2nd week is over with Learning mode ON!
October, 13th 2018, and that means we are halfway through our CSC journey in Halifax, Canada. I couldn’t fathom how time would pass that fast. However, with all activities we’ve been doing in the past two weeks and with what is still yet to come, we've kind of been losing the notion of the time here.
Good news is that we haven't had any big issues so far. In spite of the challenges the four sub-teams are facing due to the complexity each project brings, along with the challenging problem we need to solve, it seems like all projects are under control and evolving well and in a good pace.
It’s good to see how the entire team and the clients are engaged and working together with a common objective of ending up with a solution that is feasible and, more importantly, practical enough to benefit Nova Scotia community in a medium and long terms. Moreover, the entire team is also leading well with the CSC program concept of team awareness by enjoying the time we’ve spent together. This help us a lot in the sense of getting closer and somehow compensating the distance from our families. Yes, it’s time to celebrate!
And now it comes the second half of the journey with even more challenges to overcome. But I believe we have an energized and integrated team prepared for the amount of work we'll be facing ahead. Of course, time-frame is the most critical issue for all sub-teams, so that should require more collaboration between them. Definitively, I hope we can keep working with the same dedication, perseverance and teamwork we've had so far on the projects so everyone succeeds.
However, the weekend has arrived and you might be interested in our plan for it, so here it is:
- Friday night, NSCC dinner
- Saturday, a recharging free day
- Sunday, Pumpkin Regatta in Windsor, Nova Scotia
Week highlights below:
Thanks giving Holiday in Cape Breton Island
As I mentioned in my last post, we headed up to Cape Breton Island for the long weekend of Thanks giving Holiday in Canada. It was an incredible experience for each one of us — special for me, who is not used to travel in large groups. I usually solely travel with my family on Holidays and vacations and, instead of going on tour excursions, we prefer to explore new places by driving and walking to different destinations.
Anyway, I can assure you it was a different yet interesting experience for me. I really enjoyed it!
I’ve heard from my client that Fall season makes Nova Scotia even more special and that’s is true. The landscape is painted with an infinite amount of different hues and it’s amazing in a way I had never seen before. You can't imagine the amount of pictures we took from the incredible viewpoints on the road and of the parks we visited. The days in Cape Breton were long for us as we spent long times hiking which I really like. We were also able to join a local dancing party! It wasn’t in our original plan but was nonetheless a new experience for the group, featuring local music and the interaction to the local community.
We definitively came to the right place at the right time!
CSC NSCC project progress
I can tell you that the second week for my sub-team was very productive and the support of NSCC team was key. The college community is engaged and mobilized to help and work with us on this project. Many thanks for our partner NSCC, it really makes a huge difference!
Our agenda of meetings and interviews with key stakeholders continued with deep and good conversations regarding organization, processes, challenges and expectations. It helped us on the assessment of the current scenario of Accessibility & Inclusion within the college.
We also had the opportunity to tour two NSCC campus, Akerley in Dartmouth and Marconi in Sydney — and this is not the popular Sydney from Australia but from Nova Scotia. Anyway, the idea of the tours is to get real context of the college by visiting their facilities. We were able to get an overview and classroom visits of NSCC Trades Program, Adult Learning Program and Achieve Program. The interaction with the students and faculty team was with a great value to us. And of course, a selfie was a must that we didn't miss which made our time with the students even more special!
Our Friday morning started off with a special guest visit, the little Charlie, during our preparation for another Design Thinking Workshop with NSCC core team. We have been using the weekly checkpoint meeting to increase Design Thinking practice in NSCC. In this particular session, the team came up with important insights through good discussions around major pain points and possible alternatives of solutions. The group definitively understood the concept of Ideation behind the design practice. Well done, NSCC team!
We wrapped up the week by working on our goal of mapping the current scenario of the ecosystem. It is complex by nature and we planed on using students’ standpoints to accomplish it. The main objective is to comprehend those students’ experience in consuming NSCC education programs and to map the several barriers they might face throughout the entire education cycle.
At this point, I'm completely aware that my learning mode is fully activated and in intense usage! Key learning of the week was that all students with disability need is appropriate conditions to help them develop the skills and capabilities they need to become an active participant in the community economy. That’s the goal of NSCC and our project is just a starting point of this huge transformation program this college is willing to pursue.
A special dinner with NSCC team on Friday
My sub-team was invited by one of NSCC executives who kindly proposed a social meeting with NSCC project stakeholders in her house. She wanted to share some of Nova Scotia's traditions with us through a typical dinner.
In my opinion, everything was perfect! I mean, the food was delicious, there were very pleasant people to talk to and, for our surprise, a musician with us who played Nova Scotia's typical songs for us in a sort of private show. Cool!
Actually, it’s was a great opportunity for us to chat in an informal environment with people we've been talking to on account of the NSCC project’s development.
Moreover, we could share experiences and impressions around culture and traditions from our countries. Thanks Roz Penfound from NSCC for having us!
More to come. Stay tuned! ;-)
