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Why I’m going to the February Monthly Program
By Gerry Munzing | February 3, 2010
I typically go to ASTD Cascadia events because I am motivated to pursue professional development and to build my network. However, the upcoming Monthly Program is a chance to do more than just attend an event.
The program this month takes place February 25th from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. at the Marriott Downtown Waterfront. Anna Young, the Director of Strategy and Learning at Mercy Corps will present an interactive workshop, “When Disaster Strikes – Learning and Development at Mercy Corps” If you haven’t already done so, check out the Program Description to see what it’s about.
I don’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on Anna, but I’m already anticipating that this workshop will be an ASTD Cascadia highlight of the year, both for its subject matter and its timeliness.
It’s only been three weeks since the earthquake struck Haiti on January 12th. As Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of the Portland based Mercy Corps, reminds us in this recent article,
“this disaster won’t be something that Haitians emotionally recover from in a few weeks or even a few months.”
The rebuilding and healing will take a long time and a lot of work will need to be done. Another reason why I linked to this article is because it gives some insight into the approach that Mercy Corps is taking with their relief efforts in Haiti.
And that brings us to the reason why this particular ASTD Cascadia event is special. As I’m sure you noticed when you read the Program Description, the chapter is donating 30% of total revenue, including sponsorships and registration fees, to the Mercy Corps relief effort in Haiti.
As learning and development professionals, we understand the importance of being responsive, adapting to changing situations and getting the most out of the resources we have available. I’m definitely excited to attend Anna’s workshop and learn more about how I can help the organization I work for “turn crisis into opportunity.”
Attending events such as this, where we can interact with and learn from the outstanding professionals in our area, is definitely one of the best things about being a member of the Cascadia chapter. Thank you to everyone involved for your quick response in putting such a high-quality program together, one that addresses our professional development while at the same time supporting a desperately important humanitarian need.
I look forward to seeing you there.
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