This year, I fully committed myself to Hackathon 2023 for “Decent Work” organized by ILO. It was an experience that brought both empowerment and vulnerability.
Currently, Mongolia's service industry, including salons and construction, faces a significant shortage of skilled workers. We delved into why such private and public companies struggled to find employees, and the answer pointed to an educational gap.
With the guidance of our Altantsetseg mentor the CEO of NRCC (National Research & Constitutional Center) in Mongolia, we did extensive research, with both primary and secondary research. In primary research, we surveyed the 60+ МСҮТ (мэргэжил сургалтын үндэсний төв) even got an interview from some of them to get comprehensive results about their issue.
The main issue was that they were struggling to network with people and secure a workplace due to a lack of soft skills, which impacted their relationships with employers. We delved deeper and found the main hindrance was the dearth of resources, particularly qualified teachers provided by the schools. Furthermore, the educational centers were not adequately supporting these schools, and their projects were often left incomplete.
While I was interviewing with the girl from that МСҮТ, I had a vulnerable experience. She graduated from public school with an outstanding grade point average of 95% in 9th grade. Despite her teachers' insistence that she should complete high school, she was resolute in pursuing her passion as a stylist. However, upon continuing her studies at МСҮТ, not only did she fall behind her high school peers in terms of knowledge, but she also struggled to follow her passion due to the school's lack of resources. It was now evident that our project needed to provide the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue their passions and empower them to speak out, not only to inform judges, but to raise awareness among people at a large scale.
Given our background that we rose from the Hackathon project for “Empowering Girls in Tech”, we decided to embark on a new project to empower МСҮТ students through the “Youthinc Website”.
Coming up with exciting and innovative ideas was one factor for a successful project, but team collaboration was equally crucial for devising a suitable strategy and setting SMART objectives. Our team faced ups and downs, and I came to realize that I needed to improve both my teamwork and research skills. During the seven days as a team member, my role involved researching secondary data about МСҮТ, and creating an augmented reality “AR” video for the project's business card through tech skills.
There were days were we could not find adequate solutions. However, respecting each other’s opinions and engaging in constructive debates consequently fostered better solutions. I came to understand that my impact as a team member should not be measured by comparing the amount of work I did with others, but by creating a positive atmosphere within our team. By "positive atmosphere," I mean motivating each other to reach our full potential, especially during moments of adversity.
Even during the most challenging times, when sleep and food were scarce, we continued to motivate each other, driven by our collective vision of seeing МСҮТ students pursue their careers with a flame in their hearts.
Pitch day arrived, and to our surprise, our team was selected to present first. It was the moment when everything would become clear. With my team leader, we crafted a compelling pitch, and I took the opportunity to showcase the DEMO of Youthinc website through the pitch. We the trembling heart, I tried to showcase the demo as comprehensively as possible to judges. The experience was inspiring as I was coming out of my comfort zone to speak out to a big audience. Since our primary goal was not only to compete with other teams, but to amplify the voice of МСҮТ to the audience and judges of many great places. Thus, we featured an interview with a girl studying at МСҮТ in our presentation. Although we did not secure the top spot, we managed to set in motion the necessary steps toward helping college students fulfill their dreams.
Thanks to the Ch. Baljinnyam coordinator and the visionary CEO of YOUTHinc, I had an opportunity to be within a network of people from diverse backgrounds. Within this enriching environment, I had the privilege to get inspired by my mentor B. Altantsetseg, the CEO of NRCC who put her valuable time and effort towards crafting our project. It taught me valuable lessons not only about collaboration and being compassionate to others, but how each little step can aid in greater results for a broader audience. This experience left an incredible mark on my approach to both professional and personal endeavors.