What Went Well?
This week was a significant improvement over last week in output and motivation. After last week, I felt much more productive and was able to see tangible outputs which made a real difference to the status of different projects. My main task was to identify and contact potential project partners for several Erasmus+ KA210 proposals. I reached out to sixteen organisations across Europe and received positive responses from three organisations in Lithuania, Germany and the Netherlands. I also received two other potentially positive responses. I was particularly proud to be trusted with communicating directly with leading NGOs without needing each email to be approved beforehand. This level of responsibility made me feel that my colleagues had confidence in my judgement and communication skills.
I also continued researching existing AI training courses to explore how they could be adapted for use within CulturePolis' education programmes, particularly those aimed at supporting rural communities, young people and farmers. This work linked with my SMART goal of producing research that contributes to the long-term development of CorfuGEN, and strengthened my understanding of the role of education and innovation in rural settings.
What Could Have Been Done Differently?
The main challenges this week were outside my control and were mostly related to technology difficulties. I continued working on editing the layout of the bilingual newsletter that CulturePolis distributes by email. I ran into a lot of technical issues, meaning that progress was much slower than I had anticipated.
There were also continuous problems with the WiFi, which made online meetings with a colleague in Athens frustrating and difficult to follow. I became a lot more frustrated than I would have liked because I could not solve these issues myself.
I could have responded more constructively by accepting the situation earlier and using periods of downtime to progress other tasks instead of focusing on what was preventing me from moving forward. This was a good reminder that being adaptable is equally important to productivity, and not every obstacle can be overcome with determination.
Leadership Reflection
Values
The values that I think were at the forefront this week were Brave, Determined and Curious. There was Courage in taking responsibility for contacting potential project partners independently, advocating for CulturePolis' priorities in communications with new organisations. Determination allowed me to persevere through technical issues without allowing them to derail the rest of my work. Curiosity drove my research into AI education, and how it could be applied within the organisation's programmes.
Character
The character dimensions tested this week were Accountability, Temperance and Judgment. Being trusted to contact external organisations independently required me to communicate professionally and represent the organisation in the best light possible. Judgment was important when identifying suitable project partners and considering how their expertise aligned with the objectives of different KA210 proposals.
Temperance proved more challenging. Technical difficulties tested my patience more than I expected. I became frustrated at times, but now I recognise that remaining professional and calm was more important than dwelling on the impact this had.
Capacities
This week I relied most heavily on Communication and Influencing, Research and Analysis, and Project Management. Contacting potential partners required clear and professional communication, while my ongoing AI research involved analysing existing educational programmes and considering how they could be adapted for different audiences.
Navigating repeated technical issues while maintaining momentum required me to stay focused on the aspects of the placement that I could control rather than those I could not.
Ethical Engagement
This week reinforced the importance of ensuring that partnerships reflect the values and long-term aims of the organisation, rather than simply increasing the number of collaborators. As part of my research, I focused on identifying organisations with strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments whose objectives aligned with those of CulturePolis. This helped me appreciate that meaningful collaboration depends on shared values as much as shared expertise.
Working on these partnerships has given me a much greater appreciation of the amount of preparation, trust and coordination that underpins successful European projects. It has also reinforced that sustainable impact is rarely achieved by one organisation working alone.
Adjustment and Development for Next Week
Next week, I want to focus on maintaining a calm and solution-focused mindset when things do not go to plan. Rather than allowing unexpected setbacks to affect my motivation, I will consciously redirect my attention towards tasks that I can progress independently.
The value I want to develop further is Determined, while the character dimension I will focus on is Temperance. In terms of leadership capacity, I want to continue strengthening my communication and influencing skills as I begin drafting the Erasmus+ KA210 proposals. Alongside this, I will carry out detailed grant eligibility research to ensure that each proposal is built on a strong foundation before helping to advocate for CulturePolis through these applications at a European level.