Exchanging Youth Horizons

A Global Youth Experience at Disney World

Several weeks ago I had the privilege of being one of 57 high school students who participated in a 5-day conference at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The event - Better Understanding for a Better World - was organized by Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat, President of the Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (www.CECF.org) and an exceptionally caring person. Participants represented a variety of international exchange programs, including mine - the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program of the U.S. Department of State (http://exchanges.state.gov/youth/programs/flex.html) - that accounted for more than a third of the students at the event.

 

We had an opportunity to spend time with young people from all over the world, all of whom are living with host families from across the United States. In five short days, CECF provided an intensive program of presentations, discussion sessions, visits to a mosque, church and synagogue, networking and, of course, having an incredible time at a variety of Disney theme parks. Such a big world became small during the program. In this unique environment, tiny pieces of a puzzle came together and formed a beautiful picture of peace and friendship.

 

It's amazing that young people of different religions, nationalities, creeds and races are not so different after all. We felt like we were part of a big family - and the conference demonstrated this reality in a powerful, and at times, emotional way. For example, there were exchange students from as far apart as Tunisia and Ghana in West Africa and from the Phillipines and Indonesia in East Asia. I myself come from Central Asia, and there were others - teenage boys and girls - from Central Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East and South Asia. Almost lost among us, there was one lone American from Oregon. After five days of being surprised and inspired by each other, one girl from Indonesia expressed her sadness over our parting. But she also spoke for all of us in sharing her gratitude for the opportunity to experience this special joy. We were all deeply moved by her quiet words, as tears welled up in our eyes.

 

Today's youth are the future and hope of the entire planet - no matter which country we come from. It is very important that people understand and appreciate the potential of the world's youth, their desire for change right now and in the future. That's why international student exchange programs can be so valuable and effective. They represent a great opportunity to create strong bonds of friendship among countries. Moreover, the exchange experience helps students understand social and cultural differences, provides them with new perspectives and information, and allows them to reflect on how to translate new ideas into leading change back home.

 

One incident at the Disney gathering illustrates how our views were influenced by the diversity of participants. Our group included a Turkish girl and an Armenian guy. At first, they didn't talk at all until the very last night of our gathering. Why? Because of the complicated history between the two peoples. But after being encouraged to reach out, they spent an hour talking about the gap between their two cultures and realizing that this generation should not be held back by their grandfathers' choices. And other students whose national, ethnic or religious backgrounds have kept their societies apart also took the opportunity to get to know one another.

 

The CECF conference was a big deal for those of us who care about peace in the world. More than 50 students, who speak different languages, live in different cultures and belong to different faiths were given a chance to actually spend quality time together and communicate with each other, to learn so much, and to think and behave as citizens of the world. Imam Arafat reminded us that there is no need to divide people and countries, to judge religions and beliefs, to close yourself off from the rest of the world. As the only participant from Kyrgyzstan (http://plus.aol.com/aol/reference?query=Kyrgyzstan&flv=1), I felt a big responsibility to be an ambassador for peace and cooperation. What I learned was that all change begins with an idea and belief in the possibility of achieving a more perfect world. The rest is up to people who can make it happen.

 

This remarkable event at Disney World which focused on the role of youth in understanding and communicating new global perspectives gave me a lot to think about and inspired my continued optimism. I want to reach out to my new friends and keep them in my life for many years to come. I'm very grateful to my sponsoring organization, the Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI - www.cci-exchange.com) for including me in this event. So far, it's the high point of my 1-year international exchange in America.

Only published comments... Mar 02 2009, 03:06 PM by Izat Osmonov

Comments

 

Warren Master said:

Great job, Izat. As I read your blog post and thought about that one American student from Oregon, I wondered how local communities here in the States could tap into this positive energy while all of you are still in the country. I'm sure that when each of you returns to his or her host family and school you will share these novel ideas. Do you and your new friends from around the world have any suggestions on how to open up the hearts and minds of American students - just as Imam Arafat helped you to reach out?

All the best,

Warren

March 6, 2009 1:59 PM
 

Kate said:

This is incredible! Good job!

March 30, 2009 11:06 AM

About Izat Osmonov

Izat Osmonov is a 17-year-old exchange student from Kyrgyzstan enrolled as a senior at South Fork High School in Stuart FL. Izat arrived in the States in August 2008 - his first trip ever outside land-locked Kyrgyzstan - and will return home in late May 2009 to take final exams at his high school and other exams that will determine his college options. At South Fork HS in his first semester, Izat received straight A's, played varsity soccer and made lots of friends. He already speaks four languages fluently - Russian, Kyrgyz, Turkish and English - and plans to take the SAT and TOEFL exams before he leaves for Kyrgyzstan in spring 2009. Two other firsts for Izat was 1) diving into an ocean for the first time in his life and 2) volunteering for the Obama for President Campaign, handing out literature and canvassing for the candidate right up to election day on November 4, 2009. He is one of 1200 participants in the US State Department's Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX), an initiative launched in 1992 after the dissolution of the USSR that provides high school students from former Soviet populations an opportunity to experience life in a democratic society and promote democratic values and institutions in Eurasia. Also, Izat will participate as a panelist at the 2009 American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) annual conference Governance in the Midst of Diversity: Bridging Opportunity and Challenge, which takes place March 20-24, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency, Miami, Florida. He will join other FLEX participants and students from Arab and Muslim countries in a Symposium on International Exchanges: Reaching Out to Promote Democratic Governance on Sunday, March 22, 9:30-11:30 AM. His host family in South Florida is TPM editor-in-chief, Warren Master and his wife Karen, a former high school English teacher, both of whom were Peace Corps Volunteers in Turkey in the mid-1960s).