|
From 18 to 28 January 2008, the World Alliance is organising a training programme for young YMCA leaders in Chiangmai, Thailand. By gathering together 30 participants from around the globe, we will create space for discussion of those issues that connect young people as individuals, their families and communities with the rest of the world using globalisation as a frame of reference. In the context of today’s world, we will examine what it means to be our brother and sister’s keeper, to care not just for our neighbour next door but also to strive to create a global culture of solidarity and care, to challenge unjust systems and processes that may not affect us personally but are causing suffering and marginalising millions of people in many parts of the world. In order to have impact, we need strong movements that can contribute to transforming the world and at the same time embody the future world we want. The Kingdom is here but not yet.
|
The Chiangmai programme will strive to address a lot of the challenges facing young people today and two of these concern the leadership of young people in the YMCA and globalisation. Contribute to the discussion by posting your responses, ideas and opinions on the following questions (see below for posting)
1. How can the YMCA nurture and sustain the leadership of young people?
2. What does globalisation mean to me and how does it affect me and my community?
We want to share the following article written by Martin Meisser, President of the World Alliance:
I am a citizen of my country. In my country I have my roots, my culture, my environment. I am interested in my country, in its people, in its society, and in its living conditions because it is my society, my people, my living conditions. I take responsibility for my country. I am interested in its development, in its youth, in its future, because it is my future.
I am a member of the YMCA. My local YMCA is committed to young people in my city, my National Movement is committed to young people in my country. You will say the same: your YMCA is committed to young people in your country. So what has this got to do with global citizenship?
Global citizenship has become a popular phrase. I typed it into the search engines of my computer and I found a lot of documents produced by international companies. They have their particular vision of global citizenship which has a lot to do with technologies and lifestyles which influence our cultures and traditions. But are we citizens of a global village just because we use the same computers and listen to the same music?
Global citizenship is much more than this. We know that our living conditions, wealth or poverty depend on decisions which are made a long way from us, and often a long time ago in other parts of the world. Global citizenship is about the responsibility we take for each other. In a village where people know each other they can share their lives, they can rejoice with each other and cry with each other. And they can help and support their neighbour when he or she needs it. Can we imagine being part of such a village around the globe, can we imagine becoming global citizens who take responsibility one for each other?
In the YMCA we are calling ourselves a worldwide family. The theme of the World Council last year in South Africa was “Ubuntu – Striving together for life and peace”. How can we strive together around the world?
At that World Council one of the resolutions strongly recommended that the World YMCA family “develops and promotes the notion of Global Citizenship through a deep sense of interconnectedness as common humanity with global responsibility, as a way of globalising the spirit of Ubuntu”. This resolution mentioned many subjects which are essential for the future of all of us, such as peace, conflict resolution, fair trade, climate change, environment, health, the food chain, respect, justice, mutuality of interest – and of course the YMCA world family. Every one of us is involved in one way or another in these topics. But are we able to respond together?
1. How can the YMCA nurture and sustain the leadership of young people?
2. What does globalisation mean to me and how does it affect me and my community?
1. How can the YMCA nurture and sustain the leadership of young people?
I think first and foremost,it is important to involve youth as active memebers of the YMCA at an early age,delegating achievable tasks to them.As time progresses try to identify their strengths and interests.Later on giving them more resposibilty in areas were they show most potential.This way we can mentor young talent up the ranks of the YMCA.
Often young people will leave an organization if they feel unappreciated thus it is crutial to train and delegate challenging task to young participant.Which in turn will built their confidence and enthusiasm in being involved.
Commited participants will also be spurred on by exchange programs.
The YMCA should cater for different levels of involvement,obviously participation and needs of young workers, students, pupils and the unemployed would be different. Whatever group that young people find themselves they should be given equal opportunity to participate and have their needs met by the Y.
Finally I believe that it is important for young participants to feel ownership to the organisation. This way they will perform better, support the organisation and grow with it.
Lastly it's important to let young people be young people!
2. What does globalisation mean to me and how does it affect me and my community?
My understanding of the term 'globalisation' is a flow of ideas, cultures, people, goods, religions, philosophies, technology etc across borders.
Further I believe that through globalisation identities, ideas and philosophies are being challenged and you find that you might have to rethink world views and opinions.
For me globalisation is very exciting as I get to be exposed to a whole variety of ways of living. I get to travel, meet different and similar people, see beautiful places and I meet a lot more challenges on my way than if I only stayed in my 300 inhabitants village. I think the best part with experiencing the world is that you find more similarities than differences.
To top
1. I believe and know from experience that its through programmes where young people are spotted and pulled in to the bigger picture from their locals.
By saying that we need to have community based programmes that reach out to young people, giving them a sense of belonging (them seeing the need for them to be part of the program).
By having this type of process of developing a young person from the 1st level we can easily practice sustance and nuturing. Mentoring (relevant) can be brought in at an early stage of leadership.
The best tool I see at this point is to have young people preaching the gospel to young people, to have young people speaking to each other in a language that makes things more relevant and attractive.
2. This means to me basically the abilty to work together in partnership (work together) as a continent together with other relevant continents. We share ideas as young people for example, resources, etc.
The ability to access locals, or regions, or countries, that has done something
you would like to start, for the sake of having a bit of a background on what you are about to do.
My comunity gets to work together with a community in another state or country that is similar ans maybe has some other different ideas to share that we can use if they are relevant.
For example:
The student ministry in South Africa is a bit different to the one in the states, there you find to universities sharing ideas and taching each other ways of implementing them.
I'm happy that we'll be looking at the GOP because as young leaders where do we form part and how does this plan affect the young people of this world wide movement?
To top
1. How can the YMCA nurture and sustain the leadership of young people?
In simple words leadership is an art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal.
This definition it self highlights the importance of leadership to our YMCA movement as we are also going towards achieving a common goal.
In order to nurture and sustain the leadership of young YMCA leaders, we should first give them a clear vision of where we want to go. Also, they need a strong guidance and training to understand their responsibilities towards the movement.
I think all the young leaders need a open dialogue with the superiors where they get the opportunity to express their own feelings and ideas. This will help the organization to develop plans which suits the common needs of young people and this will the leaders to feel that they are included.
Many leaders possess their own qualities and skills and they should get a chance to use them in their own way. Young leaders always need new challenges and it should be granted and closely monitored. Also, they strongly need appreciation when work well done.
2. What does globalisation mean to me and how does it affect me and my community?
To me, Globalization is the close integration of countries and people in the world which allows sharing the resources, cultures, skills, technology, knowledge, goods and services and people across the borders.
Simply, it all about bringing the whole world to live in a single platform.
Today, Globalization plays a very vital role in Sri Lanka. Our food, our dresses, our way of living, technology, construction, education and even our behaviors and interest have already effected with this.
Especially the younger generation in my country is grabbing these global changes in an immense phase where most of them have totally lost control of it.
Globalization, it?s good in one way but there is a negative impact as well. We should not look only at the commercial aspect of it. This is a good opportunity to develop Global citizenship and to live as a one family.
To top
1. How can the YMCA nurture and sustain the leadership of young people?
They should be raised with a sense destiny, thereby giving them a vision for their future. They also need to be carefully lead through the processes of guidance to independence. Encouraging independent project initiatives and independent management and implementation of those projects.
Their area of interest will have to be identified upon which projects could be discussed with them to pursue. All of these would enable their capacities to be efficiently built. For me, one of the efficient ways to sustain the leadership of young people is to seek out opportunities for them to serve thus, making them responsible.
2. What does globalisation mean to me and how does it affect me and my community?
Globalization is the process of interaction and integration among the people, companies and governments of different nations. Where economies and societies around the world are integrating. And this has significantly enhanced the ideals of international trade in an inclusive world economy.
Following a series of World Bank's reports, one would realise that, globalization has helped reduce poverty in a large number of developing countries. Today, we can share our thoughts via the internet and make as many official or social phone calls to almost all parts of the world. Globalization has positively affected me and my community.
Today, we can dress decently, own a decent car etc. by simply importing the various items of your choice from any part of the world without constraints. I talk with my relatives, friends and loved ones abroad over the telephone at my convenience. Globalization has not only made inter activities easier, but also the intra activities of ones country.
Some people in my community also export goods and services for foreign exchange. But the fact still remains that, in the face of all these, there are some lapses/loopholes that have made to some extent, room for the opponents of globalization to operate.
And these will have to be properly managed. May be, we might have to look at this when we all meet in Thailand.
To top
1. How can the YMCA nurture and sustain the leadership of young people?
Based on the personal experience, as a young woman living in Ukraine, I would like to highlight the potential of YMCA to create an open space that accept and promote sensitivity to diversities and a friendly bridge for a dialogue with the young people all over the world.
Since a concept of leadership has changed from the idea of owning the information to the idea of leading the information, the role of YMCA would be to support and empower young people to find their own space in the world wide processes of leadership
2. What does globalisation mean to me and how does it affect me and my community?
From a local perspective, living in the city with a long history of national, religious, ethnical, political, language diversities, globalization means the emphasis on the particular systems that are open by the world watching them. It means also the necessity of the development of the skill to “walk on the ice” meaning by that global effects of local initiatives and practices.
On the national level, we are on the stage of giving local names to the global issues. To my mind the unique possibility to change the world could be called globalization thus we all are influential part of it. But as this definition says nothing about the content of the change, there are a lot to be done to act with the harmony of the global values.
To top
|
Home
Print Page
Top of page
