A Global Perspective On Global Leadership: High School Programs
The 4th annual Greenheart Global Leaders Conference kicks off this Sunday! Thirty-eight participants from 21 countries are packing their bags and gearing up to embark on a week of leadership development in Washington, D.C. Our initiatives encourage participants to turn their international experience into a mission-driven life and career. Want to know what it looks like to lead with purpose? Keep an eye on our blog and share in the thoughts of a few of our selected leaders!
Frederik Wilhelm
20 years old
Home Country: Germany
Placement: Racine, WI
J-1 High School Program 2013-2014
“A global leader is someone who understands that everyone in this world is the same, however through their cultural and social differences, they can come up with many more and more diverse ideas, opinions and possibilities than a single person could ever have thought of by himself. A global leader embraces these diverse opinions and understands to implement all the beneficial parts of these ideas, in order to form a new, better and more efficient outcome. In doing so, the global leader never discounts any of the opinions before thinking them through thoroughly. In addition to this inevitable mindset, the global leader brings about the necessary social skills to create a mutual understanding with his counterparts, is able to find a compromise that suits most contributors, all the while staying positive and resilient to criticism. He or she does not fend off criticism, but rather embraces it as a chance to better themselves. In addition, the global leader is of trustworthy and reliable nature, working diligently towards their goals
Through my exchange year in 2013/14 I have gotten in contact with many diverse people from all over the world. I have not only gotten to know Americans during my stay in Racine, Wisconsin, but also many teenagers from all over Europe, Asia, and even South America. I truly believe that this experience has helped me to learn about different cultures on the one hand, but also given me a deep understanding of how even though we all come from different parts of the world, we still face the same problems, feel the same feelings and are all, in fact, people of the world. I have attended several Greenheart Trips (Chicago, Hawaii, California) where I have met these people, to which I still have contact on a regular basis and many of which I have met after the exchange year. The Greenheart Trips have given us all the opportunity to volunteer in different parts of the U.S. and see how we can make a change in many different ways (old folk’s home, environmental fostering, suburb city planning).”
Gheorghe Taran
19 years old
Home Country: Moldova
Placement: Boise, ID
J-1 High School Program 2015-2016
Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX)
“A global leader is an individual who constantly takes responsibility for the actions made and words said, who solves issues to the benefit of the general public, not solely the rich and powerful elites. A leader is a top-notch group player, who is not necessarily the most informed or skilled, but who is wise enough to provoke movement at the optimal time and to keep the enthusiasm alive. S/he has the capacity to visualize the end result and identify the means for the group to get there in the most efficient manner. A global leader learns from the vast experience of the past, deciphers the quintessence of what’s truly important, and reshapes and adapts it to the needs of the present and the future.
On a similar note, the 21st-century leader is able to find strength and potential in the intricate systems of the globalized world and spot the be all and end all of what are called sustainable solutions. A global leader’s core values usually include trust, compassion, collaboration, acceptance, diversity, equity, and such.”