Week 2 marked a shift from learning about the context of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong to taking greater ownership over the workshop I would lead the following week. With the three-hour anti-scam and fraud prevention workshop scheduled for May 31, our main priority was turning a broad set of ideas into a coherent, practical curriculum.

A major accomplishment was developing the workshop from a collection of possible activities into a complete program. We pitched and tested different simulation activities and scenarios with the other interns, using their reactions to identify which exercises were intuitive, engaging, and realistic. This process also led us to add a separate AI literacy section. As scams increasingly incorporate AI-generated images, impersonation, and manipulated content, we felt participants would benefit from learning how new technologies can make scams more difficult to recognize.

I took primary responsibility for translating these ideas into the materials needed to run the workshop. I developed a detailed run-of-show, created the full presentation deck, and prepared printed materials for each scenario. This was the first point in the project where I could see a direct connection between my initial objective and a tangible outcome. We now had a structured three-hour program and materials that could actually be used to deliver it.

One part of the process that required more work than anticipated was narrowing down our activities. We generated many possible simulations, but having more ideas did not necessarily make the workshop better. Because we had limited time, each activity needed a clear purpose and connection to our learning objectives. Testing the scenarios with the other interns helped us identify when an exercise was engaging but not sufficiently educational, or when it needed additional explanation. In hindsight, I would establish the learning objective for each activity before brainstorming the activity itself.

The values most visible in my leadership this week were determination and curiosity. Determination was necessary to turn an open-ended idea into a finished product under a fixed deadline, while Curiosity pushed us to question our assumptions about what participants would understand and find useful. I also experienced some tension between extraordinary and fast. We wanted to create something creative and memorable, but the deadline forced us to prioritize what would have the greatest impact rather than pursuing every possible idea.

The character dimensions most tested were drive, collaboration, humility, and accountability. Drive helped me move the curriculum toward completion, while collaboration was essential to testing and refining our ideas. Humility was particularly important when activities did not work as well as expected. I had to be willing to revise or discard ideas rather than become attached to my original vision. Accountability also became more tangible because the materials we created would directly shape participants' experience of the workshop.

This week also expanded my understanding of what the Leadership-in-Action experience could become. Through connections from the NGO Leadership Conference, I was introduced through my supervisor to Justice Without Borders, a legal aid organization focused specifically on migrant domestic workers. I spoke with its legal manager about the organization's goals and ways I could potentially contribute. Its work often involves employment disputes, including wrongful termination, that can become complicated when workers are subsequently deported and cases require cross-border litigation.

This conversation connected my workshop to a broader access-to-justice ecosystem. My project focuses on prevention, helping workers recognize scams and avoid becoming victims of fraud, while Justice Without Borders often works further downstream when serious employment disputes have already occurred. Seeing these forms of support together broadened my understanding of how legal education, prevention, and access to justice can intersect.

My leadership capacity this week was most focused on process and performance. I needed to organize the workshop into a realistic sequence while also producing concrete materials under a deadline. I felt most stretched by the transition from contributing ideas to taking responsibility for turning those ideas into a finished product.

My biggest takeaway was that effective leadership requires iterative design rather than simply having a strong initial idea. The final workshop emerged through testing, feedback, and revision. This reinforced what I began learning in Week 1, that working with a community means being willing to question your assumptions and adapt based on what you learn.

Next week, I will focus on balancing preparation with flexibility. I want to strengthen my performance capacity without becoming overly attached to the run-of-show. My concrete action will be to identify which parts of the workshop are essential and which can be shortened, expanded, or adapted depending on participant engagement.