In a country that has gone through three prime ministers in little over a year, Prague might not seem like the most appropriate place to have a conference focusing on leadership skills. Nevertheless, despite such inauspicious portents, last month the Czech capital hosted its ninth successful International Youth Leadership Conference (IYLC) since 2001.

This five-day discussion forum for students 18–25 is held here twice a year, slated next for January, and focuses on the cross-cultural exchange of ideas and fostering international relationships among young people. The Prague-based Civic Concepts International organization (www.civicconcepts.org), headed by American William Webster, established the event in 2001 with the aim of getting students out of the classroom and into the world.

"I was really amazed," said Slovak student participant Michal Trník, who studies international relations at Charles University. "Apart from making about a thousand friends, the biggest benefit for me was making contacts and establishing a network with people I've never met before from many countries I've never been to. This might be helpful for anyone who plans to go on and work in the international arena."

People from Central Europe need these kinds of conferences, he adds. "Some time ago I was in Washington, D.C., at a similar conference and I remember being struck by how easy it was for American students to participate in this kind of event. The Czech Republic and Slovakia need such events here for their youth to gain similar experience and confidence."

Trník's response is right in line with what organizers are aiming for: providing the tools for youth to participate in society and feel a broader connection with the environment they live in, whether that's Kyrgyzstan or Australia. Hopefully, say IYLC officials, that will result in participants' active involvement in their communities, laying the foundations for effecting positive social change.

Webster says he believes that a conference like IYLC offers a better platform for developing these skills than a standard education setting. "To us leadership is such an individual thing," he says, "and something that you can't teach with a textbook."

With this in mind, the conference organizes practical events for participants that include a UN crisis simulation, a criminal court situation and a model parliament, which tackle such issues as war crimes and human trafficking. The whole thrust is to get young students and future leaders to practice tolerance and coexistence early on by exposing them to people and places they would not otherwise encounter.

"We stress that these young people need to talk to each other and find out more about each other and thereby find out more about who they are and where they come from," he says. "That's really the beauty behind the conference."

With about 110 participants from 45 countries attending IYLC last month, the conference has grown from relatively humble beginnings into a truly international event. Some of those attending from abroad have been so impressed they're starting to emulate the experience in their homelands.

An IYLC conference scheduled in Dubai later this year came about because a group of students was inspired by the Prague conference.

Organizer Julia Schmitt-Thiel, a German who's a former student participant at IYLC, cites the "empowering nature" of the Prague conference, pointing out that all the students from the United Arab Emirates this year were women. Another offshoot conference of IYLC is being planned for Capetown in 2007.

Despite the increasing number of IYLC events held in other countries, Civic Concepts International maintains that Prague will remain its home base for the foreseeable future. Schmitt-Thiel calls it the perfect spot for a meeting of delegates from such diverse historical and cultural backgrounds.

"It's a more neutral place than doing it in Brussels, which is tied to the EU, or London, which has all these associations with an old empire. ... They are connected to things that are not as open as we think Prague is," she says. "Prague has something we can use to build upon and create an image for the people whom we invite here."

Another advantage to hosting the conference in Prague is what Schmitt-Thiel calls a very fruitful and good relationship with Czech institutions: The Czech Senate arranges site visits for delegates, and senators such as Edvard Outrata give talks on the political development of the Czech Republic. The Foreign Affairs Ministry also lends enthusiastic support to the conference. This year it even allowed the IYLC to hold its mock parliament at its Grand Hall in Hradčany.

Nevertheless, despite the backing of the Czech authorities, the level of local participation at the conference has so far been surprisingly low. William Webster says this is partly because many Czechs are unwilling to pay the relatively hefty $600 (14,540 Kč) attendance fee for a conference in their own backyard.