Nina Kreyer

Head of Learning & Development, LGT Private Banking

Thomas Weber

Managing Partner, LGT Capital Partners

Career Starter Week

Bank Windhoek, Namibia

September 16 - 27, 2024

 
 

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

This quote by Benjamin Franklin served as our ‘north star’ for our volunteering engagement in September 2024: During our time in Namibia, we got to know some fantastic students, met passionate volunteers, learned from skilled experts, discovered hidden potentials, engaged in new business ideas, made new friends, and got a taste of Namibian culture, wildlife and nature.   

Below we have tried to capture our journey, insights, and learnings from these two incredible and memorable weeks.

 
 

The Career Starter Weeks

Working in partnership with experts from Bank Windhoek, we were honored to facilitate two Career Starter Weeks full of learning, collaboration, exploration, personal growth – and fun.

As the brainchild of the fabulous B360 education partnerships, the highly renowned Career Starter Weeks aim to support and coach ambitious, talented, yet unemployed graduates as they look to embark on either corporate careers and/or in their ambition to start a micro-business.

Selected by Bank Windhoek, some 25 graduates met in each of the two weeks to engage in education, networking and personal development. The dedication of the students to the program was remarkable. They embraced the multitude of topics, exercises, challenges, and discussions with gusto.

 
 
 
 

At the start of the week, we asked each student to build a duck from (the same) six Lego pieces. While some of the attendees had never seen or played with Lego before, they all embraced the task and built some very cool ducks – and discovered that none of their ducks looked the same. We took this as a metaphor for the course, highlighting that – like the ducks – none of our learning (or careers) is likely to be the same. Yet, we can all take inspiration from ducks:

  • They are highly adaptive & agile. Being comfortable in land, water and air; they can fly as high as airplanes and up to 100 mph and dive as deep as 240 feet. Likewise, we should not limit our ambitions.

  • They are team players & super-social animals – they are most comfortable when in groups with other ducks. They look out for each other - for example when sleeping, one duck will always keep a watch and alert others on potentials dangers

  • They celebrate diversity and come in many shapes and sizes - there are around 166 different duck species around the world; they also speak different languages and have regional accents: Research found that the ducks in London had a louder, rougher quack (because they had to shout above the noise of city life?) while ducks in the country made longer and more relaxed sounds

  • They are meticulously clean animals. We tried to follow their example by also respecting the fantastic learning space provided by Bank Windhoek

Somewhat shy and quiet at the beginning of the course, it was amazing to see how the students gained confidence and strength throughout the week – and how they gelled as a team, worked together and supported each other on some tough challenges; including presenting their joint business case in front of the panel. In the feedback, almost all participants highlighted how the time together – and the various opportunities to present and speak in front of the others – had boosted their confidence, how they felt better equipped for job interviews and how much more motivated they were to embark on their job searches (and not giving up despite the challenging and fierce labour market). That is a lot more than we had ever hoped for. Yet, we got an extra-gift in the form of inspiration from the energy, passion and enthusiasm of these young talents. The course was a truly humbling experience, and we feel deeply grateful for this amazing opportunity.

 
 
 
 

APLI

In addition to facilitating the Career Starter Weeks, we were also honored to be invited to the APLI ‘Ignite the Future Summit’. The African Pathfinders Leaders Initiative (founded by young Namibian students in 2018) also aims to support unemployed youth with access to skills, resources and networks to achieve their personal goals as well as enabling them to contribute to their communities and beyond.

During the summit, we got to meet and work with some very talented and bright APLI alumni and current program members. We worked with the group on strategic and resilient goals, professional branding and upskilling and how to learn from failure / developing a growth mindset.

Our time with APLI was another showcase of the amazing work volunteers do to bring about change and opportunities and we can only applaud their dedication and passion.

 
 
 
 

Namibia

Our time in Namibia was not all work though – on the weekends we also had the privilege to explore some of the countries’ beautiful scenery, nature and wildlife. Seeing a rhino (or two actually) at close distance is one of the most mesmerizing experiences we ever had – and reminded us of how small and fragile we are… We also admired the zebras, spotted ostriches, were in awe of leopards, laughed at ‘Pumbas’ and fell a little bit in love with the giraffes. Our guides were probably better teachers than us as they did an incredible job at explaining the conservation efforts in the different regions, the context, balance and dilemmas of earning a livelihood (e.g. as farmer) while also trying to protect the natural environment and how to combine the interests of tourism with those of local communities.

During several conversations (for example with our partners from Bank Windhoek, mentees or young professionals) we gained further insights on how Namibia is evolving and making its way to a knowledge-based society while also having to work through some difficult challenges; for example, a still very high youth unemployment rate, gender-based violence or maintaining a good health system.

Overall, we felt a deep sense of pride, passion and optimism from the people we met with, with regards to the path Namibia is on. And we met many people who ‘walk the talk’ and proactively make a positive contribution to this journey – for example by volunteering their time or expertise, offering coaching and mentoring or championing initiatives and charities to support those in need.

 
 

Our Learnings, Reflections & Appreciation

It is difficult to sum up the many impressions and experiences we were privileged to have during our time in Namibia. Here’s a try though:

  • Expect the unexpected: As much as you might think you can plan and prepare – be open, learn to love surprises, embrace the new and ‘enjoy the ride’; it’s worth it and very rewarding

  • It’s not wrong, it’s not right – it’s different. Don’t judge or jump to conclusions. Ask questions, seek to understand, learn and listen. There is usually a good reason why things are done in a certain way.

  • Have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously. ‘Namibian time’ has its benefits – although we think we’ll struggle to import the concept to Liechtenstein ;-)

We’d love to express our heartfelt Thanks to the many people who supported us on our journey and made this incredible experience possible:

  • Zelda van den Berg, Emoreen Oxurus, Benson Kalla, and Josie Gubeon – and many more – from Bank Windhoek. You rock and we can not thank you enough for the fantastic collaboration, partner- and friendship you so kindly offered us. We hope to see you again very soon and look forward to future adventures together.

  • Willem Vrey: One of the best professional photographers we have ever seen. How you are able to capture the essence and spirit of each course, the student’s energy, and their personalities is pure magic. And – thank you for offering to take professional profile pictures of each student; this will make a difference to each and every resume and LinkedIn profile! Plus - thank you for introducing us to biltong ;-)

  • Sem Uutoni and the entire APLI team: what you do is beyond incredible. Hats off to you and best of luck in all your future endeavors; you are changing lives for the better!

  • The students: without you, our time would have been meaningless. Thank you for your passion, energy, critique, challenge, perseverance, courage, openness, and enthusiasm throughout the weeks. We can’t wait to see what you’ll become and you all already are superstars.

  • Sabina and Sybille – and many others – from the B360 team. You are an inspiration and role-models! Your dedication to making a real difference to the many young lives in Africa deserves many medals. Thank you for trusting us and supporting us throughout our journey – working with you and for the cause you hold so dear, has been an utter privilege and honor!