10 Things Reflection

On their way to the airport, I asked each one of them to reflect on their time during the week and share 10 things.  Here are there thoughts:

JACE
        ⁃       The kids there were SUPER nice
        ⁃       People can be surprising. One girl probably didn’t even say a word the whole camp 
                but during the talent show sang amazing and did a cool step routine
        ⁃       Youth can and will make an impact. It’s just a matter of determination
        ⁃       I didn’t know about the mass shootings happening in Nicaragua until now
        ⁃       I learned that teenage girls are the ones most impacted by gender inequality
        ⁃       Social media is one of the biggest tools used for creating revolutions
         ⁃       There are youth in this world making major impacts that I didn’t know could be
                 possible.
        ⁃       There are kids my age from all over the country that come from all different
                backgrounds, yet care about the same things as me with the same amount of passion
        ⁃       I wish the camp was longer
        ⁃       I wish I could come again next year and meet up with the kids again

Alberta:

1. Equality vs Equity: I learned about the true difference between equality and equity. I briefly learned about both meanings during a student panel, but was never able to truly grasp onto their definitions. Equality is when everyone has the same resources or advantages, meaning no one has more or less than the person next to them. Everyone is treated in the same way, and on the same level regardless of gender, living conditions, or identity, demonstrating a sense of sameness. Equity refers to people getting resources based on their circumstances, showcased through a sense of fairness. However, I believe equality is flawed unless everyone is able to truly be “equal” by beginning at the same stage. If 3 people of different heights were given 1 box to stand on to see over a fence, surely it would be equal, however only those who are tall enough will be able to use and benefit from this sense of “ “equality” over others. Those with certain privileges would benefit more than others, even if it is “equal”.  If one school was filled with students who did lacked significantly in regards to achievement and another school had chances at higher advantages and achievements, it would not make any sense to give both schools the same resources as one school started with more advantages than the other, meaning the other school will not truly be in a fair situation. Both schools should be treated equitably and receive resources based on circumstances to be able to reach an equal level.
2. Climate: Significant changes within the climate (largely due to humans) over these past hundreds of years has left a great impact on the world, many of which the issues are categorized among the 17 sustainable development goals. Environmental issues, extreme changes regarding weather, and endangered species are among the top effects of climate change, which becomes worse as time goes on. I plan on recycling more, preserving water more, turning off electric devices when not in use, and even switching from plastic straws to a  reusable metal straw, in order to contribute towards advancing the earth. It seems to me as if the more the earth is developing, technologically or generally, the more negative effects are enforced on the earth.
3. Peace and Power: I was granted an award on being the most peaceful yet most powerful (like a chihuahua), which inspired me to use my voice and words to advocate for matters that are important to me regardless of my opinions on how others may view me. I desire to create a club dedicated towards my SDG project, and the ability to speak out in front of others is a necessary skill if I desire to become a global leader. Even the people we encountered in front of the White House were able to inspire me, as they had the strength to advocate for their cause regardless of whether or not people agreed with them or not. One man held a sign fighting against that person people call a “president”, and one of that person’s supporter came up to him and started insulting him as he contradicted her beliefs. The man stood peacefully and kept advocating for his cause, using a combination of peace and power to overshadow the supporter, who eventually gave up and walked away. The strength he was able to have to not allow hate speech affect his cause displayed his ability to pursue a role of becoming a global leader, and gave a boost of support from our group.
4. Life of Skills: We did one activity in groups where we wrote down all of the skills that we possessed on a large paper. The amount of experience of such skill or how important it may be did not matter, meaning wrote down things such as “emailing” or “cleaning” or “running”. The purpose of this activity was to be able to acknowledge our talents and skills, and take into account what we can do to impact the world with such skills. Looking around at each paper gave us a chance to be able to view the skills of others and take advantage of them for our projects, meaning if you didn't have one specific skill that you felt was necessary to be successful, there are other people around with that skill that will always be willing to help you. This built a sense of teamwork and connection as we were able to instill trust in one another through familiarizing ourselves with each others capabilities. This also enabled many people to begin to team up on their projects, meaning that one does not have to be an individual working by themselves as teamwork can bring more power and success.
5. Social Connections: I noticed how quickly people were able to build connections with one another. Just like Marquardt said, we were able to make lifelong friendships with people within the course of 4 days. It is as if we all known each other previously, showcasing how strong the bond was with one another. I noticed at some points, a lot of people had a tendency to fall back into their traditional friend groups (people they already knew prior to the program). I inferred that this was mainly because these were their comfort zones, meaning it would take time for people to feel fully comfortable with others as they must understand their limits and full personalities. However, it did not bother me much since I was still able to build great relations with new people, such as with Sophia, Leah, Alyson, two girls from California and Victoria. I also built great relations with my roommate, Molly, which I am grateful for as I was quite afraid about the roommate situations as I have never shared a room with a stranger before. This experience, in a way, gave me a taste of college life, which I will begin in about 2 years.
6. Nostalgic Stories: While traveling through uber rides, downtown DC, campus and going for a walk outside of campus, I’ve felt a sense of nostalgia for the east coast. I'm originally from Bronx, New York, and I noticed that a lot of the neighborhoods and the vibe of DC is quite similar to that of the Bronx. Even as some people complained about it, I actually enjoyed the environment since it gave me a view back into my childhood. The first day we arrived on Monday gave me a sense as groups of people were rushing to work or activities for the day. It seemed as if every pair of feet carried a personal story of their own, which is an idea I carried on when I met new people through the program. Everyone walked a path through their journey, each with different goals to fulfill and different circumstances to live by. This was quite exciting for me as I really enjoy the city lifestyle of the east coast. All of the monuments and areas we passed by held a story within them, each of which I desired to discover. This change in environment was extremely refreshing and satisfying, and I will be sure to visit D.C once again in the near future.
7. World of Families: We were placed into family groups led by each of the organizers and filled with different members of the program. I was fortunate enough to be in the family group of Anesu, the main coordinator, and Fatima.This was a great way for each of us to get to know each other, and it was filled with people from different areas. We started each session with Rose, Bud, Thorns; Rose stood for something positive we experienced during the day, Bud stood for something we were excited about in the future, and Thorns stood for something negative that occurred during the day. This was a great way for each of us to check up on one another and build connections with each other by understanding feelings, which is something I appreciated tremendously as I often feel as if I am not “heard” or my opinions are often “worthless”. We always followed through with a group bonding activity that occurred outdoors or indoors. One activity consisted of us holding hands with someone who was not next to us and creating a huge human “knot” in which we had to work with one another to get out of and into one big circle. This was extremely fun as we connected through teamwork and listened to the directions and opinions of others to gear towards success. For the talent show, we performed the dance and lip syncing portion of “We’re All In This Together” from High School Musical, and even taught the audience the dance! I know everyone will agree that my group was the best family group of all!
8. Listening Ears: I noticed that everyone had extremely good listening skills. Whenever someone was presenting or speaking, it was not difficult to get everyone’s attention or everyone remain silent. People always followed up with questions after a presentation, showing they truly desired to hear what the speaker has to say. This was extremely beneficial to me as I have built a habit of always listening and looking at a speaker's eyes to ensure they know I am paying attention. I have a tendency to stopping my presentation whenever people are talking at school, and waiting for them to pause their conversations so I can resume, so I highly appreciated the great listening skills everyone possessed. If one was to become a leader of some sort, it is extremely important to hear the ideas or opinions of others as it may lead you towards gaining more success through contributions of others.
9. Workshop Mania: I really enjoyed the different workshops that we got to participate in following each different topics. This gave us a way for us to be able to become interactive with the projects, which is the best way that I am able to learn. Each workshop allowed us to connect with other people, as we were often in workshops that enabled us to communicate with new people. We had about 2 or so workshops per topic, which I found extremely important as it placed more effect on us than if we were to just verbally learn solely about the topics. I really enjoyed how each workshop had their own unique twist to them, meaning no two workshops were the exact same, showcasing a refreshing view of each.
10. Overall Experience: There are not enough words to describe how amazing this experience has been. From the plane rides to the DC tours, I definitely believe that this was a once in a lifetime experience and I am truly blessed to have had all the support from Marquardt, Mariner alumni, family and my peers. Last year I would have never even guessed that I would be traveling to a youth leadership academy, showing when God says it's your time to experience something amazing, you definitely will. I am also grateful that the Plan International team gave me a chance to show my potential, especially as opportunities like this don't occur often. Once I am old enough, I hope to inspire someone else to take chances regardless of whether or not you believe you may succeed or not. I will also help other youth to seek opportunities like this and to fundraise, since without the amazing donations from everyone I would not have been able to write down this list.

Amber:

1.  If everyone lived the way I do, there needs to be 2.4 earths.
2.  I am more a leader that focuses on relationships.
3.  There have been youth that have taken out a dictator.
4.  It was frustrating that everyone from the east coats knows a lot about politics, is super intelligent, and takes almost all advanced classes because I felt that I was lesser than them.
5.  I learned that the Basilica is the largest church in the United States.
6.  There are more smart phones than toilets in the world.
7.  30-35% of the population is under the age of 30.
8.  I learned how to dance the Pantsula.
9.  Climate change isn't just when there is a 80 degree day in winter, it's when there is a trend of really hot days in winter.
10.  Boys are comfortable with the traditional role of girls.


Angelina:

1.  The main highlight for me was a conversation with Wole, a leader working with Plan International. During breakfast, he had a conversation with Alberta and I about our improvements the last few days. When we first came, we didn’t speak much. Granted I was extremely tired. But as the days progressed I spoke out more, and became more confident. Which was something I looked forward to achieving. When he told me he was impressed with my improvement, I was extremely happy. His recognition gave me even more confidence to speak out, and I was grateful to have someone believe in me like he did. In that moment, I realized just how much I have improved, and I’m excited to see myself continue to improve.


2.   While I made a few friends, I was disappointed that I didn’t become close with my roommate. Stepping into the YLA, I expected to form a tight relationship with my roommate. However we only talked at night, and it was mainly her talking about guys. Which I was not interested in at all! Her and I never really connected as I thought we would. Even though she is an amazing person, her and I never formed a close friendship.

3.   Another fun experience was exploring the campus with Alberta. We walked around different buildings, explored the Basillica, and took pictures. Exploring really brought Alberta and I together, and I feel like her and I have become close friends. It was great to roam the campus with her.

4.   I was very unimpressed with the lunches. Some things were extremely similar to our school food. Which is disgusting. Such has the hamburgers, it tasted like cardboard. While the pizza was decent and they always had deserts, I still feel like it could of been a lot better. Also, the lunch ladies were mean. They never smiled, they always looked mad, and they never responded when I said thank you. 

5.   I loved learning a Step dance with Alberta and Kalie. Prior to Kalie teaching me, I had no experience with Step. It was nice to learn a form of dance that is extremely fun. I found it easy because the point of Step is to be serious and look angry. Luckily I always look angry when I’m concentrating, so it worked out perfectly! We preformed for the talent show, which allowed me to get out of my comfort zone. I was very nervous before the performance, but it was truly a lot of fun and an experience I will never forget!

6.   Everyone in the YLA was divided into three different family groups. My group decided to call ourselves “Jens Hens” because our leaders name is Jen. We created a handshake called “Hen shake” and we could do it in pairs of two, or in a big circle. My group was extremely supportive, we did activities to get to know each other better. We had really become a family, and I will always remember them, and their positive energy!

7.   For the talent show, our family group, Jens Hens, sang a song. We took the song “Let it be” by The Beatles, and changed it to “SDGs”. We rewrote the song to involve the SDGs, and we all sang it together. One of our family members, Sophia, played the guitar with us. This really helped all of us bond. When we preformed, we dimmed the lights, and turned on our phone flashlights. As we stood up front and sang, we moved our flashlights back and forth. The audience began to join us and it was truly amazing!


8.  The dorms were actually decent. But when we first arrived, the air conditioning was turned up extremely high, and it was freezing in there! The first night we tried to just get through the cold, which sucked. We only had one small blanket! But we eventually realized we could turn off the air conditioning. My roommate and I got the best bathroom! Everyone else had one that was really small, but ours was huge!

9.  My roommate and I were getting ready for bed, when I heard her scream from inside the bathroom. She comes running out, completely hysterical. She yells that there was this huge bug in the bathroom and it touched her. I walk in, and it was just a beatle. We have those at home all the time, so seeing her first reaction to a beatle was really funny! She was paranoid the rest of the day!

10.   This trip was truly life changing. I learned so many valuable things, and I met the most amazing people. Everyone inspired me in some way, and it was amazing to meet other young people that want to make a difference. I gained a lot of confidence throughout this trip, and I learned a lot regarding how to be a successful leader.