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<\/p>\nAs part of \u2018UNESCO WEEK 2024\/25,\u2019 we interviewed Ms. Mizumo Ohara, who is a trainee.<\/p>\n
Ms. Ohara was selected as a trainee* to join the UNESCO Traineeship Programme,** launched by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and UNESCO. As of November 2024, she is building her experience at UNESCO Headquarters (Paris, France).<\/p>\n
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Q: Thank you for agreeing to take part in this interview. Could you please introduce yourself and tell us how you came to participate in the traineeship programme and what you currently do in the course of your work?<\/strong><\/p>\n I have joined the UNESCO Traineeship Programme, through which I have been posted to the Section of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the Education Sector, UNESCO Headquarters and am currently in a one-year training programme as a Sponsored Trainee*** from July 2024 to June 2025. For this year, I am given the opportunity to act as a member of the Youth Committee of the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO. I am thus involved in the preparations for the Youth Forum, which will take place on the last day of the UNESCO WEEK 2024\/25. For this forum, we are developing programmes so that it can provide aspiring people with opportunities to take their first step and encourage those who are already pursuing their activities. On the day, I will be participating online.<\/p>\n In Japan, I am presently studying for a doctoral degree at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Okayama University, where I am pursuing research on the role of culture in the process of creating a sustainable society, from the perspective of international law with a particular focus on UNESCO and UNESCO-adopted laws and regulations. As my research is focused on UNESCO, I was eager to have first-hand experience of UNESCO operations, which was the reason for applying for this traineeship programme. The reason I have chosen the ESD Section for my training field is because, in addition to my personal interest in building sustainable and inclusive society, there are active ESD-related initiatives taking place in Okayama.<\/p>\n In the traineeship programme, I am primarily active in the projects implemented according to the ESD for 2030 Roadmap.**** I am involved in various tasks, such as preparing and implementing webinars, giving support for developing strategies and actions to achieve the ESD for 2030 Visions in different countries, and communicating with regional offices. I also help other sections with their events.<\/p>\n Q: Have you encountered any challenging or difficult situations in the traineeship programme? Also, what do you find rewarding? If you have any stories, please share them.<\/strong><\/p>\n Every day brings something new for me to learn through the traineeship programme, and I feel really rewarded to be working in this environment, where I can recognise my personal growth. It is encouraging more than anything to gain confidence as I build on more successful experiences, whereas I was not at all competent in the beginning.<\/p>\n In early days in the traineeship programme, most tasks were new to me, and I struggled in carrying them out. For example, I was put in charge of preparing programme materials for submission. It did not go as I intended, and I had to make corrections many times. My manager and colleagues helped me every time, and I often felt guilty for troubling them by my shortcomings. Yet, I spoke with my manager about my challenges, and their feedback helped me to gradually recognise the progress I was making.<\/p>\n The differences in cultures and manners of communication also posed difficulties for me in the early days. I often held back from fully expressing my opinions, which sometimes resulted in failing to proactively engage with my counterparts without intending so. However, I have come to understand that, in the culture over here, small talk and chats are a means to show your interest in others. So, I made efforts to become accustomed to these practices, and I now feel that I am more capable of smooth communication in my team.<\/p>\n Q: How would you like to use your experience in the traineeship programme in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n I really think that the experience gained in this programme enriches my own life. Everything in it gives me invaluable lessons and becomes personal assets, like how to approach and understand the task at hand, how to pursue it efficiently, and how to engage in multi-cultural communication, as well as the perspective of designing my careers and the experience of carrying out tasks using foreign languages.<\/p>\n Especially, I have learned a lot from my manager\u2019s ways of communication, which are an ideal model for me. I imagine that skills such as how to choose the right words, form requests, and speak, for example, will help me in any situations in the future. In particular, I am now keenly aware of the importance of engaging communication, such as conveying requests gently and expressing gratitude whenever possible, which I will be putting into practice in my future activities and work.<\/p>\n Q: Do you have advice for students who are considering participation in a training programme or internship at UNESCO or any other international organisation, for example, on what they should do in general as part of their preparations?<\/strong><\/p>\n I think it is worth going to places where you can meet people who work or worked for UNESCO, such as the UNESCO WEEK, and gain direct insights into the actual tasks and ways of operation at UNESCO and other international organisations. You can also convey your keenness to be on an internship etc. What they can tell you may help you to clarify what you need to do. You might also find some advice on who to see or where to go according to your areas of interest.<\/p>\n The undisputed advice is to study languages, which will definitely help. I am aware that some UNESCO sectors operate primarily in French, not to mention English. So, you will not regret your efforts to speak several languages, such as French and Spanish. I am also aware that it is particularly useful to study the official languages of the United Nations.<\/p>\n Q: This is the last question. The key phrase of the UNESCO WEEK 2024\/25 is \u2018creating a sustainable and inclusive future.\u2019 How would you describe the future you envision from \u2018creating a sustainable and inclusive future?\u2019 And please give a message to our readers.<\/strong><\/p>\n From \u2018creating a sustainable and inclusive future,\u2019 one of the important elements I can think of is mutual support based on respect for different values and backgrounds. I think that one of the many things that we can do for this is \u2018to keep actively engaging with many communities.\u2019 There are many different communities representing hobbies, charity work, sports, schools, communities, workplaces, families, and friends. Avoiding being confined in just one community will help to prevent limiting your perspectives and ensure opportunities to be exposed to values that are different from yours. It will also give you a \u2018refuge\u2019 if you face difficult situations in one of the communities, which can be a great advantage to have.<\/p>\n I also keep in mind the usual points such as reducing waste, making good use of food resources, and other environmental practices as well as behaving ethically and being kind to others. While doing so, I also aspire to cultivate and maintain high sensitivity to diversity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n * See here<\/a> for details (Okayama University website, in Japanese)<\/p>\n ** See here<\/a> for the UNESCO Traineeship Programme (in Japanese)<\/p>\n ***\u00a0Sponsored Traineeship Programme<\/a> (UNESCO website)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/unesco-sdgs.mext.go.jp\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/IMG-8933-1024x1024.jpg\")
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