Youth and Civic Engagement: Engaging the Future’s Leaders Through IVLP
During the week of October 31st-November 6th, the World Affairs Council welcomed 12 international delegates from the countries of Benin, Chad, Gabon, Haiti, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria,Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia.
These delegates were learning about local organizations which foster youth and civic engagement in our community, creating the next generation of leaders.
Delegates having fun swinging together at Horses on the Hill.
They met with several local resources, including the Girl Scouts of Wilderness Road, the Hamilton Youth Commission, the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, the Hamilton County Commission on Women and Girls, Winton Hills Academy, Saturday Hoops, and Horses on the Hill.
City of Hamilton Council Member, Tim Naab, said,
“We all have the same common interests and goals for our youth.”
Whether we live in Southwest Ohio or in Africa, youth face many of the same challenges. During their visit to the Hamilton High School to meet with the Hamilton Youth Commission, the delegates had a chance to speak with high school students who were a part of the Commission. They were impressed with the initiative of the students and the City’s initiative to give students a platform to make real change within their community.
Hamilton County Commissioner Driehaus speaking to the delegates during meeting with Commission on Women and Girls.
At the Peaslee Neighborhood Center, the delegates were impressed with the hard work and initiative of the women of Over the Rhine to save the old school which became the Peaslee Neighborhood Center. The determination to give students and families a safe place for children to be kids and learn leadership skills was incredibly admirable. One of the delegates from Mozambique has reached out to create a collaboration. They would like to create a similar program in their country while implementing right to play programs they already have.
The conversation with the Hamilton County Commission was an open and honest discussion about the struggles girls face in their country surrounding girls’ health and education. It was not just an issue for the women in the room, but for the men, too. Mary Maune, Administration Commission on Women and Girls said after their meeting,
“It was wonderful to meet all of the delegates that were here and to share and learn from them about initiatives going on in their countries to support the advancement of women and girls rights.”
The delegates were moved by the work that Saturday Hoops does. The stories shared by the volunteers were ones that were close to their hearts. They were familiar with the struggles of students in Winton Hills. They loved hearing the success story of one of the volunteers who recently passed his bar exam, and attributed his success to the positive environment provided by Saturday Hoops. They planned to take the pledge Saturday Hoops uses to empower their kids and implement it back in their own home countries.
Delegates at Winton Hills Academy with volunteers from Saturday Hoops.
Horses on the Hill was an interesting meeting for the delegates. They enjoyed going to the farm nestled in the Price Hill neighborhood. Learning how horses have an electromagnetic field around them which allows them to sense the emotions of those around them, which can be used to help clients regulate their emotions was eye-opening. Among the delegates was a psychologist. He said that he had never thought about horses as a way to help kids work through their diagnoses.
Overall the program was highly successful. The delegates were completely unable to pinpoint their favorite meeting because each one was so valuable. Many of the delegates had plans to reach out to our local resources to create partnerships. This is exactly what this program is about. Opening the door for dialogue and diplomacy. We are very excited to follow what collaborations come about.
Delegates petting Sid, the horse, at Horses on the Hill.
We would like to give a special thanks to Hamilton County Commission Denise Driehaus, Hamilton Council member Tim Naab, Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller, and Hamilton City Schools Superintendent Michael Holbrook for their participation in this program. We would also like to thank our volunteers who took time out of their schedules to meet with our delegates.
