International Students Attend Our World, Our Future, Leave Poised to Create Change

On April 17 after the National Service-Learning Conference dust had settled and final trainings had concluded, 36 youth from around the world boarded flights to return home. The eight-day intensive service-learning training sponsored by the Qatar Foundation International’s Yallah: Commit to Action program had come to an end, but it had only begun to impact the lives of its participants.

After weeks of planning, the first two days of training went off without a hitch. My group seemed to be engaged, they were asking great questions, and bonding as a group over the cold and rainy Minnesota weather. Once the conference began it was full steam ahead, and the QFI group joined nearly 2,000 other young people and adults involved in service-learning. They went off to attend preconference sessions, and things became a blur as I ran past a few on the escalator as I headed to a workshop presentation or stopped to chat with a small group in the exhibit hall.

And then it happened.

On Thursday I heard it — that ‘aha’ moment when you know everything just clicks. We were doing a quick reflection on our conference experiences so far when someone said, “Wow, I can’t believe a 16-year-old just like me is leading a workshop at a national conference.”

I could hear the communal murmur of “yeah” floating around the room. It was only a few seconds, but that was the point when I knew the tide had turned. Students who had started the training excited about international travel and project proposals were now beginning to take ownership and feel that they could create meaningful change and become leaders. 

From there the excitement grew.  These youth had become leaders; they facilitated icebreakers and debriefs, revised action plans, and shared their experiences at the end of the training with QFI’s executive director, Maggie Mitchell Salam. After a wonderful night of celebration, QFI responded to the commitment, dedication, and growth the youth had demonstrated by offering an RFP of sorts to fund the burgeoning projects these young leaders worked hard to refine.

About a week later I returned to the office to find the best email possible. One of the QFI youth had posted a discussion on Yallah — QFI’s online forum which made the training’s preparation with the youth possible — titled, “In Love with NYLC? Putting the pictures together.” In that discussion she reflected on her experience in Minnesota, her dedication to her project, and the feeling of interconnectedness she had developed with her peers. She has summarized the individual projects, grouped them by topic, facilitated discussions, and continues to be a source of support and motivation. While the conference and training may have been a life-changing experience for them, watching the ongoing implementation of projects for me (even via the internet) is absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Whitney McKinley is the Professional Development Manager, Diversity Lead at NYLC and coordinated the YALLAH: Commit to Action training with Qatar Foundation International. All photos are courtesy of QFI via their Facebook page and used with permission.