First time to plan an open day and it was a great exposure for me as it had been my first time ever to do such a thing. At first, I thought it was going to be a scary one but with the help of our mentors and DFM’s support it was well executed. This experience helped me realize that it really does take a village to get an excellent outcome. I am indeed grateful for this experience. – Isireli
This was a life-changing experience that allowed me to learn more about my culture especially of my Chinese heritage. The planning process improved and strengthened our team bonding as everyone was listening to one another’s opinion and everyone respected each other regarding their culture and belief. – Cabrini
The virtual open day planning was a bit hectic as we would meet at 8pm till close to 10pm but it was all worth it. This process showed me that sacrifice and timely dedication was needed. Although there were indeed flaws, it helped us and even me to better my speaking skills and a huge boost of confidence. My mentors help were really critical as they both helped me plan out what to say and where to station myself during the talk. It was my first-time experience to talk to the public, though it was online, and this helped me build my confidence as well. With that said, I can confidently say that I or we are ready for more open days! – Inise
This open day planning gave me a new experience in how to coordinate open days during this Covid-19 period. And it showed me the importance of actively voicing out your opinions especially when you do not agree with something and with the help of our mentors we were able to compromise and understand each other. I have always been on camera because of Rako Pasefika but it was for artistic purposes only but this open day allowed me to realize that I could also talk to the public in confidence (although I was nervous for a few seconds) about my culture and how the Fiji Museum helped me know more about my culture. – Mark
Firstly, just like any virtual event I started off excited to see what we will produce, yet anxious about the work needed to successfully organise it. Having helped organise open days in my university, this virtual open day came with its own set of challenges, such as planning and technical organisation. For this I am grateful to the planning committee who had taken the reign and planned everything out amazingly. I had learnt so much about my mentors and I am grateful for the assistance they had provided me. They assisted me with finding an object I could relate to, compiling my presentation outline, trusting me to help with their organisation and encouraging me when as I was very anxious to present. The open day in itself was such an insightful experience. Not only did it put me in a position to learn and absorb so much from the environment at work, but it allowed me to learn from the open day participants. I am so thankful to the Urban Pathways project organisers for giving me this opportunity and the Fiji museum Staff and stake holders for allowing us to represent the museum in this capacity. All this pressure and responsibility was intimidating, but it was ultimately through the support of my mentors and fellow Interns that I was able to make it through the day. – Ala-Cassandra
There is a first time for everything. I really had to step out of my comfort zone for this one. I do not like to speak publicly but this Open Day has allowed me to do so. I was quite nervous at first but it turned out well in the end. We were quite limited in our planning due to COVID-19 restrictions and the lack of resources but we managed to work with what we had. For our first time ever hosting a Virtual Open Day, we all did so well. I really enjoyed the Virtual Open Day and I look forward to more Virtual sessions. Yes, we made mistakes during the session, but now we will learn from it and our next Virtual session will be a level-up from our first one. – Jonathan
Urban Pathways: Fiji. Youth. Arts. Culture. 