The Demise of Project Call Center

This week the BECA staff decided -- with my full support -- to shut down BECA's "Project Call Center."

I'm very disappointed. From the beginning it has been a project close to my heart.

The original logic behind Project Call Center was the following. One of the only industries in Nicaragua in which there is demand for labor is the call center industry. The pay is well above average; about USD $500 a month. To get a job, you have to speak reasonably-good English.

My thinking was, let's take a bunch of interested students and teach them English. Intensively. At the best schools we can find. BECA's investment will be higher than usual, but the students will be able to pay us back once they are working.

How hard could that be?

It turns out much harder than I thought.

Almost two years have passed, and the original six participants still haven't received firm offers for employment.

I figure that the original six -- we call them the "pioneers" -- speak pretty darn good.

Obviously, the call centers think otherwise.

I feel we threw everything we had at them. Different schools (including months at a supposedly prestigious language institute associated with a supposedly prestigious university), personal instruction from native speakers, a custom-designed curriculum.

There comes a time when you say enough is enough.

And lesson learned.

But what exactly might that lesson be?

Don't stray from your original values.

One of the basic core values of our organization is impartiality.

We didn't practice what we preach. We dedicated an inordinate amount of resources to a handful of program participants, potentially at the expense of others. And then we did the unthinkable, admitting even more participants ("Project Call Center II") at the beginning of 2013.

It wasn't right.

It was my idea and I accept full responsibility.

I don't have any regrets. We pilot many things in BECA, always seeking to innovate and improve.

It was just that this pilot went on way too long.

In closing, allow me to extend my gratitude to the all of the program participants for their persistence and their patience. Thanks for hanging in there!

Our belief in you remains unequivocal.

My favorite pic of the BECA "Pioneers." (2013) From Left: Al, Ellie, Kel, Heissy, Manny and Ollie.

 

            

The Mystery of a Messy Masaya

The Nicaraguan town in which I live is called Masaya.

It's quaint, lively, and friendly.

And one big fat mess.

This month (October 2013) I celebrate six years in Nicaragua. And to this day all the garbage on the street remains a huge mystery to me.

A mystery for two reasons.

First, Masayans are fastidiously clean. Masayan homes are immaculate. They're spotless!

Second, Nicaraguans are patriotic people. They are extremely proud of their heritage and their beautiful country. It befuddles me why they choose not to pay attention to communal areas and their precious land.

When I receive new visitors to Masaya, I welcome them with two advices.

1) "Mind the cars."

2) "Don't mind the garbage."

They always have a harder time with the second one.

Me and 35,175 Ticos*

Maybe not quite 35,175.

But close.

What am I talking about here?

I am on vacation in Costa Rica and last night I took in the Costa Rican national soccer team match against Mexico in the national stadium.

Quite the adventure!

Here are some recommendations in case you care to attempt something similar:

• Don't bring your umbrella. It will be confiscated at the door.
• Don't buy the national team flag of the opposing national team.
• If you ignore the previous suggestion, don't even think about waving it during the match.
• Keep your cash in a zipped pocket.
• Feel free to wear the jersey of the opposing team, but don't cheer if they score.
• If the opposing team is the national team of Mexico, yelling "Arriba, Arriba, Arriba" (speedy Gonzalez-style) is a no-no.

If you missed it, the result was positive for the home team (2-1).

It ended with fans in my section yelling at the top of their lungs "Get Out, Get Out, Get Out."

No, they weren't shouting at me.

I think.

*Costa Ricans are typically known as Ticos.

How Does the BECA Team Work?

You may have heard me use the term "REY13" before.

What exactly is REY13?

It is the code name I gave a pilot project initiated this year in BECA.org.

In project REY13 -- with the cooperation of a high school in an outlying community of Masaya -- BECA began the scholarship qualifying stage while the students were still in their last year of high school. The logic is that in this way, the successful candidates will not "lose a year."

This is how we work in BECA Nicaragua. By project.

BECA's staff is trained in managing projects. I create and assign the projects. And then I do my best to try to help them along. (Or stay out of the way in some cases.)

Managing projects is an advanced skill. And in my experience, not many people know how to do it.

Fewer know how to do it well.

I decided that this was more empowering in the longer term for the organization.

It's a transferable skill that each team member can carry with them when they choose to leave us.

As it turns out, pilot project REY13 came to an end this week. Of 11 high school students who began their BECA journey eight months ago, 10 successfully completed their qualifying.

I congratulate all ten participants on their achievement and I congratulate project manager Miss Urania Montoya on its stewardship.

The Ideas Man

A good friend of mine calls me an "ideas man."

It's a fair description.

The BECA team would probably say the same thing.

I can just hear them say now "Uh oh, here comes Walter with another of his crazy ideas." (Of course they are WAY too polite to actually come out and say it.) 
 
Anyway, the point is that I come up with lots of ideas -- good ones, bad ones, and downright ugly ones.

Here are some examples from my time here in Nicaragua.

Expanding BECA in 2010 to two other Nicaraguan cities. BECA was not even close to being ready for that. It was premature and impulsive. Put that one in the ugly category.

Offering BECA.org Course One, BECA's scholarship classification stage, on the weekends. The desertion rate was close to 50%.  Bad idea.

Positively, partnering with Nicaraguan bank BAC and getting debit cards in the hands of all of our scholars was a good idea. It makes distributing their monthly stipends a breeze.

Adding a social service component, the "Brigada," to the classification stage has proven to be a big win-win-win for our organization, the participants, and the primary schools that benefit. Belongs in the good idea basket.

My best idea so far?

That's easy.

Deciding that BECA should be run by its own graduates.

And it was my idea, man!

Maryury Ruíz and Urania Montoya (September 2013)