Dinner With Our Alumni: 29amy

Hi everyone! This week, we have a special GLDD alumni for our dinner. For those joining this series, our dinners are a collection of small interviews with Group Leadership & Dynamics Development (GLDD). These help us reflect upon the program and help our current trainees as well as spread awareness about the program! If you like them, do tell us and we'll reach out!

Say hello to @29amy! Amy is a trained and active listener along with many other leadership roles here on 7 Cups. Otherwise, they are a high school student who is very passionate to learn more about Psychology and Neuroscience!

What's on the menu? Fruit birthday cake!

Without further ado, here's Amy:

What made you join the GLDD program?

I’ve always love participating in group discussions and go to a group chat room whenever I have time. Although I do host discussions, I would love to enhance my group leadership skills by doing the GLDD program.

I see that one of the GLDD requirements was to host discussions. What did you like about that the most?

I love hosting discussions, I love that I am involved and that I am contributing to the community! I especially enjoy interacting with different people and hearing different unique perspectives in different group chats.

How was your experience doing the program?

I love the GLDD discussions, they are so engaging and informative! We get to learn about different techniques to solve problems and maintain a cheerful vibe. The GLDD also provides exposure to different leadership roles that are so fun and meaningful, being a leader in groups is a valuable experience.

Which is your favorite activity in the program?

I cannot emphasize enough how fun the forum discussions are, it is so nice to answer the activity questions and to read other people's responses!

What’s the one thing you learned that you will always remember?

One thing that I kept in mind was the ways to solve problems that arise in group chats and the reason for the start of the problem. For example, cultural and ethnic differences can start an argument, maybe calling a mod or reminding them of the rule of the room can help.

What advice would you give to a new GLDD trainee?

My advice will be, apply to more leadership roles once you are eligible! Not only that it opens many more prospects, but it is also a whole lot of fun!

How can mentors offer better support for the program?

Mentor can support trainees further by reaching out more often giving some tips, perhaps that can help us get through it more smoothly.

If you could change one thing about the program, what would it be?

One thing that I wish can change would be the guidebook, maybe having one list of the things we need to complete will be beneficial. As well as some of the criteria that weren't included in the guidebook, like creating an appreciation corner, and the Midway Evaluation.

Thank you so much for reading through this dinner and to @29amy for doing this! I would love to hear any suggestions/question ideas that I can add to this series. If you are an GLDD graduate and would love to contribute, please PM me so we can set up our dinner!

If you want to apply for the GLDD, please click here.