Event Schedule
An event series dedicated to the things everyone should know, but were never taught in school. Organized by the MindHandHeart Life Skills Working Group, Life Skills Week will address gaps in practical knowledge to inform and empower the MIT community. Advanced sign up required for some events.
Contact: mhh-lifeskills@mit.edu
Monday 2/27
How to Find a UROP
12-1PM; 10-105 (Bush Room)
Staff from the Undergradaute Research Opportunities Program (UROP) will share tips and advice on how to find a research opportunity. Food will be served.
‘Quiet Power: Learning to Lead as an Introvert’ featuring Dr. Heidi Kasevich of Quiet Revolution
3-4PM; E25-111
Dr. Heidi Kasevich of Quiet Revolution will discuss our current understanding of the introversion-extroversion spectrum and how we can use self-awareness, along with existing data, to optimize our ability to lead in today’s world. In addition to the well-known connection of introversion response to outside stimulus, Dr. Kasevich will also discuss biological differences in decision making. Please sign up on CareerBridge (Bit.ly/careerbridge). You will be provided access to the Quiet Revolution assessment prior to the presentation. Food will be served.
Communicate with PLEASURE@MIT
7-8PM; 10-105 (Bush Room)
Join PLEASURE@MIT (Peers Leading Education About Sexuality and Speaking up for Relationship Empowerment) as they present on Communication. You will be exploring the complexity of reading a yes, a no or an ambiguous answer to an invitation & you’ll have a chance to practice having difficult conversations. We are fun. Come have some fun with us and maybe learn a thing or two about conversing. Food will be served.
Tuesday 2/28
Conflict Management Foundations
9:00-12:00PM; NE49-5145
This workshop will enable participants to understand the reasons a conflict occurred and determine ways it might be resolved. It will also provide participants with foundational tools in conflict management and a framework (Positions, Interests, Options, Solutions) to increase comfort level and enhance conflict resolution. Sign up at https://web.mit.edu/training/course.html?course=CL32145c&sys=PS1
Linkedin Lab
2:30-3:30; E19-202
Bring your laptop to explore the many ways LinkedIn can help you in your career exploration and job or internship search. We will begin with an overview of LinkedIn and some of the key areas of a complete LinkedIn profile. We’ll also cover some ways LinkedIn can be used as job search tool. This will be followed by individual work on your profile, with Career Services staff available to answer your questions. Sign up on Career Bridge here.
Healthy Shopping at Whole Foods
5-6PM; Meet at Oval in front of Maseeh Hall
Come learn to shop and cook a reasonable priced meal from Whole Foods. Program will take students 20 students on shopping tour of Whole Foods. Limited to 20 students. Sign up required: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1f4JV_H3-Q1FaszMId1OeTlPMMNtviLgLMI0YtaavG7s/viewform?edit_requested=true
Hack your potential: using a growth mindset to succeed at MIT and beyond
5-7:30PM; 1-135
Many students arrive at MIT riding on years of academic success and praise from teachers, parents, and colleagues. But what happens when you encounter uncertainty and failure? Have you been in a challenging class where you worry about how others will perceive you if don't sound "smart" enough? When you fail to achieve a specific goal, how do you manage and overcome discouragement and self-doubt? In this short talk, we will examine how our own notions of potential and ability can have a fundamental impact on how we approach our work, how much we learn, and how successful we can be in achieving our goals. The talk will focus on recent, evidence-based insights regarding human performance, neuroplasticity, motivation and on how deliberately cultivating a "growth-mindset" can improve our willingness and ability to face challenges and to innovate, despite the risk of failure. Food will be served.
Wednesday 3/1
Know your News: How to be a thoughtful consumer of information about international politics
12-1PM; 10-105 (Bush Room)
It is clear that many of the information technologies available to us have been harnessed by countries, including the United States, in pursuit of their own interests. Russia appears to have interfered in the US election to advance its own international goals, the Obama administration dropped bombs with little fanfare on seven different countries last year; all an individual's communications are potentially monitored by multiple government and private entities. How can an individual navigate the new national security state, what are the consequences of war on a democracy, and how can one be a good citizen under these circumstances? Food will be served.
Developing an Effective Job Search Strategy
3-4:30PM; 10-105 (Bush Room)
This workshop is designed to help you develop an effective job search strategy. There are many things you need to consider as you move forward in your career. This program will highlight those considerations and help you identify your strongest skills, interest, and personal characteristics and align them towards a career of your choice. Discussions will also include how to research industries to find job opportunities, and then how to develop an effective communication (verbal, written and virtual) to target employers. Please sign up on CareerBridge (Bit.ly/careerbridge).
Discover Your Strengths (cancelled)
7-8:30PM; 10-105 (Bush Room)
You possess many unique, natural talents, which represent the very best of you, they are your greatest opportunities for success in college, your career and your personal life. The Clifton StrengthsFinder measures the presence of 34 talent themes. This session will allow participants to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder and find out their top five talent themes and how to capitalize on this knowledge in college, their lives and careers. Participants will need to preregister for this session ahead of time and take the Clifton StrengthsFinder. Participants will receive a code and directions to take the Clifton StrengthsFinder once they have registered. Limited to 20 participants. Food will be served. Email mlparker@mit.edu to sign up This event is cancelled. If you pre-registered for this event, Melanie Parker will be in touch about rescheduling.
Thursday 3/2
Apartment Renting 101
12-1:30PM; 3-442
How to plan rent into your budget, search for an apartment, and work with landlords. Food will be served.
Standing Up Instead of Standing By: Being an Active Bystander
2:30-4PM; 66-144
The goal of this workshop is to lower the barriers to appropriate bystander action through awareness, knowledge, preparation and practice. Often you, as a bystander, will face some difficult choices. There are usually more options than you may think...and no single 'right' response. We hope that this workshop will help you assess bystander situations you find yourself in and evaluate your options for responding.
Financial Life Skills
7PM; 2-105
Ken Davies, Retirement Program Manager in MIT Human Resources, will lead a workshop addressing financial questions faced by young adults. This workshop will review financial skills and techniques that will help you confidently evaluate decisions such as: When to pay off educational loans vs when to invest in a retirement plan, When to buy a home vs when to rent, and Taking out a car loan vs saving to purchase a car. You may find that it is more common cents than rocket science. Food will be served.
Bite-size conflict management training
5-7PM; 1-135
Join IREFS for four separate mini conflict management modules on the following skills:
- What makes conversations tough and how to make them easier
- Understanding your own and others' conflict styles
- Feedback 101: How to constructively give and receive feedback
- Assertive communication
Each session will include a short instructional portion matched with practice and self-reflective activities. The goals are that participants walk away with awareness of a new framework for managing conflict, have practice in the skill, and knowledge of resources where they can learn and practice more. Each session will be 30 minutes from start to finish. Food will be served.
Friday 3/3
Understanding and Investigating Participating in National Politics
1-2PM; 1-135
There have been many conversations had about "the best ways" to be active in national politics. Through discussions and activities, this workshop creates an interactive space to discuss and investigate the known ways to participate in national politics, and brainstorm about new ways in which individuals can be active in the national political arena. Food will be served.