Summary of the week

In a word, my summary of my first week at Big Group Hug (BGH) would be ‘welcomed’. It is fair to say I was more than a little apprehensive when walking through the front door of an organisation I had only ever interacted with from 10,000+ miles away, but the support and welcome I received from the army of staff and volunteers onsite immediately put me at ease. The week was spent primarily cementing these initial connections, building an appreciation of how an organisation as complex as BGH works in practice, and observing leadership on the ground through shadowing key staff members as they navigated their day-to-day duties.

Highlights

The central highlight of my first week was the opportunity to not just arrive and be present at the organisation, but to fully integrate into its operation. Having the opportunity to pack up aid boxes for children of different ages felt genuinely meaningful, especially knowing that the thought I put into designing a box for a child of a particular age would hopefully bring them joy and comfort on receipt. This would not have been possible, however, without the support of volunteers guiding me through how to complete such tasks effectively. Getting to know these volunteers, through numerous interactions over clothes sorting, ‘what size do you think this is?’ questions, and morning tea-breaks was also a privilege and highlight in my first week.

Challenges

Whilst everything after arriving at Big Group Hug seemed to fall into place, before arrival numerous setbacks and changes of plan tested my character as I had to lean on my ability to adapt under pressure. Until a week before departure, I was in communication with a fellow Laidlaw scholar who was also due to work at the organisation, however due to circumstances beyond her control, this was no longer possible. Furthermore, the original plan for my supervisor to drive me into BGH on my first day also changed, with her being on annual leave on the day I was due to start. Dealing with these changes and maintaining a positive mindset required resilience, which I found challenging especially whilst also grappling with jet lag and navigating an entirely unfamiliar context solo.

Using the 3Cs: Applying character, values and leadership capacities

To strengthen this resilience and overcome challenges, I drew upon lessons learned through the Oxford Character Project (OCP) and Laidlaw leadership development sessions. I particularly found reflecting on the OCP Session 4 – ‘Courage’ – useful. The discussions within this session comparing courage to a bridge stretching across a canyon, needing to be constructed one plank at a time, resonated with me. It was through this reflection that I felt more confident that I didn’t need to instantly feel completely comfortable or courageous to tackle everything all at once, but rather could lean on my network of family and friends to tackle one issue (or plank) at a time. This perspective is something I will work to maintain over the coming weeks. 

Ethical engagement

Through engaging with local volunteers and working alongside them in my first week, I felt I contributed meaningfully to the organisation’s work, without expense to the existing community. Central to my approach was maintaining an open mind, helping facilitate ethical engagement with the organisation and the community.

Looking forward: goals for the next/coming weeks

Next week, I am excited to kickstart my project properly, meeting with my amazing supervisor Bernadene to develop an action plan and goals for my remaining 5 weeks here. I look forward to transitioning to this as my primary focus, whilst still maintaining the connections with the volunteers I have built this week. Outside of work, I look forward to experiencing more of what Melbourne has to offer!