This week was mainly about building up our knowledge regarding project management, meeting the volunteers, and introducing the volunteers to our project.

Regarding “project management”, the most insightful thing I have learned was about having best practices. It reinforced the importance of identifying all key stakeholders early on and maintaining constant communication with them throughout the project. While clearly defining goals and objectives from the start provides a roadmap to achieve success. Additionally, clarifying team member roles and responsibilities ensures accountability and prevents confusion. Overall, maintaining open and frequent communication among all stakeholders was emphasized as a critical best practice.

Moving on to the progress of our project with @iin_ki_kilante, everything went pretty smoothly and our team collaborated really well with the organization! We have confirmed to hold an in-person art-and-craft workshop consisting of reflective drawing and embroidery sessions next Saturday for the general public in Mexico City. To promote the workshop and our organization, our team has made bilingual posters and brochures introducing both the event and @iin_ki_kilante. Moreover, we have also met with our volunteers and introduced them to our organization and the project we will be working on. Although I was a bit nervous at first as it was my first time leading so many unfamiliar people in another country, our team managed to utilize most techniques learned in the “project management session” in our first meeting which turned out quite well. For instance, we made a clear timeline about the job preparation work & on-day schedule, and job distribution table so that volunteers could anticipate what they were expected to accomplish throughout the two weeks.

In the upcoming week, we would be doing some final touches for our workshop and have a training+briefing session with the volunteers to make sure everything will go smoothly during the on-day. Couldn’t wait for next Saturday! 😃