#AllHandsOnDeck at WISA 2020: 2 activities
The WISA 2020 conference took place virtually due to the global pandemic, COVID-19 from the 7 – 11 December 2020. The WISA conference adopted the theme #AllHandsOnDeck to address a number of challenges facing the southern African water sector. The virtual event brought forth a platform to engage with many stakeholders with the common interest to address water challenges and present new opportunities.
The OKP team conducted an oral presentation on Monday, 7 December to share the progress of the “Bridging the water: Co-create to learn and experience” project. Agnes Maenhout led the presentation, and Professor Bux and Professor Sheena shared the intercultural experiences of the living labs between Dutch and South African students and the support of the eThekwini Municipality. Participants explained about the on the job training and Sjoske Tuinstra and Londiwe Dlamini shared their experiences as Young Experts for the Young Expert Programme (YEP). This oral presentation was well received by the attendees who engaged in the open discussion that followed. Topics of the discussion were: “How to disseminate the training in the whole country, the qualification or improvement of the daily job, peer learning and the practical approach.
The OKP team conducted a workshop on Friday, 11 December, titled: Generation Z is coming: go with their flow to get #allnewhandsondeck. The workshop was presented by Agnes Maenhout, Claudia Peters, Londiwe Dlamini and Sjoske Tuinstra. The aim of the workshop was to explore ways to attract young professionals, specifically those in Generation Z (born 1995 -2010) to the water sector. The workshop was conducted using interactive tools such as polls and padlet (Figure 1 below). Participants were given the opportunity to join a breakout room (Figure 2) to share their opinions and present their solutions. One of the participants highlighted that young people should remain “teachable” and “continue to seek knowledge even in the digital space” that we are in.
Other quotes of the workshop:
“Not only focus on the weaknesses of the Young professionals, but allow them to identify their strengths”
“Clients are also getting younger, so it is important to have also young professionals in your own organization”
Padlet of participant engagement
WISA 2020 Workshop Breakout room
Bridging the Water is part of the Orange Knowledge Programme.