By Nevena Tsutsumanova, HAEi Operations Manager and Youngsters’ Community Coordinator
HAEi LEAP is a new educational program that aims to train and motivate future HAEi advocacy leaders. It is designed to provide youngsters with new skills that will help them develop as individuals and HAE advocates.
LEAP participants will work directly with their Member Organizations on an advocacy project that will support the local HAE community.
HAEi LEAP’s two-day in-person seminar took place on 31 March and 1 April 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Twenty young people from fifteen countries traveled to Dubai for the official start of the LEAP education program and to meet their classmates. The in-person seminar covered various topics to support our LEAP students with skills to help them both in life and to develop their projects before heading to deliver their projects with their Member Organizations.
The LEAP Class of 2023 started with HAEi Leadership welcoming our students, sharing HAEi’s story, and highlighting the power of advocacy as a force to change the world.
Deborah Corcoran, Chief, Special Projects and Research, and I delivered a training program filled with learning sessions, group work, networking, and fun. In her words:
“We had two very intense learning days. We took our LEAP students on a journey through project and time management, advocacy best practices, public speaking, presentation skills, and writing for advocacy. But, we made sure to factor in time for collaboration and sharing experiences to build the feeling of a class environment.”
The LEAP students also had opportunities to exchange ideas about their projects and draw inspiration from each other.
When planning the program, it was essential for us that all training sessions involved lectures and practical exercises. We want our students to learn from trying, and we are delighted to say everyone was open-minded and joined us on every challenge.
Currently, our students are enjoying the world of HAEi Advocacy Academy, the online component of our HAEi LEAP program, where a new course is released on a weekly basis. All courses are designed to propel our students toward their LEAP learning objectives by covering subjects that can enhance their final projects and empower them to thrive in life, whether at school or in the competitive work market.
Each course comprises a blend of learning on our students’ own schedule and activities and homework assignments, allowing the LEAP students to reflect and then cement their knowledge through exercises.. As we like to say in our team: “It’s not just about learning new things; it’s about putting them into practice.”
As we head towards the final milestone of the LEAP online education in mid-June, we feel very excited. Picture this: A week where our students will present their project ideas in proposal format they learned about in Dubai, and can enhance with activities and ideas they learned in the courses. All before they head out to collaborate with their Member Organizations to turn their proposals into reality. We cannot wait!
We are grateful for the driven, open-minded, and creative youngsters, who were part of this first LEAP class.
Our Motto: Prepare to be inspired. Prepare to be taken on this remarkable LEAP into a brighter future!
Join the HAEi LEAP Class of 2023 on Their Journey!
We have created a page on the youngsters’ website so everyone can follow along with the class and have a look at some of their experiences as they go through the HAEi LEAP program.
