Scholarship / Leaders of Change - Leadership skills for Chevening scholarship [4]

Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries.

Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer. (100-500 word)

I always uphold the rule that people will award me what I gave them. A great leader can take others' hands to become agents of positive change. During university, I was chosen to be the leader of the Health Education Team. Aimed to prevent musculoskeletal injuries and avoid sedentary life style by holding many seminars. Targeting various society groups such as: teachers, administrators, students, and housewives. I led a group of 15 member, dividing them into groups to teach one target group with their style and ideas. Some of my team-mates were lazy but it wasn't an obstacle for me. I devised a strategy to take advantage of them, whereby joining one of them in each team to be engaged and encouraged by the energetic ones. I came up with reaching to each target group in their workplace after their authorities' permission. Then, I propose the project into some people in charge to provide us some required tools like ergonomic tools and location equipment. We held seminars in some schools, universities, offices and some places where housewives gather, such as mosques. I supported my friends to make these seminars enjoyable, by engaging the audience in doing exercises together. Therefore, we got a lot of positive feedbacks and interactions. Some of them got rid of their pain when they started following correct postures and simple exercises. Furthermore, many other workers requested similar seminars related to their job environment including: dentists, engineers, nurses, and pharmacists. My personal confidence and abilities have been improved greatly through this experience.

From that moment, I dedicated myself to spread awareness because prevention is better than treatment. Later, when I was working for The Palestinian Society for Cancer Care. I realized a lack of awareness about the role of Physiotherapy (PT) for cancer and chronic diseases. Especially, when I saw the surgeries complications resulting from ignoring the physiotherapy follow up. I launched an awareness-raising campaign about it. Initially, I contacted the Physiotherapy Syndicate to host some senior specialists to share their experience. We collaborated to hold two lectures including training on how to change false beliefs and presenting most evidence studies. I shaped an outline to be followed and assigned physiotherapists who had passion for improving patients' life quality. We made a patient map in rural areas according to whom most urgently needed for physiotherapy. We provided them with instructions, interventions, methods, and guidance to prevent some related complications. Notably, we did all that voluntarily without funding to serve our community and invest our enthusiasm. Consequently, not only many of the targeted group began to follow physiotherapy programs, but also others consulted for such services. This was the cornerstone of position for 6 months at XO in UNRWA, which provides health services throughout UNRWA clinics and spread awareness among marginalized populations. Changing thoughts, behavior, and energize abilities, particularly for desperate patients, is not an easy work. However, leaders never quit promoting themselves, leaving behind a great influence.

Scholarship / Team Work is the best relationship - Networking skills for Chevening scholarship [3]

Team work makes the dream work

Chevening is looking for individuals with strong professional relationship-building skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Please explain how you build and maintain relationships in a professional capacity, using clear examples of how you currently do this, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future. (100-500)

Team work makes the dream work. Relationships are the solid base for improving and developing the reality. Respecting others and sharing experiences is the golden way to initiate and maintain relationships. I actively grasped opportunities to broaden my network through participation in courses, workshops, and conferences throughout my career. I was very fortunate to be chosen among 400 applicants by Islamic University in cooperation with University of Glasgow to participate in EAST project. I spent an amazing period interchange information with a team of 3 international students. I represented my country, culture and related issues as well as learn about their culture, specialty, and language. At first, it was difficult to contact efficiently by a foreign mutual language according to the accent differences. Even though, we handled the situation using some materials, photos, and assistance from our mentors. The intense connection advantaged all of us. On one hand, they got accepted for their degree after writing an article based on my guided reports. On the other hand, I got an access to many related sources such as: Ministry of Health, Al-Shiffa Complex Senior Management, and some of key persons. Whereas, I took the courage to represent the project and express my keen interests to benefit from their experience and data. As a result, I was offered a job in Palestinian Society of Cancer Care, while I was an internship trainer. Six months later, the cooperation between the Society and the Palestinian Physiotherapy Association has been initiated through my awareness campaign. This network played a pivotal role in my personality and career progress. Hence after a long interview, I got accepted for working at UNRWA, an international agency. Nevertheless, the chairman of my previous work, still contacting me whenever they want my assistance and inviting me to their events.

Furthermore, to seek more collaboration opportunities and expand my professional circle I joined the XO team in 2020. Since then, I started to form my professional network by engaging in many conversations with international experts from various backgrounds and professions. Meantime to advance my physiotherapy skills, I tried hard to draw out connections from the medical field outside Gaza. Making a lot of new acquaintances markedly subserve me, as I introduced to someone from XO Company. A company that provides emergency and mobile medical services around the world. Thus, we are planning to bring some of their health services to Gaza. Not only I enriched my communication skills, but also my treatments methods with my patients has been improved. These experiences enable me to get closer to my future goals dream. Effective communication, whether among stakeholders or with beneficiaries, is the agent of successful advancement. I will spare no effort to interact within Chevening community and tied up experts and deserving students taking actions to glow in their community. I am convinced that my past and existing networking will qualify me to be considered for Chevening Scholarship.