In the last week of January, young – and seasoned – professionals from around Europe had the opportunity to contribute to an EU Workshop on Refreshing H2O Policy in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The workshop on 30 Jan. – 1 Feb. focused on refreshing the roles of social and economic thinking, methods and tools to support EU Blue policy transition delivering sustainability, resilience and security.
And not to miss an opportunity to network while building capacities, EJWP organized a special Bootcamp within the workshop that offered opportunities for young professionals to participate in workshop activities, while also training in complementary areas. Both events were held on the SS Rotterdam, a former ocean liner and cruise ship which has been converted into a hotel and conference center in the Rotterdam harbor.
The EJWP Bootcamp brought together young professionals from different countries and expertise participating in the event. Facilitated by EJWP Director Naomi Timmer with support from French partner organization ACTeon Environment, the Bootcamp targeted activities to create social/water impact, sector connections for growth, a social learning community and to have fun along the way.
What is an EJWP Bootcamp?
The EJWP Bootcamp is a special mini EJWP 3-day programme developed for the workshop as social-learning community. Connecting the three pillars of EJWP: knowledge transfer and creation; and professional/personal skills development with networking in an integrated way with the Workshop. The overall goal through the activities is supporting young professionals to find their path and impact in the water sector. The agenda included networking exercises, active brainstorming about the role and contributions to the workshop, and the three days were closed with a workshop “From Culture Shocks to Inspiration for Change” to help participants find common ground in planning for future scenarios and challenges which will require innovative ways of thinking across borders.
Observations from participants in the Workshop and Bootcamp included:
- “Young professionals are under organized and under represented.”
- “Even if I want the change and see the benefits for others and convince them, I still have to consider their ability to actually change.”
- “By expanding the differences – in perceived problems and perceived solutions – we can integrate them into one.”
- “UNDERSTANDING and LISTENING to the resistance to change is the hardest thing to do, yet are the first steps to overcome it. Love it!”
The full programme will be closed with an online follow-up day to bring together the takeaways, learning and a training to support collaboration in the future.
For more information on the Refreshing H2O Policy, an EU socio-economic workshop, visit the website at: refreshingh2o.eu
Are you organizing an event and interested in creating an EJWP Boot Camp with it? Contact Naomi Timmer at: info@juniorwaterprogramme.eu
