Table of Contents
Introduction
3
Background of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan environment
3
Internship program and responsibilities
5
i.
Convening meetings
6
ii.
Arranging for meeting’s venue and materials to be used
8
iii.
Preparing presentation materials: Slides
8
iv.
Participation in UNICEF’s presentation
9
Conclusion
10
Bibliography
12
Undertaking an internship program is a prerequisite in partial fulfillment in the quest to achieve certification and award of a degree in most learning institutions. First hand exposure to the job market is imperative to successful transitions from any learning institution into the job market. Additionally, internship offers real-life challenges unlike the theoretical astute acquired using books. The learner took the chance to pursue an internship with successful placement in the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan between the periods January 18, 2010 and February 26, 2010. There are voluminous learning opportunities exhibited while under placement, and the active interaction and guidance of various kind-hearted personnel never afraid to let the learner get hands on the practical details of organizing and offering support on various aspects. The leadership gave the learner a warm working environment allowing mistakes in the attachment for corrections, and also offering the learner a refreshing learning experience. In this internship report, the learner starts by addressing the working environment and a brief background on the working and position of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This will then be followed by exemplification of the roles that the learner played while attached there while drawing some necessary theoretical backgrounds in achieving success in the internship undertakings. A strong conclusion is later drawn based on the discussed issues.
Background of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan environment
The name Majilis is commonly used to depict a ‘call to gather’ a relatively common term used in most daily communications. The Majilis of the Parliament, like the terms depicts, is a gathering by specially elected persons who meet to deliberate on various issues that need consideration. The constitution of Kazakhstan gives better clarification on its roles. During the time that the learner was an intern attached to the Majilis of the Parliament, the learner came to understand that the group is responsible for formulating vital legislative issues. For example, the Majilis of the Parliament are responsible for the appointment and scrutiny of the independent election body, which later lays down decisive regulations and oversee the election of the president and members of the Majilis of Parliament. The Majilis have the power to initiate impeachment of the President. This is if available evidence shows there is gross constitutional contravention whose culprit repercussion is punishable by relieving the holders of such a position of their mandate to govern anymore, and the suggestions are passed to the Upper Chamber of Parliament of Kazakhstan for deliberation and action upon reasonable evidence of the claims especially in the event that there is evidence of the president undertaking high treason.
The constitution provides for 77 members of the Majilis of the Parliament. Of these 77 members, 10 of them (deputies) are elected based on proportional system by single national constituency while the remaining 67 members are elected based on a single candidate territorial constituency in accordance with the territorial division in the country. Among other things, which the Majilis of the Parliament is responsible for is drafting laws, discussing budgets and reports, execution of such reports and amendments where necessary, setting up state duties and taxes.
With such heavy responsibilities, it is, therefore, imperative to posit that the working environment is quite busy while addressing divergent issues that need consideration, deliberation, follow-up, execution, synthesis among a host of other responsibilities. Being placed in such an environment was both intriguing in the magnitude of workload and humbling given the fact that this is a relatively sensitive area to work on, which also demands colossal secrecy on sensitive matters. In the succeeding section, the learner delves in discussing the responsibilities accorded in the internship environment albeit the learner never quite exhausted the entirety of the working stance due to some restrictions especially on perceivably sensitive arenas.
Internship program and responsibilities
The learner had an exhilarating time while working as an intern with the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The management proved to be quite supportive, always offering the needed advice when asked and allowing the learner to learn proactively how to do things and on numerous cases, asking for the opinion and input of the learner on various issues. For example, the learner was asked to make a contribution on how to revitalize the current information technology infrastructure and system and improve on data capture especially given the enormity of paperwork that has to be done within a day. As it were, there was overreliance on various departmental secretaries required to update the systems while also being involved with the daily organization of various facets that needed to be kept in order for smooth running of schedules.
The learner was first asked, as part of orientation, to carry out a brief assessment and make recommendations on the issue. Based on the assessment, the learner realized that the backlog of lagging paperwork that needed to be fed into the system was titanic. The learner went ahead to make suggestions that there should be the establishment of an independent department whose sole work was data capture with various heads who would act as proofreaders. This led to the director exclaiming in the presence of other employees “Don’t you admire the beauty of the Y-generation? I like that idea. No wonder we need fresh ideas in here kudos” a statement that motivated the learner to invest in making the experience unforgettable both by undeniably astute input and perfection of job requirement.
i. Convening meetings
After the ballyhoo of the orientation package, it was time to get into staid business. The learner was first given the role of convening meetings involving various parties in liaising with the person in charge of convening meetings. The learner, based on unpolished theoretical background thought that convening a meeting is one easy step but the learner was hit by a rude shock especially with the magnitude of the requirements. The learner had to burrow into theoretical understanding on what entails an astute meeting convokes for which the works of Moseley (2006) offered the much-needed rich theoretical background to be able to keep up with the requirements. According to Moseley (2006) on convening meeting guidelines, nine essential aspects should be considered. First, the meeting ought to be structured in such a way that the participating members are able to participate in the meeting (Moseley 2006).
The learner realized that in convening a meeting, the leaders expect that the subordinate staff does all necessary preparations. In line with this, the learner realized that it was the work of the convener to know the purpose of the meeting and the format to be used for the meeting, in addition to, knowing the manner in which the meeting is conducted within a given setting, an issue exemplified in the works of Moseley (2006). However, it is beneficial to note that, despite all the aforementioned facts about a supportive leadership, various leaders did show different leadership styles and thus breeding a complexity in meeting convening approaches. Most of what needed to be discussed had to be in writing or in presentation template format, which was the work of the convener of the meeting to have an understanding of the leadership style in the application and model the meetings aspects in line with the leader’s requirements. From the complexity in convening meetings for various leaders, it became evident to the learner that some leaders do not give equal opportunities for members to participate in the meeting while, in some cases, some comments were downplayed if they were deemed to be against what such a leader would like to hear discussed.
The learner later learnt from Moseley (2006) as well as from attending some meetings as an assistant that members were happy when they were all given an opportunity to discuss an issue / article, frequently interrupting, yet without condemnation, to clarify a stance adopted by the members of the panel. The brilliance of their smile gave a glow of satisfaction, a facet the learner noted with interest. The second necessity in convening a meeting is to clarify the expectations of the meeting (see Moseley 2006). In the process of the meeting, the learner, acting on the capacity of a subordinate, would be required to clarify a statement to a member or to the leader of the meeting such that any advice, recommendation, answer or decision reached was in accordance with the expectation of the meeting. This, therefore, called for sober meeting preparation with no ambiguity whatsoever.
It was also the work of the meeting convener to know attending members and support that would best befit them prior to the meeting or during the meeting (Moseley 2006). For example, the convener of the meeting was required to know the practical details of transportation protocols for participating members, review decision meant to be made with the leader and provide the necessary documentation.
The fourth facet was offering support during the meeting (see Moseley 2006). In some instances, some interpretation was necessary or offering assistive technologies. It was also notable for introduction to be done by giving names, profession and affiliation to the meeting among other things. The learner was given the mandate of writing down the names of members attending, such that, the leader had an easy time in addressing this issue. However, due to time constriction, not all meetings were accorded time for lengthy and flowery introductions. However, the names were imperative to be jotted down on the meetings’ minutes.
The fifth aspect that the learner realized was that prior to the start of the meeting, members needed to be debriefed on the agendas of the meeting with necessary documents provided and details overview given to the members. In some instances, there was a need for financial support needs, reimbursements or finances to cover various expenses and thus necessary channels had to be followed. To some extent, the learner would get frustrated while following up financial matters especially with the level of bureaucracy in the institution that can be dreary.
ii. Arranging for meeting’s venue and materials to be used
In addition to arranging the materials and documentation coupled with assistance during and prior to the meeting, the learner was also involved in arranging the venue, in addition to, ensuring that other material needed for the meeting, like provision of water, lighting control especially when dealing with the media and material to be disseminated to the media and posted online for the general public. In some cases, preparing presentation slides, setting up projector sets among other things were the responsibility of the learner, with some additional help. In some cases, the learner had to sit behind the scenes and run the slides as the explanation was accorded to the members present, something that was quite fascinating.
iii. Preparing presentation materials: Slides
Slides preparation was rather a daunting task especially with the mammoth amount of legal jargons that had to either be incorporated or interpreted within a limited time spell. Sometimes the learner’s eyes were soggy from straining and working long hours although the director to avert burnouts also accorded some free time to the learner. Slide preparation was also dependent on the person making the presentation, with some preferring uniquely made slides, while others needing classic slides showing their status. On several occasions, prior to the learner knowing the difference, the presenters demanded last-minute slide editing to either eliminate impressive slide shows while others needed its inclusion and thus the learner was kept on toes, always ready to spring into action upon request.
In some cases, the learner had to sit in the meetings, take short noted and create slides that were to be used as a summary of what had been discussed or transpired. Although sometimes the job was tiring, it was also quite fulfilling, especially, given the fact that the learner understood the nitty-gritties of political science.
iv. Participation in UNICEF’s presentation
As part of the internship, the learner was requested, by the director, to participate in a workshop organized by the UNICEF dabbed “The impact of the financial and economic crisis on the welfare of children in the Republic of Kazakhstan”. The learner proactively sought to understand the background of the topic under consideration and found the works of Gavrilovic et al. (2009) to be quite instructive as regards to the topic. Gavrilovic et al. (2009) made very impressive analysis of the financial situation in the Republic of Kazakhstan noting that the global financial crisis had a sizeable impact on the country’s revenue stream especially with the deteriorating oil prices, a heavy lash on a country whose main revenue stream is petroleum. This effect tricked down to all sectors with waning financial allocation to various sectors with the hardest hit sector being the family sector. There was a noted alarming diminution of funds towards Targeted Social Assistance (TSA), Social Allowances (SAC), Special State Allowance (SCA), and Housing Allowances (HA) (see Gavrilovic et al. 2009).
With such an opulent background, the learner was well equipped to engage the panel of presenters with vital questions in line with the theme of the day. The learner’s participation on the session was revitalizing, especially, given the opportunity to participate in critical decision-making process for the country.
The learner is keen to note that the vigor attained from the session had been alive with the learner investing more time in understanding the trend that followed and found the works of Gassman (2011) vital in exemplifying the situation stance as of 2011. Gassman (2011) posits that what bites Kazakhstan hard is increasing poverty levels crippled by flagging economic crisis and thus worsening those already identified as a susceptible population. The learner, from such a chivalrous experience has embarked on a mission to seek alternative means of creating viable employment, in addition to, liaising with political leaders to carryout feasibility tests on various employment options identified.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the learner had much to learn within a considerably short time. Being an intern in the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan was a humbling experience, one that has provoked the learner to take a proactive stance and source for solutions to various social impediments. The learner was able to learn the depth that meeting convening entails. Additionally, the complexities of dealing with various leaders were made evident with some proving to be immensely kind and welcoming, open to ideas and progress while others, though a small number, found refuge in dwelling on classical stance. Dealing with this mix was both thrilling and educative as the learner got time to interact with various leaders whom before, was a rare possibility thanks to the internship at Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. While in internship, the learner was first given an orientation challenge to assess the situation with the bulk of paperwork that needed to be digitized, and successfully coming up with a viable solution, on what is in the process of being implemented. The learner’s responsibilities in recap included convening meetings under which the learner was mandated, in conjunction with another subordinate staff, to structure the meeting’s format such that there were options for members to participate in the meeting by additionally ensuring that the meetings’ expectations were clear. The learner would also be needed to identify and satisfy meetings’ needs including provision of additional background material, preparation of slides for the meetings presentations, convening media conferences and providing necessary material that the media could use in their reporting and publications. In some cases, the learner was expected to offer support during the meetings like make interpretations, play PowerPoint presentations while the presenter explained the slides’ details set up presentation sets like projectors and screens and debrief members. Also, In some cases, the learner was expected to offer support after the meeting and also ensure that other necessities after the meetings like financial reimbursements were in place, having gone through the mind-numbing bureaucratic system for their release. An amazing experience by the learner was in taking part in a session organized by the UNICEF to formulate the way forward in curtailing the currently looming challenge of the welfare of vulnerable population. The session theme was “The impact of the financial and economic crisis on the welfare of children in the Republic of Kazakhstan”. The session was a complete eye opener as the learner has taken an active role in sourcing and testing for feasibility of new job opportunities for people.
Bibliography
Gassmann, F. (2011), “Protecting Vulnerable Families in Central Asia: poverty, vulnerability and the impact of the economic crisis”, Innocenti Working Paper No. 2011-05, UNICEF Regional Office for CEE/CIS, Geneva, and UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence.
Gavrilovic, M., C. Harper, N. Jones, R. Marcus, & P. Pereznieto (2009), Impact of the Economic Crisis and Food and Fuel Price Volatility on Children and Women in Kazakhstan. London: Overseas Development Institute.
Moseley, C. (2006), The guide: NASDDDS handbook on inclusive meetings and presentations – national association of state directors of developmental disability services, Alexandria, VA: NASDDDS.
