What Went Well?

This week, I continued refining and drafting the five Erasmus+ proposals in preparation for sending them out to lead partners to review during my final week. I do feel like progress has been slower than I would have liked, especially because most of our partner organisations across Europe are beginning their summer holidays. That being said, I feel that the proposals are now much nearer to being ready for external thoughts and feedback as we move forward with the new funding strategy.

My biggest achievement for this week has been taking the lead on resurrecting the KELALP website. This has been quite different from my previous work with EU funding and partner outreach. It required me to learn how to use new tech software and also think about brand identity and presentation. I am particularly proud of the response to this work. Persa Koumoutsi, a prominent Greek and Arabic translator and friend of CulturePolis, praised the updates I had made and asked me to upload my own biography to the website in recognition of the work I had undertaken. This was an especially encouraging moment because it gave me confidence that I had made a meaningful contribution.

This work supported my SMART goal of developing my communication, project management and technical skills while contributing tangible outputs to CulturePolis. I am particularly pleased to have taken ownership of an unfamiliar project and seen it through to the end, impressing my colleagues with the outcome.

What Could Have Been Done Differently?

The main difficulty this week has been the slower progress of the Erasmus+ proposals. As many organisations and partners are on their summer holidays in August, I have been waiting for responses to questions and information needed to finalise different parts of the applications. This has sometimes felt frustrating because there is not much I can do to move certain parts forward until I receive a response.

I think I could have managed this better by accepting earlier that some parts of the proposals are outside my control and focusing on other pending tasks in the meantime.

The KELALP website also took longer to get to grips with than I expected because the technical interface was new to me and quite complicated. I think it was useful to have to work through the unfamiliar aspects myself. In future, I would be more confident approaching a similar task.

Leadership Reflection

Values

The values most visible in my leadership this week were Brave, Determined, Curious and Ambitious. Taking the lead on the KELALP website required a bit of bravery because I was working with a new technical system, and the changes that I made had an immediate and visible impact.

Curiosity was also important in learning how the website worked and understanding how the content could be improved. Determination was important when I encountered technical difficulties and had to keep working through them.

Character

Courage, Judgment, Drive and Humility were all tested this week. Courage was particularly important in taking responsibility for the KELALP website even though I had little previous experience with the software. I had to be willing to try things, make mistakes and work out solutions rather than waiting to feel confident.

The positive feedback from Persa was particularly meaningful because it reassured me that the changes I had made were appropriate and useful. It also reminded me that confidence can sometimes develop by taking on responsibilities before you are ready for them, and seeing them work out anyway.

Capacities

The capacities I relied on most this week were Communication and Influencing, Creative Ideation, Project Management and Problem-Solving. The KELALP website required me to think creatively about what information was the most important to update, and how to present it.

I felt particularly stretched by the technical side of the work. I am much more comfortable with research and writing than with website management, so having to learn new interfaces was well outside of my comfort zone and what I would consider to be my strengths. Ultimately, this has been a very useful part of my placement in expanding my technical skills in a new area.

Ethical Engagement

Taking responsibility for the KELALP website made me think more carefully about the role that I play within CulturePolis. Although I was given responsibility for revitalising the website, I was still working within the identity and objectives of KELALP rather than creating something based solely on my own ideas.

The response from Persa was particularly significant because it showed me that the work had been recognised by my colleagues, as well as external partners.

This experience has also changed my understanding of what a meaningful contribution during a six-week LIA can look like. I initially expected that the most important outputs would be the Erasmus+ proposals, but the KELALP website has shown me that a smaller project can also have an important impact. It has been particularly rewarding to know that something I have worked on will continue to be used after I leave.

Adjustment & Development for Next Week

With my final week approaching, my main behavioural adjustment will be to focus on completion rather than perfection. I want to make sure that I use my remaining time effectively without becoming frustrated by things that are outside my control. Where I am waiting for information from partners, I will continue progressing the sections that I can work on independently.

The value I want to focus on is Determined, while the character dimension I will intentionally develop is Temperance. I want to finish the placement with the same level of enthusiasm that I had at the beginning, even though it is increasingly difficult to progress some of the Erasmus+ work while partners are away.

My main practical actions for next week will be to distribute the drafted Erasmus+ proposals to our partners for comment, incorporate any feedback that I receive, and complete the remaining work on the KELALP website. I also want to make sure that I leave clear records and useful work behind for my colleagues so that the projects can continue after my placement ends.

It feels quite bittersweet to be approaching my final week. I have become much more comfortable within CulturePolis and have started to feel that I am making a genuine contribution, so it is difficult to think that the placement is coming to an end just as I am becoming more confident in my role. At the same time, I am proud of how much I have learned in a relatively short period.