I was an intern during the 2nd batch last year (May – June 2013) and one of the reasons why I joined WYA Asia Pacific (WYA AP) is to have the opportunity to experience organizing the 2nd WYA AP Emerging Leaders Conference (ELC). I am interested in experiencing a very hands-on training on project management and true enough, this conference gave me more than what I expected.
I was assigned in the Conference Program team. My tasks are to make sure the program flow is followed according to the time allotted and to be the speakers’ aide during their presentations. Surprisingly, I was also assigned to be a facilitator in one of the breakout sessions. I was not the outspoken type of person but I took the opportunity to brush up on my public speaking skills as well as to learn and enjoy the experience at the same time.
What really made a significant memory for me during the conference was that I was in charge of the sound booth, meaning I get to be the sound master for the conference or a DJ, as some of my friends jokingly said. Upon hearing that I will be the one in charge of the conference music, I got very excited. I immediately thought of tracks to play and made playlists of the music that will be played in the conference. I really enjoyed this experience because I get to share my passion for music.
Networking is also something that I enjoyed during the three-day conference. You get to meet different people from the Asia-Pacific region and share views with them on various issues. I had fun interacting with the participants during the group sessions and also during the dance demonstrations by the past interns.
My participation in organizing the 2nd WYAAP Emerging Leaders Conference is one of the most awesome experiences I ever had in my life. It was my first time to experience hands-on how to organize a region-wide event such as this and I really enjoyed every aspect of it. Not only did I learn a lot during the conference; even the challenges that we, the organizers faced during the course of our preparation made us grow in solidarity with one another. I would love to be part of the organizing team again, but I decided to let the new volunteers step in and experience the epic journey that is the WYAAP Emerging Leaders Conference.
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By Inka Asistores, a regional intern alumna at the WYA Asia Pacific office and volunteer at the 2nd WYAAP ELC. To learn more about the Asia Pacific Emerging Leaders Conference, click here.
Registration for the Asia Pacific ELC is ongoing. Early Bird Applications will entitle applicants to receive a 15% discount on conference fees. Early Bird applications are due on August 23.
