Learning How To Make A Difference

Learning How To Make A Difference

  If you had a second chance to visit the United States without knowing that it will be a totally different experience; to what extent can you expect things to be different? After staying in New Hampshire in the one of the least populous state for one month with a host mum who loved cooking vegetables; the most memorable part for me was the forest-lined lakes where we used to do kayaking.

  How can you compare that to experiencing student life in a metropolitan city? Cyprus Youth Summer Institute offered me the chance to witness a different side of the United States with my other 11 Cypriot friends. We stayed at Mount Vernon Campus in the George Washington University and travelled to Foggy Bottom Campus with a shuttle bus for our morning sessions of social entrepreneurship and leadership taught by Dr.Stuart Levy.  Moreover, we visited renowned monuments, memorials and the museums as well as the Department of State. Watching the Nationals baseball game was one of the other highlights.

  The program lasted only 10 days yet it was enough to improve our visions, learn about how to create our own social venture and to believe in ourselves. The most lasting takeaway I have learnt was that the way how we see life is important; we have the power to make a change in the world even our idea may seem worthless to the others in the beginning. Visiting the two Incubators 1776 and Halcyon where social entrepreneurs are equipped with the support and equipment they need hence are given chance to transform their ideas into reality proved being an innovator starts within us.

  One of the other major contributions was acknowledging the importance of teamwork both by SUMMIT and our presentation works. The program not only brought the two Cypriot communities together but also led us working together for an aim and proved how much us - the teens have hope for reconciliation. During the ropes course we memorized the value of listening to each other’s ideas and supporting each other which helped us to proceed quicker to complete the goals. For the final presentation about our social venture we were divided into groups of 4. Fortunately, my team was insightful, knew how to entertain at the same time collaborate to finish the task. In the end, I believe each one of us did a great job.

  I am glad that I had this opportunity and hope we can contribute to making a chance in the world one day.

Irem Akyel