CSCCan1 got to its end. What am I taking home?
Today is October, 27th 2018 — we’ve concluded our mission in Halifax!
Now I'm checking the group news for the logistics to follow for soon being on my way home and, hopefully, with my family. Actually, different from me and other few who are returning to our original countries today, most of my mates decided to take a couple of the days off by extending their stay here in Canada or in the US. Safe travels to all!
We are definitely leaving this incredible adventure (or even better, this true dream) with honor! How? Take a look to find out about our last week.
Our last week in Halifax
In general, our last week was filled with emotions since we all felt like the end was close and it triggered a mix of feelings in the entire team. On one hand, the commitment to the work that still had to be done made us more accountable. On the other hand, the reality that soon we had to say goodbye to each other was present. That made us rethink the situation from a different perspective — positively in the sense of acknowledging the new friends we made from all around the world. Yes, we live in a small world — and that’s fantastic!
Actually, the week was short due to the agenda established for closing the CSCCan1 deployment. Having said that, all sub-teams had to work hard to finish all activities that were planned in order to conclude the projects.
We ended up with great and tangible outcomes that resulted in happy clients, which made us happy as well.
I was thrilled with the clients’ enthusiasm toward the projects’ presentations!
The fifteen brilliant IBM leaders from across the globe who teamed up on behalf of Halifax community brought a unique perspective to their projects. The beauty of this team is that our differences were faced with respect to the individual. That helped us in naturally managing any situation — and no big issues had to be reported.
It was a great pleasure to have the opportunity to live this experience with the CSCCan1 team. I’m confident that what we delivered to our clients will last. Together, we succeeded and we should be proud of it!
Now, as per usual, the highlights of the week…
Community Service Day
On Saturday morning, we headed up to MI’KMAW Native Friendship Center for a Social Hackathon with Hope Blooms youth. This nonprofit organization aims at empowering at-risk youth in order for them to be actively engaged in building environments that directly impact the social determinants of health in their communities.
The agenda started with a special guest, a Mi’kmaq prayer. This outstanding leader from the local community kindly shared some of their traditions and values. What she told the team made us reflect on how fortunate we are with all we have been blessed with in our lives and, more importantly, on what really matters.
Later on, a Design Thinking exercise was done with the group of youth. The purpose was to help them explore alternatives to solve current challenges. It was an opportunity for us to share, interact and learn with these incredible and full of energy and good insights people.
Nova Scotia tour by NSBI
On Sunday, we had a full day tour around the south of Nova Scotia hosted by Nova Scotia Business Inc (NSBI). In order for us to be able to enjoy all the places planned on visiting, we had to leave the hotel early in the morning and only return to it late at night.
The places we visited are listed below:
- Peggy’s Cove — A small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay in Nova Scotia’s Halifax Regional Municipality, which is the site of Peggys Point Lighthouse (established 1868).
- Lunenburg — This historic town was designated a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1995. This designation ensures protection for much of Lunenburg’s unique architecture and civic design, being the best example of planned British colonial settlement in Canada.
- Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards is located in the heart of the Annapolis Valley’s most privileged wine growing sub-region; on the edge of the UNESCO site of Grand Pre and bordering the town of Wolfville.
- Bay of Fundy — Located halfway between the equator and the north-pole on Canada’s stunning east coast, Fundy is a unique coastal environment. The Bay of Fundy is renowned not only for its tides but also for geological discoveries made there (e.g. dinosaur fossils) and its marine life (e.g. whales).
We were able to enjoy each place we visited, and they all brought us something unique. The sunset at the Bay of Fundy closed our tour with glamour!
We headed up to the hotel feeling exhausted yet happy for having such great times together.
CSC NSCC project conclusion
After another pleasant weekend, my sub-team was determined to focus on the work still left to be done in order to conclude our project — Nova Scotia Community College, Accessing a World of Education — as described in my previous post.
On Thursday morning, we went to the NSCC IT Campus for the final presentation feeling confident that what we had built for NSCC had great value. In the meeting room, we had key stakeholders from NSCC as well as IBM Canada leaders and Liesl Mulholland from DOT.
At the end of the meeting, we were able to realize that the expectations were not only achieved but also exceeded. It felt very good to listen to the feedback from each person in that room. Actually, we left the room with a tremendous relief and a fantastic feeling of accomplishment.
Actually, we’ve established the incremental steps on the NSCC transformation journey to become a Fully Accessible and Inclusive College..
For me it was a confirmation that things don’t happen by accident. The project, the client team, my sub-teammates who were with me on this mission… Many thanks to each person with whom I interacted and helped me learn about NSCC, the education industry, accessibility, and develop other competencies and skills. We managed to build this together on behalf of NSCC community and it makes me feel thrilled!
Looking forward to following the next chapters of NSCC Accessibility Agenda.
Closing ceremony
The official closing ceremony for CSCCan1 deployment in Halifax was hosted by my client NSCC. It was a more reserved session when compared to the opening session. We had the four CSCCan1 sub-teams with their respective client teams, DOT and IBM Canada leaders.
The main goal of the meeting was for the four sub-teams to share a high level view of their projects, outcomes and achievements.
It was also an opportunity for networking and for hearing insights about what CSC program was in Canada — a moment for celebrate!
Last thoughts for now
At this point, if I told you that the CSC was a unique experience that I’m gonna be taking for life, you might say, “so what”?
Therefore, instead of it, I’ll tell you that these past four weeks were to me a variety of memorable moments shared between me, my client, my mates, and local IBM and DoT teams, who supported this very first CSC deployment in Canada. At the same time, it was a thoroughly challenging period, since every single day brought me a new situation to face with confidence and persistence from my end.
Definitively, I was required not only to think outside the box but, more importantly, to use my skills and experience to act with wisdom in order to succeed. I must admit that I have never been positioned myself in such way — far from my comfort zone — like I experienced in this assignment, and I have no complaints.
I’m leaving this adventure aware of the fact that all of the learning and discoveries which I experienced made me feel different, as a better person and professional. The opportunity allowed me to have a deep reflection, but I still need more time to digest better all of what I lived in Halifax.
I’m ready for new adventures. More to come, stay tuned!
