During this year’s 29th Annual Eritrean Sports Festival, the Eritrean Diaspora Network (EDN) hosted two events geared towards professional development. On Thursday, July 3rd we held a Networking Happy Hour, which was followed by a Professional Development Workshop the following day. Both events were cohosted by the Eritrean Sports Federation of North America (ERSFNA).
We are happy to say that both of these events were a resounding success. EDN was able to secure over 100 registered participants over both of the events, and the positive feedback has been overwhelming.
Before telling you more about how the events went, let’s spend a little time talking about why such an event was important. The festival is the single largest gathering of Eritrean youth in North America each year – which made it an incredible opportunity to engage our professionals with programming focused on their own development. It was also an opportunity to give Eritrean professionals a platform to network with each other beyond the “party scene”.
EDN and ERSFNA decided to partner to put on this workshop in order to create this platform. By simply creating the opportunities for young professionals to connect, we believe that we can enrich our community. As the Eritrean diaspora continues to grow, it is imperative that community members are aware of each other’s unique talents. Programs like these begin the process of building what will be a strong and vibrant Eritrean professional network. More on this later.
The Networking Happy Hour was held at Tattoo Bar in DC. There were plenty of business cards exchanging hands, and many of the attendees decided to stay and continue their conversations until beyond the posted end time of the event. EDN also held a raffle during the Happy Hour, giving away two tickets to the Saturday Gwyla to a lucky attendee.
The Professional Development Workshop was held at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. Moderators Ghenet Besera and Merih Ocbazghi began the workshop with a presentation on Personal Branding and Networking. Following their presentation, they moved the workshop into a panel discussion with three distinguished Eritrean professionals. Martha Haile is a senior program officer with the National Democratic Institute, focusing on women’s political participation and strengthening democratic institutions in East Africa. Semhar Gebre is the author of “Menghedi”, a moving novel about two Eritrean’s faith in hope despite facing immense adversity. Nisite Reta is a Senior Analyst with Accenture, consulting on some of the federal government’s largest programs.
The panel discussion was incredibly lively and interactive, with many members of the audience taking part both by asking questions and by offering their own insight into what has made them successful in their respective careers. Following the end of the discussion, the moderators, panel members, and plenty of attendees then stayed to continue their conversations and exchange contact information.
In light of these programs’ successes, the Eritrean Diaspora Network is developing an Eritrean Professional Network! We want to get your feedback about not only the events, but also about what you would like to see the network do moving forward. Please take a couple of minutes to fill out the survey below to provide us with your feedback. We are asking that you complete the survey by August 7th, 2014.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PJLWDX9
Stay connected to us via our blog and website – we will be sure to post details as they emerge about this exciting project!
Take a look at more pictures on our FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM pages!
