Our 1st Catalyst Bootcamp was held in Bristol in August. The programme provided a mix of sustainability speakers, mentors and personal development tools – to support young women as confident & resilient change-makers – for green careers and planet. Dominika tells us about her experience and learning from attending the event.

Please tell us a bit about yourself and your motivation for going on the Bootcamp.
I am an A – level student, currently studying Geography, Sociology and Business. I have a huge passion for geography and especially sustainability. However, there aren’t many activities outside the curriculum that involve sustainability. So when I learned about the Catalyst Bootcamp I was really excited to learn more about the possible sustainable future while being able to improve my confidence. I wanted to learn about different career paths that can be taken to enforce sustainability.

What was your experience of the Catalyst Bootcamp?
I was positively surprised by the Catalyst Bootcamp, everything was better than I expected and my expectations were already really high. Everyone was friendly and each person was an interesting individual.

What were the 3 things you liked about it most?
1. Meeting all the people involved and sharing our ideas and understanding of the world as well as working in groups and solving problems.
2. Meeting the speaker guests that would talk to us about their experiences and careers.
3. Confidence building skills sessions

Has it had any impact on your day-to-day behaviour? If Yes, can you give any examples?
Since the bootcamp, I have become more concerned about learning people’s opinions and looking at things from different perspectives. However, the biggest change is that I try to think for a sustainable solution for every situation, be it pollution around school or traffic around town.

Had it had any noticeable impact on your overall wellbeing and your ability to manage it?
I have become more organised and calm about my future. Also I know how to deal with stress and anxiety due to the motivational sessions and I’m not afraid to speak up.

Has it made you think differently about your future education and career options? If so how.
I have been able to consider many different options and career paths. I became really interested in taking a gap year after hearing people talk about their experience of traveling during the gap year. However, I also liked how guest speakers would describe their way to success, showing that going to university is not the only choice if you’re not that interested in it. But in the end, it still made me more eager to go to university.

If you were recommending the Bootcamp to a friend, why would tell them they should do it?
If they are interested in sustainability and want to learn more, the bootcamp is the best way to do it and you get to meet many amazing people.

Do you have any progress updates and/or comments about your Sustainability Pledge?
My sustainability pledge was about trying to figure out my future and trying to focus on education. It’s still in progress and I’m hoping to soon make a choice about my future, whether it’s going to university or taking a gap year.

This story also appeared in Bristol Learning City November newsletter.

Next years Catalyst Bootcamp will be held on 1-3 August 2018 – again at Clifton Hill House, part of Bristol University campus. To reserve your Early Bird place BOOK HERE 

To get a taster of the full programme we are running a 1 Day Workshop on 3 February at Hamilton House, Bristol.  For more information and reserve your early bird place BOOK HERE