Emily Larson | Positive Psychology Instructor | 2014
To me, Project Potential represents the chance to be a changemaker by using your own strengths and passions — no matter what your age, background, or qualifications. When going through the job application process most companies will list mandatory requirements such as “5 years job experience” or “MA in Education”. While these are obviously desirable attributes, Project Potential doesn’t limit itself to hiring people who fit so neatly into boxes. Instead, Project Potential asks people what brings them to life, because as an organization we need more people who are truly alive. Because of this, Project Potential is palpable with energy, intrinsic motivation, and purpose. No one is there because they HAVE to be, everyone who walks into those swinging doors at Project Potential is there because they truly WANT to be.
There are no shortages of educational NGO’s in Bihar, however, very few of those NGO’s actually give value to local changemakers. Most non-profits in India identify a problem, and then bring in “experts” to fix it — not Project Potential. Instead we identify a potential area for growth and then we engage the community to become part of the solution.
I look back on my time working for Project Potential very fondly. Not many 23 year olds would be given the opportunity to dream up a curriculum, implement it, and then measure the results. While this level of autonomy often felt daunting to me, I left India being a better and more confident individual because of it. Working for Project Potential made me realize that success isn’t defined by picking a solution and sticking to it until the end (only to find out it was flawed) — success is realizing we are imperfect, and so are our solutions, so let’s try a bunch of ideas out and see which one is least imperfect.
More than anything, Project Potential means family to me. Despite the environmental and sometimes mental discomforts of living in Rural Bihar, I really felt I was a part of a loving, warm, at times slightly dysfunctional family. Together we made mistakes, embraced our imperfections, and learned a lot about the world in the process.
