Hook of Hope

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I am sorry I did not get a chance to speak to you all so do reach out to me here, connect with me and stay in touch; Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems. When you believe in yourself, you dare to know that you belong to that space. Even though people are not inviting me to the table, I don't need it because I will build a table and bring people in. To all those who were at the event and who are currently on my LinkedIn network please can you share the following with those who I am unable to connect with and reach: It was a great session that focussed on evidence, analysis, science and innovation, providing an invaluable chance to learn more about the science and evidence ecosystem in the Civil Service and its partners. Discussions was led by leaders in analysis, operational, delivery, policy and science. The session aimed to encourage and nurture scientific inquisitiveness and analytical curiosity and allowed the audience to gain:

Just by coming together has been a huge success. By the end of the day I was like a proud Mama as I was overwhelmed with feeling incredibly proud of having such an amazing team who are supportive, go the extra mile despite the challenges, who are kind and respond so professionally to my every demand! People have sacrificed and paved the way for us, and I've got a role to play, especially while I'm in the civil service. I will do my best to do what I can to carve out spaces for people who feel marginalised. civilservicelive2023 #moderncivilservice #scienceandinnovation #civilservice #paneldiscussion #CSL23

I didn't come to the civil service as a long-term career," she told Dods Diversity & Inclusion. "But when my mum had a second stroke,I made up my mind and mapped out what I wanted to do with my career over the next years," she explained. My dad used to say: what you put in is what you get out. But if you're going to be lazy about it and not do anything to make things happen for yourself, nothing will fall into your lap. Growing up in the 1980s, Nurjahan Khatun is a daughter of immigrants who came to the UK in hopes of being able to provide for their family, locally and abroad. Growing up in this environment, it was the norm for women and girls to remain silent, ask no questions, and do as they are told. Nurjahan was taught to do what pleased her family, and to remain a well-mannered, and well-cultured daughter. She played that role initially but, after a while, she realized it went against everything she felt and believed. We see each attempt that Nurjahan makes to raise her voice...to be heard. Hook of Hope explores these moments and more as we learn about her journey. Extracurricular activities worked for me because doing those things outside my day job made me a better leader in the civil service. I am finally, finally at home," Nurjahan says. "I feel home, for me, is America because this is where I am comfortable in my own skin."

It was difficult to adjust to the bureaucratic processes. I was doing things I hadn't done for a decade, and that, coupled with the fact that I took a demotion in pay and grade, made my job very unsatisfactory.Also, I experienced a lot of discrimination. I firmly believe that I belong in the SCS. But I grew up with a dual identity in a family and home that never felt like I belonged. So, I've learned to be resilient and fight against the odds.She hopes her contribution supports their change journey and continues to impress on them that their efforts are valuable. She also hopes that the away-day allowed their staff to get to know one another, reflect on their common challenges, and increase motivation and engagement with their purpose. improved awareness of the science and evidence ecosystem especially in the policy and operational decision-making process.

Readers will discover the resilience and strength it takes to find oneself. We will see Nurjahan hook on to hope, as she finds her true and authentic self. I had been to almost 100 deputy director interviews, and I wasn't successful until I was. Still, I always felt that I was punching below my weight. A tip I always give to my mentees is this: don't take no for an answer. Allow yourself to feel down fora few days, but bring yourself up, reach out to your support networks, and keep pushing. You have to persevere. If I gave up on my dream to become a Director, I would not have this job to look forward to. Thank you for the opportunity to have a conversation with you all at a time where it is so needed to help make the #civilservice even more inclusive and welcoming to all. She traveled to Edinburgh to speak about key themes from her book, Hook of Hope, where she was able to draw upon her own personal experience of why education is so close to her heart. Having fought determinately for her own education, she considered it an absolute honor to share with the team about how what they do directly impacts young people and how powerful it is to be a part of their journey of self-development and growth. Her talk followed an introduction to the importance of their work from the Scotland's Minister for Education.

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This week I attended Civil Service Live in London where I was a panel member; title of the panel discussion was ‘How a strong evidence and science ecosystem can help us improve public service delivery, be more innovative and do more (even with less).’ I've got this constant fire in my belly: I genuinely believe that we belong, and because of the difficulties I have experienced in my life and professional career, especially around discrimination, I don't want others to go through what I've gone through. Thank you to every single member of my directorate for all that you do. I appreciate you. I see you. I hear you. I value you. To applyfor an SCS position is a very draining process. There are five steps: the application itself where you have to write a statement. And if you get sifted, you will go through a two-hour interview with an occupational psychiatrist and then on to a couple of hours on psychometric tests. I have an invisible disability –I'm deaf in one ear – and this has been usedagainst me as though it is detrimental to my performance.