“Develop and Preserve Your Professional Potential”
New Insights and Reflection for Junior Researchers
In the frame of the International miTarget Symposium, RU5042 miTarget organized the Junior Researcher’s Day “Develop and Preserve your Professional Potential” on June 16, 2023. The event took place at the Centre for Molecular Biosciences (ZMB) at Kiel University and gave young researchers the possibility to work on their own professional potential.
During the first part of the day, we had an inspirational talkshop “Unlock your Potential” led by Ms. Afi Sika Kuzeawu (https://en.afisika.com). She gave a short introduction starting with the metaphoric story of the lion who grew up with sheep and did not realize his potential to roar for a long time. Afterwards, we got the opportunity to explore our inner strengths (something already present inside us) and our life-guiding goals and beliefs (something we want to achieve) through different exercises. Ms. Kuzeawu also showed us methods helping us to adapt and to listen to another person / partner. Everyone was welcome to share their reflections on each training task.
During the second part of the day, we divided the participants into two groups. One half of the participants joined the workshop led by Dr. Tenna Dahl (https://www.yogatrail.com/teacher/tenna-dahl-8253442). In this class, entitled “Relaxing and Energizing your Entire Body”, we were shown how to use body and breathing practices to get focused on work, or, vice versa, to entirely relax and recharge.
The other half of the group was welcomed by Ms. Hanna Campen (https://physio-forstbaumschule.de/leistungen/#systemische). She is a consultant for the doctoral researchers of Kiel University at the Graduate Center and a personal coach. She created a very friendly atmosphere for junior scientists to share their struggles and provided some inspirational exercises for self-reflection. Each participant created a list of various pleasant and fulfilling aspects of their life and work, and a list of things that are, sadly, drowning their inner battery.
To us this was an inspiring and intense day that for sure provided stimulation for change and further development. All workshops have been evaluated quite well.
Aside this, we, the organizing team Irene Victoria Bermudez-Perez (https://www.mitarget.org/people/irene-victoria-bermudez-perez/) and Valeriia Kriukova (https://www.ikmb.uni-kiel.de/people/scientists/valeriia-kriukova), gathered a lot of experience on all the details that have to be taken into account when organizing such a day.
Authors: Irene Victoria Bermudez-Perez, Valeriia Kriukova
Photos: ©RU miTarget, photo: [SoulPicture| Kiel]
