With a focus on empowering Nepal’s next generation, Alaya partnered with Canopy Nepal to host a capacity-building workshop on July 26, 2024. Our goal was not just to teach, but to spark inspiration and equip 10 young Canopy Nepal scholars. These fresh +2 graduates came ready to embrace new ideas. The day was filled with sessions on using ChatGPT and mastering résumé building, turning the workshop into a lively exchange of thoughts and innovations.
Session One: ChatGPT With Sanju
We kicked off the day with a session that’s all the rage right now: ChatGPT. Now, if you were thinking this was a jargon-filled tech talk that would have everyone scratching their heads, think again. Our Senior Learning & Development Specialist, Sanju Manandhar, took the lead, and he had a trick up his sleeve – keeping it simple, Nepali style.
Before we began, one of our scholars encountered a challenge. With a prescription of negative 13, her eyesight made using a laptop difficult. Sanju jumped in to get her connected on her phone, making sure she could participate just like anyone else.
Sanju encouraged the scholars to think of ChatGPT not as a complex tool, but as a smart friend who’s ready to help – provided you ask the right questions. He emphasised using clear and efficient prompts when interacting with ChatGPT. Participants explored prompts that could help them organise their daily lives – something particularly relevant for students preparing for busy academic schedules. And because this is Nepal, Sanju threw in a fun twist: “Do you know Rajesh Hamal?” Turns out, ChatGPT does. The scholars laughed as they crafted prompts like, “If Rajesh Hamal could write two paragraphs about organising, how would he do it?” They even had ChatGPT translate those paragraphs into Nepali.
Another area of concern for the scholars was writing emails. Most agreed that they struggled with it. Sanju addressed this by sharing various ChatGPT prompts they could use to make the task easier. He assured them that with the right prompts, ChatGPT could become their go-to assistant for not only email writing but a range of other tasks as well.
Sanju’s use of simple language and his inclusion of Nepali prompts during the session made it accessible and enjoyable for everyone. By the end, the scholars were eager for more. In fact, they’re already looking forward to an advanced ChatGPT session with us.
Session Two: Résumé Building With Maya And Suraj
After the afternoon excitement, we shifted gears to something more serious, but just as important: Résumé Building. Our recruitment specialists, Maya Thapa and Suraj Ban, led this session.
Maya set the tone by making sure everyone felt comfortable and ready to share. “What do you know about résumés or CVs?” she asked. One of the scholars quickly answered, “Personal and professional data.” It was a good start, but Maya and Suraj were there to delve deeper.
They broke down what is really necessary in a résumé and how to present oneself effectively to potential employers. To give the scholars practical tools, they introduced LinkedIn as a resource for building professional profiles, showing them how to build a profile that stands out. The key takeaway? Every résumé should be customised to fit the job being applied for – no cookie-cutter templates allowed.
To keep things interactive, Maya and Suraj gave the scholars prompts and tasks that made the concepts easy to grasp. They encouraged the scholars to think of their résumés as a way to tell their unique stories, not just as a list of qualifications. Just like in the first session, the scholars were given a bit of homework: Connect with Maya and Suraj on LinkedIn and send over their completed résumés within a month.
Looking Ahead: Advanced ChatGPT And Résumé Feedback
It doesn’t end here. In a month, the scholars will return for another session, where they’ll showcase what they’ve learned. Our trainers will conduct an advanced ChatGPT session to deepen their skills, followed by one-on-one reviews of their résumés. This personalised feedback will help them refine and perfect their résumés, making them more competitive in the job market.
A Day Well Spent
It was a fulfilling experience for us at Alaya to share our knowledge and resources with such an eager group. This workshop was a meaningful way to match our employees’ expertise with our community welfare initiatives, creating an environment where everyone benefits.
We’re excited to continue this journey with Canopy Nepal and look forward to many more sessions of learning, growth, and, of course, a little bit of fun!
