Ola a todos!
My name is Mauro, a newcomer communications intern who is more than pleased to share what this first month at Quest has meant to me.
Circles, meetings, training… Not gonna lie: the on-boarding at QUEST has been actually packed and huge, and as exciting as every new beginning. In other words, it was like walking off the edge of a cliff with a parachute: you know you are safe, but the nervousness in your stomach and the feeling of uncertainty is still there.
Nonetheless, after the first two days of introductory presentations I could notice that everything was running smoothly and that my worries were less of a problem. Honestly speaking, even before my start on the 1st of April, during the short incursions made to the office the previous weeks, I could already imagine that I would feel supported and accompanied within the group.
The biggest headline of my arrival at Quest can be summed up in three words: Research Action Impact. RAI truly helped me to realise that project management means (almost) everything for the organization. Although there is always room for improvisation, what is needed and the tasks’ planning should be well defined.
As for RAI itself, from 12 to 17 April, the experience can be summarized in one word: REWARDING. Despite the exhausting five and a half days that we spent there, every second –even in the kitchen– was a learning moment to me and an opportunity to get to know Quest and its team better and better. It was the first time I was participating in an exchange like this but from the other side, as part of the staff, and I cannot wait for the next time!
There are two specific enriching moments that I would like to keep in my mind –none of them is the defeat at musical chairs. The first one was the workshop about interviews that Rachna and I had devised. I will always thank every single opportunity to show my expertise and my passion. The second one was facilitating the press conference, a really fun activity that I believe everyone enjoyed as an original way for the participants to show what they had been doing for 5 days. During the RAI week and once it was finished, the main feeling was always hope for this enthusiastic youth that is keen on promoting meaningful changes to build a better future.
By the end of this first intensive month, I had the chance to put all the memories and footage together to sum up the RAI experience in a 1-minute video. Watching and listening over and over to those videos felt kind of like reviving that week, with all its moments and participants. While tackling the rest of the tasks that the Communications team have ahead, part of me still misses that kitchen, the corridors, the bunk beds, the bonfire… Whereas the other part is thoroughly satisfied with the idea of moving on, facing more challenges and learning new things at Quest.