Please share your learning opportunities

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In November, here we are Kenya asked its local members as well as the here we are global members to share their best learning experiences and opportunities used while living abroad. The responses were wide and varied – just like the members of here we are global.

It shows us that there are many opportunities out there and that we, by inspiring each other, can work together towards our common vision of professional development.45 participants shared with, learned from, and inspired each other during the monthly meeting in Nairobi.  Here we are is about sharing opportunities and creating a network linking the local and the global.  Therefore, we hope our global network will also find inspiration in the following strategies.

See the local opportunities

An international assignment is an obvious opportunity to dive into and learn about a new country's culture. Getting a local to teach you a new language is one option. Local libraries and museums are often excellent places to look for activities, events and learning. Starting a book club to discuss and learn about different perspectives on life is another option. Or how about getting together with local and international friends to make a cooking group? Sharing receipts and eating together can be a very enjoyable way to share and learn about each other's culture, traditions and history. If your interest goes more in the direction of governing and people or project management, how about getting involved at local or international schools; in the Governing Boards, Steering Committees or Parent Teacher Organizations? For some, volunteering in local NGO's or even starting your own can also brings great learning experiences as well as a strong sense of purpose.

Search for global opportunities

If the learning experiences you are looking for are not available locally we are lucky to live in the age of global technology. Many international colleges, universities and other educational institutions offer online classes where both written and oral exams can be done online. Some are costly, but if you start searching for learning opportunities within your field of interest you might be surprised by the number of low cost or even free opportunities online. A place to start is the great selection of private blogs and broadcast channels. If online is not your thing, how about looking for summer schools or other types of short term training opportunities in locations convenient for you?

Remember the opportunities within here we are global

Sometimes, when you move to a new place, it can feel as if there are no opportunities there for you. Or it can feel like the opportunities are too many and you have to spend some time trying to figure out what might bring most value to you. But no matter where you are, we would like you to remember that learning opportunities can also be found right here in the here we are global network. Starting a local county or city team or contributing to an existing one is always a learning experience.

We are always trying to expand the here we are global network by starting up new local chapters, so if you are in a location with no active network and would like to start one up, please contact us. We will share our Start up tool box to help you get started, and we also have active members that will love to help you by sharing experiences and recommendations for starting up new local country or city teams. Getting involved in the development and expansion of the global here we are network is also an option. If you are interested in using or developing competences within online communication, social media marketing or technical skills in web development, social impact activities or community outreach, please raise your hand. We would love to include you in the global startup team!

Links and further sharing

A list of diverse links shared at the Nairobi meeting could be of interest to here we are global members no matter the location. See links in the box below. And please keep sharing! If you find more or new valuable learning resources that you think could be of interest to other here we are global members, please keep posting them as comment to this blog post.