Sharing Memories to last a lifetime – the 2025 Junior Greenheart Global Leaders Conference in Chicago is a wrap!
Greenheart Celebrates another successful Jr. GGLC this past May!
Students at the White Sox Baseball Game!
Our journey begins in the afternoon on Wednesday, May 7th as six international high school exchange students leave their host communities and head to Chicago. Altynay from Kazakhstan, Elnara from Azerbaijan, Yasser from Tunisia, Vivek from Pakistan, Riskee from Thailand, and Diana from Turkmenistan met at the O’Hare airport for the very first time. Greenheart chaperones met the students at baggage claim- terminal 2, and off they went into the city.
The Junior Greenheart Global Leaders Conference brings together a select group of high school scholars from around the world who share a passion for community change and development. Since the scholars are high school exchange students, the application process asked what kind of leader they were in their host school, and how they had been able to grow through experiencing differences in cultural backgrounds and beliefs.
Diana from Turkmenistan wrote that “My exchange year has been a transformative year for me. It showed me that the world is open, if you are open to it.” She goes on to share that the Jr. GGLC gave her the opportunity to learn valuable leadership skills and create new friendships.
Waiting for the bus and navigating the city!
The Junior Greenheart Global Leaders Conference aims to explore global leadership through social and environmental service, cultural exchange, and international advocacy, and it is also meant to help empower the students to continue their path of community change and to educate people on world differences.
“Each student has their own experience and view about their exchange year; my experience can be said to have ‘opened my eyes’,” Altynay from Kazakhstan shared. She mentioned that coming to the United States was a bit shocking as she realized not a lot of people knew much about her home country. Instead of being disappointed throughout her exchange, she decided to teach people about where she is from. She realized while she was teaching about Kazakhstan, she got to learn about other communities and cultures as well.
Our 6 students and Greenheart Chaperone, Dan Freehling, inside the Chicago Ferris Wheel!
A major component of the Jr. GGLC is writing and presenting in an online forum with Greenheart staff. The presentation allowed the students to share their journey thus far and how cultural exchange makes– and will continue to make –a huge impact, not just on them, but on their host schools, host families, host communities, and their home communities as well.
All 6 students together after presenting in an all-staff Greenheart meeting.
Greenheart’s Event Manager, Dan Freehling stated that “each voice carries a unique accent, perspective, and personal story, yet together they form a chorus of growth, courage, and transformation. These students, who once arrived as strangers navigating a new language and culture, now speak with clarity and conviction.”
Riskee and Diana are making sandwiches at Catholic Charities.
Cultural exchange is more than the gift shops, the fast-food chains, and the movies and television shows. Cultural exchange is a purpose of unity. Riskee from Thailand shared, “The moment you dare to step beyond your comfort zone is the moment the world starts to open. Through cultural exchange, I didn’t just learn about others and share my culture. I discovered strength, purpose, and the courage to become more than I thought I could be.”
In addition to the famous Chicago pizza and hot dogs, the students learned about the Anti-Cruelty Society animal shelter, volunteered at Catholic Charities by making lunches for those in need, spent time at the Lincoln Park Zoo, read up on Chicago at the Chicago History Museum, and so much more.
Vivek and Riskee are learning how the Anti-Cruelty Society animal shelter catches, spays/neuters, and releases stray cats in Chicago.
And as the students leave in their own direction, Greenheart has faith that each one of them will continue to lead, share, develop, and be wonderful individuals and global citizens.
Learn more about the Junior Greenheart Global Leaders Conference.
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