NEWS
ICU Student Attended Leaders Across Borders Workshop as a Student Representative
Update: December 5, 2023
The workshop was held in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland at the Corrymeela Centre for Reconciliation. Corrymeela is a community which was founded in 1965 to aid individuals and communities suffering from violence and polarization due to the Northern Ireland conflict. It currently welcomes youth groups, school groups, and local organizations, and hosts regular workshops under the theme of peace and reconciliation.
The first two days of the program were spent in Belfast, and participants had the opportunity to tour the city and learn about its history. The rest of the program was conducted in Corrymeela, where discussions and workshops were held on topics including self-understanding, peace, reconciliation, and cross-cultural communication. A reflection session was held at the end of each day to reflect over the events of the day.
Twenty students selected through nomination from the 30 colleges and universities that comprise GLAA, including ICU, participated in the workshop. These students were from all over the world, including the US, Ecuador, Pakistan, India, and Nigeria, and they constantly engaged in dialogue on social issues and international peace both in the discussion sessions and at their own initiative.
Student Comment
There are two main reasons why I applied for the Leaders Across Borders Workshop program. Firstly, I wanted to study more deeply about the relationship between the UK, the country where I grew up, and Ireland where my family currently lives. When I visited Ireland during my holidays, I was surprised by how different it was from the UK. The more I talked to Irish people, the more I learned how proud they are of being Irish and how they enjoy talking about their history. It made me realize that I wanted to study and delve into the history of the two countries to understand the roots of the people living there.
Secondly, I wanted to explore what type of leader I could become. The word "leader" may convey the image of someone who presides and leads others, and also someone who is extroverted. As I myself am rather of an introverted nature, I was uncertain about how and what I could do towards making society a better place. I therefore decided to participate in the workshop to search for answers to these questions.
During the workshop, the discussion session on Jay A. Conger's book, Spirit at Work, left a lasting impression on me. The book examines the role of spirituality in leadership and defines leadership as a reflection of the person's inner self. Self-understanding is essential to becoming a good leader. Although it may seem obvious, it was a refreshing perspective which I hadn't previously realized. I learned how it is possible to create a situation where conflict is avoided by having room in your heart for considering why a person has reached a certain conclusion, without immediately criticizing the person's idea.
Furthermore, I feel that the most important outcome of participating in this program was the opportunity to meet with wonderful fellow participants from all over the world. There was always something to learn through dialogues with these participants from diverse backgrounds, and I was able to reacknowledge my positionality within the world. Moreover, meeting fellow participants with a passionate and open-minded attitude towards building global peace has enabled me to find hope in the future of the world and my own actions. My ultimate aim is to create a world where all children find a place where they belong. Leveraging my strengths I acknowledged through participating in the program, I will endeavor to become a leader who actively participates in supporting people.
Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to Professor Williams, who nominated me for GLAA, Professor Bondy, the staff members of the Top Global University Project office, the professors of Ohio Wesleyan University, as well as the 20 student representatives.