The CFS43 Social Media Bootcamp: Real Good stuff!

by YPARD's CFS43 social reporting team: Monika Varga, Melano Dadalauri, Anudari Enkhtor and Diego Valencia

Have you ever felt extremely tired but happy at the same time? Could you relate to the feeling of not realizing that you are tired because you enjoyed the work so much? 

That’s what we as four members of Young Professionals for Agriculture Development (YPARD) felt at the end of our participation in the Social Media BootCamp (#CFS43SMB) from 15^th to 21th October, 2016 during the Committee on World Food Security (CFS43) in Rome, Italy. 

Global Forum on Agriculture Research (GFAR) had given an amazing opportunity for all of us by sponsoring our participation in the BootCamp. Social Media Bootcamp was more than anything that we have imagined before. 

Theory, strategy and practice: this is what the bootcamp delivers 

Moving out from our comfort zone and daily routine tasks, we dropped into an inspiring international team from around the world. Two days of classroom training introducing social media tools and blogging “tips and tricks” from professional and one-and- only “Grandpa”-Peter Casier are still clearly in our minds. 

Peter gave us his valuable advise about the art of tweeting, art of blogging and art of “reaching” people from behind computers. Indeed reaching and delivering your message in the virtual world is an “art” and not an easy one. 

Two days were followed by five days of practice. Now it was time for us to try the things we have learned in real life.  Live tweeting and blogging from the one of the most important meetings in the Agriculture and Food security field was a real rush of adrenalin. 

First days we felt lost. Lost sleep, lost lunch and continued movement all day from session to session. But in return, we gained new knowledge, new experience, new friendship and new opportunities. We couldn’t care less about the sleeping routine or food, when we were meeting and blogging about inspiring people globally from young farmers to Ministers. 

After two days of running around, all four of us began to feel confident. The more confident we got, the more exciting the experience got. At the end of the day we were in a rush to write and tell the world about important decisions, discussions and stories which could inspire and affect them. 

With ups and downs, successes and mistakes the week was over. 

What we took home is more than souvenirs 

After the whole experience, social media was finally a “tool” for us. A tool we could use to increase the interest of people, especially young people to the aging agriculture field. Of course it is not possible to say that the social media alone can do the job, but we are fully sure that it will boost it like it did to us. 

Because of this unique opportunity given to us, we feel confident in informing and sharing the information as well as opportunities to others through the virtual world. Sharing is indeed caring!

The experience was a push and inspiration for our future activities in Hungary, Mongolia, Georgia and Peru. Not only are we benefiting but also other people in our countries will as well. 

“Give a man A fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man TO fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”

Thanks to our mentor Peter Casier, Mark Holderness (GFAR), sweet Marina Cherbonnier and Courtney Paisley (YPARD),Tanya St.George, dear Charles Plummer, CFS organizers and our “partners in crime” (social reporters) we have grown both professionally and personally. 

Ahh… It was GREAT!

Photo credits: Photo 1/ CFS  2/ Marina Cherbonnier 3/ Gipsy Bocanegra