“What I will remember from this project is everybody’s continued desire to work together and how our collaboration helped us reach our goals.”
Eric Molendyk graduated with a Diploma of Technology in Radio Broadcast Communications from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in 2000. Originally from Prince George, Eric has lived in the Lower Mainland since 1998 and been a part of the Disability Foundation since 2001.
When Eric got an invitation from Ruby Ng, the former Executive Director of the Disability Foundation, he was welcoming the opportunity to pass on information and knowledge to others the way people supported his own professional development.
“It’s been an enjoyable experience to watch the three of them develop their skills and come together as a team. I enjoy sharing my knowledge, but know that I’m working with capable people that can lead this project to completion.”
When asked about a piece of knowledge he wished to impart, Eric shares how important it is “to always have good communication on a project and stay through the course. What was accomplished in this project was done so through teamwork and hard work!” Eric describes how the course provided “ a good reminder that some things are out of your control, and you just do the best you can and let your effort and results of the project play out.”
The Royal Roads University’s Leadership Foundation Program emphasizes Personal Mastery as the first competency in leadership capacity building, which aligns with Eric’s leadership style: “I would like to find out what everybody’s strengths are and enable them to have a platform to succeed.”
Eric enjoys being a collaborative leader, saying, “I like working as a team and having a common goal but being able to adjust as needed for continued success.”
Eric has been exercising his collaborative and engaging approach when supporting the interns in running the Youth Leadership Initiative. Early this year, the team achieved a milestone with the release of the research report: “The achievement had nothing to do with me. The thing I’m proudest of is to see how much the mentees have grown and developed their self-confidence throughout this project.”
“What I will remember from this project is everybody’s continued desire to work together and how our collaboration helped us reach our goals,” he says.
Eric recognizes that this training is a great way to get to know more about yourself, work with others, while gaining knowledge and skills in a welcoming and collaborative environment. He also looks forward to other opportunities to mentor in the future and work with individuals just like he has done throughout this project.
Learn more about the Youth Leadership Initiative by visiting disabilityfoundation.org/yli or follow us on social media.