10 Things I Learned at UNLEASH 2019

Back in November of 2019, I had the honor of being chosen to act as a facilitator for UNLEASH Lab in Shenzhen, China. UNLEASH brings together 1,000 young talents and 200 facilitators from all over the world to find solutions to the world’s toughest challenges. The talent was then divided into sub themes- I was thrilled to be facilitating SDG 4 with 14 other facilitators

Here’s a look at what it was like.

I get all teary-eyed when I watch that video and look at the photos because it was the most intense and inspiring couple of weeks I have had in my career in a long time, if ever. I had no idea what I was getting into beyond being able to work with some of the most talented people in the world. How on earth did I get chosen? I thought it was because I was already in China and didn’t need a visa. That was part of it, but as I came to understand throughout those ten days, I was meant to be there.

UNLEASH brought together all the things I value and love about global education. While it’s incredibly hard for me to sum up this experience, here are some things that have stuck with me in the months that have followed.

The amazing facilitator team of SDG4- not pictured Reham

1 Diversity

Everyone should have a group of friends from all over the world. Being surrounded by diversity- of experiences, languages, cultures and perspectives has brought so much joy to my life and has helped me open my mind and see the world as a kinder, more hopeful place. While our backgrounds and lives were drastically different, we came together, unified around the belief that we could change the world for the better and take one step, even if it was a small one, to helping more children around the world access a quality education. Our days were filled with facilitating sessions, working with teams, handling logistics and providing feedback, but our nights were spent sitting in pink plastic chairs around a table, sharing stories and enjoying food on a stick with oversized bottles of cheap beer. “Our alley” as we affectionately called it became our sanctuary from the fast-paced design sprint and challenges of of the day. I look forward to the day when we can all sit together in some back alley somewhere else in the world and do it all over again.

2 China

One of the minor, but somewhat significant things I learned while I was at UNLEASH was that I know more about China than I thought. Throughout the two weeks I found myself explaining “the why” behind observations that others made. I could order a Didi (the Uber or Lyft of China) without a problem, and this came in handy more than once. I was finally feeling comfortable in the country that I had called home for over a year.

3 Confidence

I’m still working on confidence, but just writing this, I can feel the effects of my time in Shenzhen. When I received the invitation to attend it was only a little over a month before the start date. I chalked it up to being a convenient choice. After all, I was already in China. I brought some serious imposter syndrome with me on the plane, and I had convinced myself that everyone else was much more qualified than I was. I would just soak in as much as I could. While I did soak in as much as I could, I realized that I was uniquely qualified to be there. I wasn’t a former talent like some, I didn’t work for one of the non-profit partners or the corporate sponsors. I was there on my own, my experience and skills propelling me forward. And looking back, I’m pretty proud of that. I did belong there. It also helped that Berkin was the conscience on my shoulder reminding me that it was true too.

4 Filling a Need

Everyone on the facilitator team took on additional responsibilities. I ended up taking on a role to coordinate the experts. In addition to facilitators, the talent groups had access to field experts who would show up each day. I didn’t know what I was getting into, and it turned out to be very time consuming. But it ended up being the perfect job for me. I was able to see what all the groups were doing and spend time with some really interesting experts. It gave me a very specific task, so I felt successful immediately (which helped with building my confidence). Valdemar (who we lovingly called Voldemort), fellow facilitator, made the comment at the end that we all ended up in the exact right place and that he knew from the beginning that it would work out that way. I think he has a sixth sense for seeing personalities. He would probably disagree with me. The point is, I stepped up when I otherwise would have been quiet, and it was the best thing I could have done.

Jen, me and Melody (one of the experts) celebrating after the SDG 4 pitches were presented. The group behind us is one of the groups I worked closely with.

5 The Small Stuff

The small stuff is important, singing and dancing are important, awards are important, and fun is what gets you through the tough spots. My new friend Jen reminded me that it’s important to take the time to value the people you are sharing space with and let them know they are appreciated. The small gesture of giving me the quality coach award at the end of a really hard and stressful day not only gave me the energy to keep going, it helped me realize why I needed to be there. We ended our time together as facilitators with a gratitude circle in our favorite alley- everyone should have the experience of having a trusted group of friends hold up a mirror and help you see the great things about you that you don’t often see in yourself.

6 Leadership

Leadership comes in many forms, and while I knew this to be true prior to this event, I saw it come to life in myriad ways. Our lead facilitator, Wenda, exemplified who a servant leader should be. She took the brunt of the logistics and issues that arose and quietly handled them. She immediately recognized our strengths and invited us to shine in our own way. She made us all better, and our team was better for her leadership. Each person in our facilitation team brought something to the table that came together in this seamless way- through trust. We didn’t know each other beyond a short introduction but it almost felt like divine intervention to bring us all together. It sounds extreme, but I couldn’t have imagined a better suited group to execute what we did.

7 Success

Successful talent teams weren’t without their challenges, but one thing they had in common was that they showed mutual respect and knew when and when not to push each other. Openness, resilience, flexibility, and all the other 21st Century Skills, soft skills or whatever the popular buzz word is these days, were essential to not just success but survival. The participants were pushed and challenged in ways that they didn’t anticipate with late nights, early mornings, and we even made them dance and sing sometimes. But if they were open to the process and enjoyed the journey, they were successful. I felt like a proud parent those last couple of days watching the pitches and seeing their final products. But more than that, I reveled in the growth that I witnessed from day one to the end. I look forward to seeing what some of these incredible young people do in the future.

8 Feedback

The right point of feedback at the right time can make all the difference. So can the right question. One of the things that was a struggle at the beginning was knowing when to step in and help a group, when to ask a question, or when to just observe or walk away and let them sort it out. They were adults after all. What I found was that facilitating groups of 20-somethings wasn’t so different than facilitating an elementary school classroom. Sometimes it was a simple invitation to bring someone into the discussion who wasn’t feeling included. Other times it was taking the time to listen to a whole presentation before asking one simple question that helped a group prepare for the judges’ questions. Other times, a group may have needed a lot more guidance and specific questions that started with “have you thought about….?” Whatever the feedback was, it required keen observation, some level of expertise and an ability to see several steps ahead of where the group currently was.

9 Communication

The lack of internet was a blessing in disguise, and the VPN worked very infrequently the whole time I was there. While it made internal communication with my facilitator team difficult (and it was really difficult to get any of my regular work done), this allowed me to really focus in the people around me in the moment. From our back alley late night meetings to the staring contests, we stretched and pushed our personal boundaries and comfort zones. Spending time listening to people share stories, some funny, others heart-wrenching, it reaffirmed the importance of taking the time to listen and share despite the pressure to continue to work. Holding space for a story is never time wasted.

10 Hope

There is a lot of hope in the world, and I got to spend 10 days immersed in it. Not just the talent, most of them are just getting started, but the co-facilitators, truly incredibly people doing the important work around the world. Hope is hard to find sometimes when we do the work to make change in the world. It’s exhausting, often thankless, but there is strength in numbers, and I returned home feeling hopeful because so many people are bringing light to the world every day. Common humanity is the only way to change the world.

To close this really long (but lovely in my opinion) blog post I extend a heartfelt thank you to Tara, Wenda, Val, Berkin, Jen, Alex, Fred, Jeremy, Sadaf, Reham, Mary, Adam, Helle, and Tchegoun. You have impacted my life more than you know. Until next time…