Global Leadership Forum at UWC-USA

This summer, I had the privilege of attending the Global Leadership Forum (GLF) at the United World College-USA (UWC) in New Mexico. UWC is a global movement that aims to bring together people of different backgrounds and experiences and unite them for peaceful endeavors and a sustainable future. The Global Leadership Forum is an 18-day summer program designed for high school students aged 14-18.

I arrived in Albuquerque airport around 2 p.m. and met with my fellow participants at the Meet and Greet area. Even though many of the participants were jet lagged from traveling long-distance, they were all super-friendly, smiling, and excited. Once everyone had arrived in Albuquerque, we then took a 2-hour long bus ride to Montezuma, which is where the summer camp was located. As we got closer to our destination, the air seemed to fill with anticipation and enthusiasm as we were all excited to begin our GLF journeys.

After our arrival and check-in, we all stored our luggage in our rooms and went on to explore the beautiful campus of UWC-USA -- especially the castle, quite literally.

A typical day at GLF starts with an 8 a.m. breakfast followed by workshops. The workshops were on a variety of topics ranging from global starvation, videography as a tool to bring social change, gender roles, sexual assault and harassment, sustainability, bystander intervention, etc. The workshops were designed to give participants the skills and tools to better prepare for engagement with the world and leadership on important issues.

The workshops at GLF triggered many questions in my head and helped me learn more about myself. I learned that leadership starts with learning about our own beliefs and values. Therefore, in order for us to know how to lead, we must understand ourselves and embody our true selves. We were asked to reflect on questions such as who we are, what we value, what we stand for, and what we desire. Reflecting on these questions helped me identify my truest self and understand both my blind spots and strengths and to externalize them.  

After the morning workshop, we would go to the castle -- UWC-USA’s main building -- for lunch. The Castle (also known as the Davis International Center) is a 19th-century building located in the middle of the Navajo Desert. Built with environmentally friendly materials, the Castle gives participants a feel of how using sustainable materials can be both good for the environment and build a comfortable house in the middle of the unforgiving desert.

Every day after dinner, we had an hour of solo time for personal reflection. Solo time was followed by our evening activities where we would have moderated discussion sessions, talent show/open mic, and games.

During our time at GLF, we did a number of hikes to explore the beautiful landscape of New Mexico. We also went on a tour of Santa Fe, Las Vegas, and the surrounding areas of UWC-USA. In Santa Fe, we volunteered at the International Folks Art market as artists’ assistants. We helped the artists greet customers, explain their products, and process payments. We also had the opportunity to learn about the cultures, local environment and sustainability efforts, and history of the Native American Nations through volunteering on their farms.

We also had a community development project. Our instructors helped us create an action plan for a project in order to bring positive social changes in our communities. During our final presentations on the last day, it was very inspiring to hear my fellow participants talk about their community projects with so much enthusiasm and passion. The topics ranged from sexual education, the inclusion of indigenous groups into the public life, providing mental health services to refugees, and gun control, to name a few.

Being surrounded by peers from over 30 countries -- all with different talents, experiences, and viewpoints -- was both an enlightening and life-changing experience. The late-night debates and arguments made me more empathetic and helped me see the world from many more perspectives than my own.

GLF was a place for a lot of “firsts”. It gave us the opportunity to do something new, to try to accomplish something for the first time. For some of us, that was being away from home, living in a shared space, hiking, living tech-free, having meaningful and intellectually stimulating conversations, experiencing the world without traveling… the list goes on. For me, it was camping for the first time (and getting hit by a storm), singing at the top of my lungs with my friends while getting drenched in the rain, emceeing the talent show, and many more.  

One of the best parts about GLF was the learning that took place with my peers outside of our workshops. GLF is a place of listening, sharing, and learning. I enjoyed sharing my thoughts about the school system in Afghanistan, while my friends talked about their favorite pieces of literature and writers from Ukraine or the most popular dish in Peru. Whether it was debating over a delicious dinner at the Castle or learning about Quakerism during solo time, learning never stopped.

GLF challenged me, pushed me, supported me, laughed with me, and laughed at me. It made me think about my impact as an individual and the mark I want to leave behind. GLF is a place of frequent debates and arguments, and it is a community of love and acceptance. Even though we all came from different parts of the world and had different life experiences, we were also surprisingly very similar. Our common goal to uplift humanity is what united us.

Thank you, GLF, for an experience I will cherish for a long time.