My role in Bridge the Pond -project

Before the project had even started, I knew I wanted to take some responsibilities. Sari and Juha-Pekka, two of the three leading teachers of the program, asked who would be willing to give a presentation about our country, city and school. Elvi and Raghad had also expressed their interest in giving the presentation so it was the three of us to give the presentation in the first Bridge the Pond -meeting. I had worked hard on my part of the presentation and I believe I did fairly well. One of the things I wanted to improve in during this project was giving presentations and I was ready to practice more. 

In our meetings where we worked on our recommendations, I was one of the persons who spoke the most since I am a very talkative person. I really enjoyed the meetings. We had so many good ideas and I realized many new things. We hardly disagreed on anything. The meetings were very relaxed even though we worked on our project efficiently. It was also very nice to hear that our experiences across the Atlantic in distance learning have been almost the same. 

At the end of our project, the second presentation opportunity came to my attention. For our final meeting, we needed two presenters for our resolution, one from the United States of America and one from Finland. I showed my interest to be the presenter and managed to get the spot. I was very happy and excited. That was my first time giving a presentation in English to such a big audience. I have earlier presented for a big audience in Finnish, for example in my high school’s graduation ceremony. I have always found it interesting to give presentations and I want to become excellent in giving presentations in Finnish and English. 

Before the final meeting, we had to prepare our presentation with my presentation partner, Christopher. We had two meetings where we worked on the presentation and practised it. Since we were very well prepared, we were confident.

An hour before the presentation I started to get my room ready. I moved my screen to the right spot, created better lighting and got dressed in my dress shirt. Then the moment came for which we had prepared for. It was time to present our committee’s resolution. I started with an introduction after which Christopher introduced our recommendations. I then wrapped our presentation up by telling our last recommendation and thanking the audience. I think that we presented very well and the whole event was a success. 

Right after our presentation both MEP Miapetra Kumpula-Natri and Rep Sandy Pope asked us important questions. Mrs Pope’s question was a little more complicated to answer. She asked where the money for all the changes would come from. I had thought about where the money would come from to implement all of our recommendations and I hadn’t figured out an answer. It is a very difficult question but I believe that politicians with our recommendations and with their intelligence and professional skills are able to make changes that we would like to take place. 

Now that the project is over, I can safely say that it was a rewarding experience. I got better in giving presentations, I did my best in working on the resolutions and I also got to know new people from the United States of America. I am so thankful for the opportunity that was given to me.

Felix Rahiala