Tomorrow's Voices 2021: ‘The power of soft skills’
During the fifth edition of Tomorrow's Voices, more than 100 young people from the various Collibri Foundation projects met virtually. The topic of conversation: the power of soft skills.
International youth exchange
Tomorrow's Voices is our annual high day. More than 100 young people and partners of the Collibri Foundation projects came together either physically and/or virtually. A mishmash of nationalities, languages and time zones. But with so much in common!
Soft skills to grow as a person
Soft skills, what are they? Personal, emotional, social and communication skills. For example, problem-solving, exercising good leadership, working together in a group, daring to take responsibility, communicating in a binding way, dealing resiliently with stress and conflicts, and so on.
By working on your soft skills, you will grow as a person. But how do you practice those skills? Personal growth is not something you learn at school; you learn it by trial and error. By stepping out of your comfort zone, engaging with others, facing challenges and making your voice heard. And that is exactly what we did during Tomorrow's Voices!
Five young people talk about the importance of soft skills in their lives.
“The most important soft skill for me is empathy: the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes. You don't have to accept an opinion, but you do have to respect it.”
- Hassan Al Hilou, Capital vzw (Belgium)
Mutual inspiration
On 16 October, we kicked off Tomorrow's Voices with a joint introduction session. During the following week, the participants set to work in small groups, guided by a coach. This was the moment for them to delve deeper into how they implement soft skills in their life, what obstacles they encounter and what tips they can give each other. They compiled their conclusions in several videos.
On 23 October, all participants gathered again digitally for the closing event, during which the workshops ‘Resilient coping with difficult moments’ and 'The art of connective debating' took place. With all this baggage in their backpacks, the youngsters can continue to develop their soft skills even after this event.
How did the participants experience the event?
“I am grateful that this event allowed me to practice my communication skills even more,” says Kartiken Singh Rawat of Partners in Prosperity (India). “I used to be quite insecure. Talking to people from different backgrounds and taking part in workshops has given me more self-confidence. I am no longer afraid to stand in front of a large group and speak my mind.”
Nordin Ahmad Ibrahim from Mentor-Escale (Belgium) also learned something during Tomorrow's Voices: “The workshop on resilience made me realise that I want to do more for the other young people in Mentor-Escale. Many of us are really in a difficult situation: we fled to Belgium without our families. I myself read many books on personal growth and want to share my knowledge with other young people. I want to help them be optimistic.”
