No time like the present to start blogging!

Ok, so said I better start at this before I left it too long !

So just to start - IBM's Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program is a really innovative and cutting edge initiative in the area of corporate social responsibility.

About the programme:

'... launched in 2008 to help provide IBMers with high quality leadership development while delivering high quality problem solving for communities and organizations in emerging markets. The program empowers IBM employees as global citizens by sending groups of 10 - 15 individuals from different countries with a range of skills to an emerging market for four week community-based assignments'

So basically its about taking the skills and experience of IBM staff and putting it to work in a developing country. The receiving organisation/country benefits from it and so does IBM as its employee's get great professional development from it, so its Win-Win really.

You can read more about it and some of the great projects already completed on IBM's website ...

http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/corporateservicecorps/index.html

Anyway just to quickly recap on how I ended up in the Brazil 13 team in the CSC program ...

I applied I think maybe 3 times for the CSC program over the past few years, but it wasn't until June 2011 before I was finally notified that my application had been successful.

Its a very popular program and IBM's a pretty big company so you really have to put the work in on your application in order to give yourself the best chance to succeed in being selected. I'm one of only 14 IBM Ireland staff who've been lucky enough to be selected, so I feel very privileged to get this opportunity.

It wasn't until January or February of 2012 before I was told where I'd be going (Brazil), and then our prework assignments and first chance to meet the team over conference calls didn't happen until mid May 2012.

Right now the team is starting into its prework assignments and trying to get their travel arrangements sorted out, so quite a lot of activity and its a case of finding the time to do all this on top of your day job so its a challenge, but we'll all get there. We've also started figuring out communication methods/tools we'll use as a team too.

We have some great support from former CSC alumni, CSC program staff, our partner organisation CDC etc. So we have tonnes of help!

Ok, well that's a start on my blogging at least. First time I've done it, so hopefully I'm doing it right ! :o)

#ibmcsc Brazil