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Lessons of leadership
A Prague conference fosters a new global community
Staff Writer, The Prague Post (January 15, 2003) "That's the burden of leadership," says 19-year-old American student Kevin Benish, "having to make the difficult decisions. In hindsight, it was terrible. But at the time, the Czech people wanted Germany and the Nazis out." Benish is one of 183 young people who were in Prague early this month for the Sixth International Youth Leadership Conference (IYLC). He is also the great-nephew of Edvard Benes, the president whose 1945 edict forced Germans to leave postwar Czechoslovakia. This is his first time in the Czech Republic; his grandfather -- Edvard's brother -- took the family to Wisconsin before the communist occupation. While the Benes Decrees remain as controversial as ever, Benish experienced no unpleasantness regarding his famous name. "One guy, a German, queried my name: 'Benes, like the decrees?' Then we just carried on talking," he says. This is exactly the kind of contact the conference fosters. IYLC promotes cross-cultural exchanges with an emphasis on diplomacy and the less-aggressive facets of leadership. Participants discuss issues such as truth in the media and global urban development, make site visits to embassies and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and simulate international proceedings on topics such as human rights abuses. Even during supposed downtime, they're busy lobbying and researching. "You gain so much knowledge and perspective -- even of your own culture, because you take a seat on the outside looking in," marvels Steven Kim, a 20-year-old student from California's Claremont McKenna College. "Yesterday I was Egypt at the UN emergency session on increased violence between India and Pakistan." Talking politics The IYLC sponsors three conferences a year, one in the winter and two in the summer. The 18- to 24-year-olds selected to attend are divided into groups of about 20 for the simulations that make up the core of the week's agenda. Each group is assigned a facilitator, often a past participant, who does not dictate but offers advice and counsel. The groups cross a remarkable span of geographical boundaries. One included participants from Germany, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Israel, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai Women's College funded 10 of its students plus chaperones to attend once the students had picked the Prague conference as their preferred international field trip. "We don't get to talk politics at home," explains 19-year-old Noora Alawi, a United Arab Emirates representative. "We wanted to experience the personal interaction, the firsthand knowledge of political science and the spread of ideas from us all coming together." At Alawi's prompting, facilitator Lianna Carpenito suggested a group discussion on their various nations' politics. The topic proved popular with other groups as well.
"Even among the nine Americans [in my group]," Alawi says, "there are different perspectives on politics, logic, reasoning. Everyone is learning from everyone else." Kim, a Korean-American from New Mexico, agrees. (The four other Koreans at the conference were from Korea, Uzbekistan, New Jersey and California.) "Obviously we are very different, but that's the key. People need to deal with people. Countries may have good relations, but if individuals don't get on, it could all fall apart." Friendly rivals Civic Concepts International, the parent organization that sponsors IYLC conferences, was founded in 2000 by an American, William Webster, Jason Betik from Canada and Jakub Leps of the Czech Republic. Their mission is to enhance cross-cultural awareness and foster international relations and global citizenry for the world's future leaders. "I wanted to create an international youth interchange," Webster explains. "For the location we chose the Czech Republic, a country that is building on the foundations of democracy." His lofty ideals have helped create a conference in which participants and staff share deep feelings of community and friendship, yet in the context of simulations, engage in lively sparring. On day four of the recent conference, a model European Parliament became quite involved in the issue of human-organ trafficking. Groups representing various European parties and alliances caucused and lobbied for a bill under consideration. The democratic process became a noisy affair in the general session, with partisan loyalties surfacing in the form of hissing and jeering when opposition members took the podium. "Liar," one participant yelled out. His party supported his actions with applause while he was ejected, feigning fury with the slamming of a door. "Kill Bill!" he shouted again after being briefly readmitted. There was another ejection -- this time a proponent of the bill, who accused a supposed ally of hijacking the parliamentary process and sabotaging his amendment by wasting podium time. After much ado, the bill passed. Then, with the session over, everyone went sightseeing. Work hard, play hard The conference is an academic affair, with participants receiving credit from Prague's Anglo-American College. Socially too, the event is an eye-opener. Despite the long days, nights are not spent sleeping. The lobby of the Top Hotel echoes with laughter, song and voices well into the early morning. On the premise that fun is as important as the hard work of leadership, relaxation is encouraged and drinking allowed. Facilitators encourage their group members to attend all events, but participants aren't forced to do anything. Attendance isn't a problem, though; participants tend not to abuse the autonomy they're given and seem eager to take advantage of this rare opportunity. In their fast-forged community and the tense simulations they perform, individuals do collide. Agendas conflict, optimal results differ and interpretations vary. But outside of character, court or tribunal, friendship dominates. "We just ask that everyone be respectful, be culturally aware and be the best that they can be," says Julia Nemon, current conference director, who began as a facilitator in the summer of 2001. This was Nemon's final conference; she departs later this month to direct the Washington, D.C., office of the Prague Institute for Global Urban Development. IYLC people don't ever fully leave the fold, however, and many current participants are already hoping for offers to return next session as a facilitator. That's not surprising; the facilitators seem to enjoy themselves as much as their charges. "This group is amazing," Jessica Marasovic, a repeat facilitator, says. "No, every group is amazing. They've known each other 48 hours now and they have limited time to get anything together." She is visibly proud observing their International Criminal Court simulation as the head judge -- complete with homemade tissue wig -- raps her gavel and calls for "Silence in the audience, please." The maturity of these 'kids' is striking. The earnestness and humor with which they undertake roles, plus the research required to carry out the simulations, belies the notion that younger generations are apathetic and need instant gratification. And the lessons they've learned here seem to bode well for the planet's future. "We need to respect other nations, cultures and thoughts, even in disagreements," Benish says. "We need to learn that people can work together. It takes compromise but it gives hope. And we need hope." He pauses, then adds, "And a good time." For further information and an application form, see www.czechleadership.com
Wendy Wrangham can be reached at
wwrangham@praguepost.com
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