The 6-week leadership-in-action programme has been a really fruitful and rewarding journey. Stepping into Latin America where I have never been to before and stepping out of my comfort zone, it was not easy for me to adapt to such a new environment at the beginning. However, I have learnt and grown so much from this journey.

Firstly, flexibility and adaptability are of the utmost importance. In this program, we may not have a fixed schedule every day and the plan for our project work may change from time to time. It is indeed important to have a schedule but it is also important to not be restricted by the schedule and always be adaptable to the changes ahead. I used to be a very strict person on schedule so it was really quite uncomfortable for me to have a spontaneous and changing schedule. I easily got worried and anxious about not having our work done as planned. However, I really appreciate my teammates for reassuring me with a flexible and adaptive mentality. 

Secondly, openness is also a key component to success in the project. Working with scholars growing up from a completely context to me, each of us may have very different perspectives to view things and have different working styles. Nonetheless, everyone’s opinions and ideas are precious and important because it is what meant by collective leadership. We can never succeed with one’s power and knowledge. By gathering the thoughts and ideas from each of us, we are able to make things better. Collective leadership doesn’t mean to compromise or step back, but to listen actively on other’s opinions and communicate our own thoughts, negotiate and reach a consensus. Without an open mind, it is impossible for us to achieve a collective goal.

In these 6 weeks, not only did I learn more about the Peruvian indigenous language and Quechua language from my project, but also the traditional handcrafts from the jungle and the social issues in some less privileged communities in Peru. The most precious thing about this programme is that apart from working in the office with our own team and organisation, we have the opportunity to go to different sites and visit different museums. Seeing different artifacts and choristers singing in Quechua really make the cultural and linguistic heritage more lively to me. We also have the opportunity to visit other organizations and I really make some unforgettable memories visiting different organisations. It was an eye-opening opportunity for me to learn and understand more about the other part of the world as a global citizen. I enjoyed this specific learning opportunity a lot. At first, I thought we were here serving and contributing. Instead, we were here learning and growing.

Thanks for our programme facilitators for teaching us different skills throughout the programme, including design thinking, volunteer management, project management, ideate and prototyping, as well as public speaking. These skills are really useful for me in the future for driving more leadership and innovative work. This programme really equipped me with all the necessary skills to be a leader in social empowerment and advocacy. With empathy, courage, and passion, I feel more confident about advocating for different vulnerable communities. I also feel more motivated to be the agent of change in society.