lasallian Brazil . Colombia . France . Mexico . United States . Philippines . Spain

summer seminar on global leadership2013

lasallianconferencePhiladelphia, USAJuly 14 - 27, 2013

The second Lasallian Leadership Conference in Philadelphia (USA) was an extraordinary experience and exceeded our expectations. The 34 students from six countries and thirteen schools explored complex global problems and related these issues to the many challenges being faced in their home countries. Most importantly, the students gained a better understanding of each other’s cultures and developed a network of colleagues that will last a life time. These future Lasallian leaders exhibited endless energy and are determined to “make a difference” in this world. They are proud Lasallians who take civic responsibility and global understanding seriously – they give us great promise for the future.

Bob Vogel(Philadelphia, USA)

Carlos Coelho(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

building a global familyThe 2013 Lasallian Leadership

Conference brought together 34 students from six different countries to discuss systemic and social problems throughout the world. Students were able to connect with peers from throughout the world, while at the same time addressing problems that they face in their local, national, and international lives. Furthermore, students received firsthand accounts about life, politics, culture, and other aspects of the many different countries that were represented at the conference. These objectives were addressed in various ways such as international and national country projects, international culture nights, trips, presentations, and leadership building exercises.

In today’s world, the importance of global understanding, acceptance, and cooperation is increasingly important for not only governments, but also for ordinary every day citizens. As one of

its main goals, the conference brings international students together so that they may better understand each other and be prepared for the future. We live in a world where our everyday lives are affected by the actions of people who may not live in our immediate region, or even country. If we are to be truly effective leaders, there must be a level of mutual understanding and cooperation. The Lasallian Leadership Conference is the only student-oriented international leadership conference in the world with a shared Lasallian focus.

The five core principles of Lasallians are education, concern for the poor and social justice, faith in the presence of God, quality education, respect for all persons, and inclusive community, inform who we are and what our goals are. Unilaterally, we are inspired to action by these values and they also makes us stand out as a global community.

Conference Participants

BRAZILMatheus Buttner EstevesBarbara Berti Gawlinski

Guilherme Durao Alves Palmeira de Oliveira

Ana Luiza Meirelles ParuoloJessica Morselli Monforte RamosLucas Nogueira Valle dos Santos

Alice Gravelle Vieira

COLOMBIAGinneth Cajamarca

Andres CruzJonathan Moline Prieto

Sergio Andres Mora Rueda

FRANCEBenoit Choquet

Alexis du Puytison

MEXICOEduardo Aragon

Daniel AvilesHector Carrillo

Ilse Alejandra Cervantes GonzalesDaniela Montano

Maria Fernanda Martinez Montesi-nos

Mabel Nava PadilhaPatricia Andrea Achaval RamosJose Marcelino Olguin RamosNorma Carolina Reyes Rubio

Genaro Rafael Corona Villalobos

THE PHILIPPINESJose Miguel MorenoJulie Anne Santioque

UNITED STATES OF AMERICASuzanne DensonSteven Johnston

Samuel KreutzfeldNicxie Mazon

Lindsey PamlanyeJohn Schatz

Rebecca WaufordMitchell Woodrow

class & workshopsBob Vogel (Philadelphia, USA) led the first workshop of the confer-ence. During this presentation, stu-dents were given the opportunity to discover how important personality and diversity management are in effective leadership. Students took part in activities that gave them insight into their own personality types and learning styles as, well as those of others. Vogel also empha-sized how sharing cultural narra-tives can lead to understanding and facilitate efficient leadership.

Tom Wingert and Carolyn Plump (Philadelphia, USA) gave a pre-sentation on what the term “social good” means. The final defintion was the foundation of the rest of the conference. The presentation also taught students to identify the “how” of creating a project for the social good, as opposed to merely the “what” and the “why” of it. Juan Carlos Rivera (Bogotá,

Colombia) shared the importance of imparting Lasallian ethics to young adults in order to prepare them for the state of the modern world. He encouraged students to question what they need as opposed to what they want and how fulfilling their desires can impact others. The presentation made evident the complex nature of happiness and underscored the importance of cultural narratives.

Niceforo Espinosa (Mexico City, Mexico) and Diana Loera (Monterrey, Mexico) led a work-shop on Lasallian spirituality and how it relates to global leadership. Faith, service, and community were highlighted in terms of what students had done in the confer-ence and what students were able to do at their home universities. The two used the global mission of Saint John Baptiste de La Salle in order to convey how any single person could change the world.

Carlos Coelho (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) had a class on the different stages of completing a project, consisting of planning, identifying one’s assumptions, and finally execution. The first two stages were presented as necessary tasks for a leader to perform in order for the execution of an idea to be effective. The workshop taught the students what needs to be done in order for their ideas to come to fruition.

The country projects were created with two things in mind: the creation or strengthening of a nationwide Lasallian bond and the promotion of Lasallian values.

Three of the six nations had the same idea for a country project. Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines are creating Lasallian Leadership Conferences on a national scale. The conferences will not only bring together the Lasallian universities in each nation together, but it would allow students to prepare for the international Lasallian Leadership Conference.

The Colombian students want to create a program in their uni-versity modeled after La Salle University’s Leadership and Global Understanding program, which integrates social responsi-bility on a local, national, and in-ternational scale into an academ-ic environment. The group will keep in contact with the student representatives from La Salle University for guidance.

The delegation from France is creating an organization at the university in Beauvais which will emphasize Lasallian values and will keep in contact with other universities, both for support and to share effective ways of convincing students the values de La Salle lived by are still just as important in the modern world.

The students from the United States are forming a National La-sallian Gathering. The gathering will bring together students from each of the five universities in the country. The students will gather at an institution affiliated with the Christian Brothers and for a week of service, while learning that there are multiple Lasallian universities across the country.

de la salle week

international network

lasallian blogs

biannual report

international groupfinal projects

ethics presentationsA second group found the workshop

on ethics incredibly powerful, and chose a project incorporating many of the values the workshop conveyed. Undergraduate students would travel to nearby middle schools and give presentations on the importance of

ethics at a level young children could understand.

Eventually, the undergraduate students would train high school students on how to give the presentations, increasing the impact of the program.

A De La Salle Week will be planned during a week in which all universities at the conference are on their respective campuses. The week would be organized using social media and each day would see the celebration of one of the Lasallian

core principles. Each of the students in the international group for this project will be responsible for propagating the existence of De La Salle Week and making sure universities outside of their home institutions are invited to participate.

The Lasallian University Network will create a message board allowing Lasallian students, faculty, and alumni to find and work with other Lasallians in order to create a social service project. Networking around the world will allow for a greater understanding of the region in

which the service project is to be implemented. For instance, a student in France may have an idea for a project in the Philippines and reach out to a faculty member or alumnus of a Lasallian university in that country for advice and assistance.

The final international group will be keeping in contact with all of the other groups on the status of their respective projects, both national and international. Halfway through the year, a report will be compiled and sent out to all those involved in

the conference to provide a medium for each group to explain what is working and what is not in terms of project development. A second report will be prepared in a similar manner and sent out with the final status of each project.

Two of the groups want to create a blog for Lasallians throughout the world. One group emphasized the blog as a platform to share travels and the other wants to create a listing of service opportunities.

There was discussion about combining these blogs into one project and using it as a platform to share global and leadership experiences with Lasallian colleagues.

lasallian STARThe Lasallian STAR will be a

blog in which only members of the international group can post, other than to comment. The blog will feature articles and videos about a unique social justice issue once

every month.The Lasallian STAR has as its

goals to promote internationalization between universities, to raise aware-ness about social justice issues, and to discuss how to solve the issues.

country group final projects

snapshots

an international familyWe all spent this past weekend in New York City. We had so

much fun getting to see Times Square, Chicago on Broadway, the Statue of Liberty. One of the most deepening experiences I had during this trip was visiting the September 11 Memorial. The site is astonishing, doing its best to honor the victims of the September 11th attacks. But what really caught my attention was the fact that, even though we didn’t have to, many of the students from all the countries represented at the conference visited the memorial and paid their respects. Even though the terrorist attacks were on the United States, September 11th was a global issue. As people, as human beings, we all have a responsibility to support, love, and help each other no matter what country we are from or what language we speak. That is one thing I have learned most during this conference.

~Mitchell Woodrow

Many of the conference’s participants had never left their home countries before and very few had been to the United States. During the two weeks, there was a weekend trip to New York City. The excitement was palpable among every single one of the students as the bus traveled to the United States’ largest metropolis and cultural hub of the country.

The students didn’t just stick to their own groups, through the entire trip. It was common to see Brazilians, Mexicans, French, Colombiansm, and Filipinos all going off together to explore the city. Many students went to the 9/11 memorial after they

first arrived and ended in Times Square, while others went down 5th avenue and ended up walk-ing through Central Park.

Around 20 of the 34 students all went together to see Chicago on Broadway. Places like the Museum of Natural History, the Empire State Building, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and tours of the city. The weekend was one of the highlights of the conference and really allowed the students to connect outside of the classroom. The excursion complimented the goals of the conference through the students being on their own. First we conquered Philadelphia, then New York, and now, the world.

the city that never sleeps

snapshots

a fresh perspectiveSince I am a resident of Philadelphia, going to the Constitution

Center wasn’t all that big a deal. I had already been there in high school and enjoyed the experience; however, there was something about going with the group that made the experience different. I wasn’t just visiting a national landmark, I was sharing my history, my culture, and my perspective with a group that didn’t share my views.

While the trip to the Constitution Center was an insight on American history for the students from abroad, for me it was an insight into how foreigner’s viewed the United States. Our court system, our electorate, and our system of government to them is not a system of men, but a network of laws that hold the nation together through the stability of the government. For us here in this country, we are lucky to have a solid system of government that can be depended on due to the efficacy of the agencies and laws that we have established. They showed me that.

~Steven Johnston

Sometimes the best way to learn about a city is to walk the streets and get lost. With only two native Philadelphians in the conference the scavenger hunt was definitely a challenge for many of the students. Through hard work, dedication, and some cooling refreshments on one of Philadelphia hottest summer days, the students got to see the best the city had to offer.

The students went to the fol-lowing locations during their hunt: The Philadelphia Art Mu-seum, the Reading Terminal Market, Logan Square, City Hall, Independence Mall, Rit-tenhouse Square, Chinatown, and the Hard Rock Cafe

Many students personalized the experience by taking little excursions; one group went to the top of the city hall tower, to Jim’s steaks on South Street, and to different food venues in the city.

During the scavenger hunt students had to obtain “Voices of the City” by interviewing other people whom they found in key locations. Students spoke to tourists, local residents, store owners, state park rangers, and others throughout the day. The students then compiled their pictures and recordings into presentations that were shared with the entire conference.

a search like no other

finding ourlasallian roots sharing lasallian values

During the first week, students were told to identify a way to promote the social good and developing a project to improve a social justice issue. The different groups chose education, handicap accessibility, human trafficking, obesity, and world hunger.

One group focused on human trafficking. The group decided that the best way to combat human trafficking is increasing awareness of the issue. There would be pamphlets, presentations, and videos providing information about human trafficking in order to educate people about the problem.

An international group, consisting of American, Brazilian, French, and Mexican students tackled the lack handicap accessibility around the world. The students wanted to form an international advocacy group at their respective home universities in order to raise awareness about the issue.

The group who aimed to decrease world hunger wanted to do so by introducing seed banks in Africa. The seed banks would be multi-purposed, not only providing seeds to farmers and potential farmers, but providing more recent agricultural technologies and training in how to use them.

The projects will continue to be developed by the students throughout the school year and beyond, with students having greater resources at their disposal.

Working in the international groups was remarkable. I had studied the severity of global social justice issues in high school and at La Salle University, but even with all of the reading I have done, I could not have the understanding of the problems in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico that I now possess. I have my international group to thank for that greater level of understanding.

Since the conference has ended, I have spoken with every single member of my international group about how to make our projects a reality. All of us are very committed to executing our ideas, and it is incredibly refreshing to have gotten to know that there are students around the world who have the same values and concerns as me.

~John Schatz

a global network

one worldone spiritla salle

reaching beyond borders

Upon arrival, the students only socialized with other students from their country. For the most part, it even went so far that they only interacted with students from their home universities. However, due to the students being housed in international groups, the social walls began to break by the second day. By the second night, each student knew everybody’s first name, even if the names were not all pronounced correctly.

The bonding continued throughout the first week and by the time of the trip to New York City, all of the participants saw themselves as one Lasallian body as opposed to students of thirteen different universities. Americans were learning Spanish, Mexicans were learning French, and Brazilians were learning Filipino. For the first week, all of the bonding was very factual, as in what a person was studying, how big their family was, how they came to attend the conference, and just other biographical information. The first week of bonding was important and served as a foundation for which students could truly form a family.

By the second week, all of the students were comfortable enough to ask more probing questions about one another. The conference, through workshops and projects, required students to find common values

and prioritize social issues in order to select which issue to combat and how to do so. The international nature of the conference provided much more diversity in beliefs that would not have been present otherwise. With greater diversity, it might be logical to conclude that finding common ground would be more difficult, but the groups of students were able to rise to the occasion and develop a support system that would stretch across six countries from this year’s conference alone.

As the conference continues into its third year and beyond, the support system will continue to grow until there is a Lasallian student-to-student network that is truly global. The importance of this network cannot be overemphasized. A United States citizen cannot fully grasp the social issues of a city in Mexico without living there for an extended period of time. Similarly, a Colombian cannot hope to develop a program in France without understanding French culture. This network would allow social projects to be thought of in one region of a country and then modified for implementation in another region of the country, or another country entirely.

internationalculturenightsamerica. brazil. colombia.

Twice during the conference the students came together after working hours to learn more about each other and where they come from. International Cultural Nights are one of the main staples of the conference and possibly the most talked about aspect from the previous year. The excitement surrounding the events wasn’t the only factor driving their popularity, the competitive aspect of activity also drove the students to be creative and truly explore and express who they were as a country group. There were two separate nights dedicated, the first in week one for the Filipinos, the Americans, and the French and the second in week two for the Brazilians, the Colombians, and the Mexicans.

The American delegation started off the first cultural night as the host country. With representatives from five of the six U.S. Lasallian colleges in attendance, there were students from different sections of the country. The group started by describing their schools, hometowns, and the country as a whole. The group ended with snapshots and descriptions from iconic moments in American history, such as the flag raising at Iwo Jima, 9/11, and VE Day among others. At the very end students were given a chance to taste some true Philadelphia delicacies, such as a variety of Tastykakes and soft pretzels. However, the smaller two delegate groups from France and the Philippines were not to be outdone.

The two French delegates came prepared with French, European Union, and Beauvais University flags. Alexis and Benoit showed a video correcting french stereotypes about food, clothing, and social behavior. The french cultural experience was more than any of us could have expected. Rounding out the nights presentations were the Filipino delegates. The two exemplified what it meant to be Lasallian through their energy and enthusiasm. We learned about the different La Salle schools in the Philippines, the diverse cultures present in the many islands and the exuberant attitudes that the island peoples have toward life. Ending the night with a quiz game hosted by Migi and Julie was a great bonding experience with questions about the group as a whole, the Philippines, and the Filipino language. In the end, it may be best to just call it a draw.

internationalculturenights france. mexico. philippines.

Last of all the groups was Mexico. There are 18 Lasallian universities in Mexico, some of which are very new compared to the 100 plus year-old institutions in the U.S. and the Philippines. But what they lacked in age they made up for in passion, energy and commitment to Lasallian ethics. The second dancing experience of the night had male volunteers dancing around a sombrero and the presentation included various prizes for the different students who participated. Overall the international nights were not only an educational experience, but a bonding one as well. Despite our different locations, languages, and cultures we were all brought together by our shared lasallian connection and that made all the difference.

After a week of work, fun, and activities separating the two culture nights, everyone was ready to sit back relax and learn more about the places we each call home. Fittingly, the last three countries to go were all the Latin American nations, Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. It goes without saying that the night was highly entertaining; the dancing alone was unimaginable. Brazil started the night off with regional descriptions of the largest South American country and the two universities that the students came from. We got to try a gaucho tea drink from southern Brazil called chimarrão and eat local cookies. The Colombians went next; after talking about their school, its programs, and the adult program for reeducating FARC members in agriculture, we got to experience the ultimate dancing presentation: the samba. The students put on a very impressive show and had a dance off between members of the different nations (also a draw).

reflections

This summer program strengthened my Lasallian identity and my global awareness. I always knew that there were Lasallian schools all across the country and the world, but didn’t see it as a real thing or something that directly affected me until this summer when I found tangible connections across the globe. These tangible connections came from the handshakes of first introductions, the high fives after pronouncing a phrase correctly in Portuguese, and the hugs upon our imminent departure.

Becky WaufordChristian Brothers University

Memphis, Tennessee

We came together across state lines, borders, oceans, languages, and majors. Whatever difference you could possibly imagine was completely forgotten because of one thing: we were all Lasallian. Each day we came together and were presented with the problems of the world. Somehow, we found time each day to laugh, sing, and dance. We spoke of our own countries, our experiences, what works well, what needs to change, and how we can come together to make change happen by identifying problems and designing projects with possible solutions. Over the course of the conference we gained relationships that will be invaluable because along with those relationships, we gained a desire to have an impact. As we put our projects into action I am confident I will be hearing success stories from my new friends throughout the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, the Philippines, and France, because I have never met such determined, value-driven individuals, and I know they will not stop until their goals are achieved.

Lindsey PamlanyeManhattan College

New York City, New York

This experience was amazing. The opportunity to share with people from different countries, meaning different languages, thoughts, cultures and behaviors, showed me how big and special the world truly is. Besides all of the things I learned intellectually, the conference let me open my mind on a personal level to new things. I learned about the world’s problems and that by doing little things, we can change it step by step, Being Lasallian means that we should always give the best of ourselves to make a difference.

Andres CruzUniversidad de La Salle

Bogota, Colombia

reflections

My immediate thought when I look back on the two weeks is that the Lasallian Leadership Conference was one of the best experiences of my live so far. It definitely made me a better person, especially because of all the lectures and lessons from our teachers, but forming relationships with all of the students helped, too. Meeting people from other countries, from other cultures and places, is definitely one of the best things that this giant world can provide to its citizens.

The big lesson that I learned at the conference is to be open minded about everything. I need to get out of my comfort zone, because that is where real life starts, where the action is. It was my first time in a foreign place. Therefore, I was not too comfortable with the situation at first. However, on the other side of this coin, everything was new for me, so I found different things every day. I learned every day, and this is amazing. One thing that I could get in touch with that I hadn’t known before was how big La Salle institutions are. Without a doubt, the global understanding aspect of the conference makes people from Lasallian institutions all over the world know one other better, and this contact really expresses the Lasallian mission.

Lucas Nogueira Valle dos SantosUnilasalle

Niteroi, Brazil

Globalization can have negative effects like pollution, poverty, and war. These things have affected people from all over the world. But getting to know people from all over the world and creating relationships with these individuals throughout this conference has allowed me to see the importance of globalization. With a strive fueled by our common Lasallian principles, faith, inclusive community, concern for the poor and social justice, quality education, and respect for all persons, I have begun to see that globalization assists in the fight surrounding the struggles that people around the world face. This conference serves as a stepping stone for Lasallian leaders to bring to life projects that have the potential to impact the entire global community.

Mitchell WoodrowSt. Mary’s College of California

Moraga, California

I could never imagine what the conference would be. This summer program, these 15 days, and these people definitely changed my life and my way of understanding and perceiving the world as a leader, as a person, and as a Lasallian. It was very interesting to live in the Lasallian spirit and see how it crosses from the Philippines to Hawaii or from Chihuahua, Mexico to France. I loved seeing that all of us move in relation to the Lasallian vision and that according to that vision, we have the power to change the world.

Daniela MontanoUniversidad La SalleMexico City, Mexico