the uncertainty surrounding its structure and guided by the value of good in trying to create something genuinely useful rather than simply completing a project requirement.
My role shifted this week from primarily learning and observing toward facilitating and designing. One behavioral adjustment I will make is to communicate my developing ideas earlier rather than waiting until they feel completely finished. I want to workshop my ability to receive feedback during the development process. Next week, I will further structure the program into clear modules and identify what resources or partnerships would be necessary for BIHD to realistically support it.