Young Ambassadors seminar 1 at First House

October 16, 2012

Former Minister Bjarne Håkon Hanssen talked about what is can be like to be in the center of critical media attention.

The Young Ambassadors had many questions to Geir Helljesen following his presentation.

by Young Ambassador Øystein Takle Lindholm

Nothing could be a better start for this year's Young Ambassadors group than visiting First House to learn about career choices. The steering committee did a great job by finding four inspiring persons with various backgrounds who shared their experiences.

After an introduction of First House by CEO Per Høiby, the first speaker of the day, Geir Helljesen, shared his experiences from NRK. By telling funny stories and explaining what it is like to work in TV, the participants gained insight into the life in media. Helljesen did also talk about which challenges youth will face in the future and about the opportunities today's youth have. He concluded with “whatever you do, find something you like and take get university degree in it.”

Bjarne Håkon Hanssen, partner in First House and former Minister of Health, was the second speaker and shared his story about the “media storm” he experienced. When Hanssen left his job as the Minister of Health and started in First House, the media discussed whether it was ethically right for a politician to become a political consultant. This turned into a moral discussion about Hanssen as a person - a discussion which was really tough on Hanssen and his family. This was a shocking story for many of the participants and got us all thinking about the role and responsibility of mass media.

Following a short break and a teambuilding exercise, Glenn Stenholm, Global Head of Strategy at Stay.com and mentor in Young Ambassadors, held a lecture with a slightly more positive content. Stenholm shared what he believes is important for his success in business. With a starting point that nothing is impossible, he finds inspiration from reading philosophy, listening to music and doing exercise. Most importantly, Stenholm focused on the significance of human-relations.

Birgit Røkkum Skarstein, mentor and participant in the NRK TV show “Ingen Grenser”, finished off the seminar by sharing her personal story about how she became paralyzed. From being an individualistic person she became more focused on what people can do together in a community. She believes that you can reach higher goals if all people share what they are good at in a fellowship. Her thoughts may be useful because they stand in contrast to an individualistic culture among many young ambitious people.

Glen Stenholm said at the Kick-off that the mentors are there to teach the participants about their mistakes so the participants don’t have to repeat them. This can sum up this seminar in one sentence. It was clearly an inspirational experience and a good start on this year’s program.

We want to thank First House for taking such great interest in the Young Ambassadors and hosting the first seminar of the season, and all the speakers for sharing their experiences.