Дрозд Настя в минулому навчальному році стала фіналісткою FLEX і в цьому році навчається у Сполучених Штатах Америки та живе в американській сім'ї.

Это сочинение рассказывает о конференции "Better Understanding For the Better World" (BUBW), которую студенты могут посетить, став финалистами программы FLEX. В сочинении выражено сугубо мое мнение и взгляд на то что происходило, т.к. я номинирована с этим сочинением на публикацию в одном из журналов моей принимающей организации, которая сообщает о разных мероприятиях в рамках программы FLEX.

Надеюсь, вам будет интересно почитать о моем опыте! :)

BUBW changed me; now I can change the world

The better understanding we have ­ the better our world is. Peace throughout this huge planet is one of my cherished wishes and dreams that I'm constantly thinking about. Dreams, I want to turn into substantiality. Some people might say: "How can you, a 16­years­old girl think of turning this dream into reality, while people are fighting and suffering from misconceptions in different countries, and even important, reputable leaders are incapable of solving these conflicts?". Undoubtedly, people, you are right. It needs more effort, society united by the one will and spirit, people who are willing to help you out. But someone has to start it. "Better Understanding for a Better World" conference (BUBW), which took place in Orlando, Florida Feb. 11­15, 2015 made me believe that this "someone" could possibly be I. It could possibly be you.

To begin with, this school year, I got a lifetime opportunity to study as an exchange student of the "Future Leaders Exchange Program" (FLEX) in the United States and become the part of American, new culture. My exchange experience has been going very well : I've been enjoying learning English and improving my speaking skills, spending time with my great and active host family, celebrating American holidays, getting to know my new friends, exploring my host town and state, and just enjoying the feeling of some kind of independence. Moreover, I wanted to share the traditions, beliefs, customs and history of my native country ­ Ukraine, and encourage my host community to be interested in going ons of on the other side of the world, by giving little presentations, telling different stories, having discussions. One of the best experiences I've had was presenting my country to my host family and relatives on the day of the first Thanksgiving in my life. My "host audience" truly enjoyed my job, creating a comfortable atmosphere for me to share my country's cultural heritage. The feedback inspired me so much, that I sent the video recording of our "Ukrainian night with host parents" to be nominated in participation of the International Education Week's contest. One day, in about two months after I sent it, I found out that I fortunately got selected to attend BUBW conference in Disneyland, offered by the President of Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (CECF) Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat and sponsored by the Department of State.

One of the main goals of this program is: "To expose students to the beauty of diverse faith practices a in pluralistic society with emphasis on respect, common values and our shared humanity". BUBW was designed in order to cultivate leadership skills in student from all over the world to: "discuss the dangers and solutions for discrimination, radicalism, ethnic nationalism and religious extremism, which have historically been recipes for war and conflict for many civilizations". The conference was attended by

about 45 students from countries like Azerbaijan, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine,Pakistan, and many more. One of the youth issues nowadays is misunderstanding and ignorance towards someone "different" from them, caused by stereotypes or the lack of the interest. Undoubtedly, the program broke down all of the "myths" for me, and made me look at this world from a different perspective, other than my own. After I visited three houses of worship: synagogue, mosque and the Methodist church, I had this thought that popped up in my mind: "Gosh, it is so important to believe in something stronger than you, moreover, have an everlasting hope that leads you towards the achievements. And everyone, every single one of us, has his personal hope, his personal way of believing. Judging people for what they believe in is like taking away the little part of someone's soul. You might disagree, but respect and be tolerant". The conference gave me and all of the students an opportunity to discuss multicultural diversity, leadership development, and global citizenry, we could ASK and EXPERIENCE which are the most helpful, important ways of learning. I made friends and memories I will keep in my heart forever, and I hope to see everyone I met at some point in my life, because every single word they said was carved in my mind, developing a new person inside of me.The spirit of the conference was really friendly and inspired all of us to be the part of each other. We are all different, but we are all equal. Essentially, we've got the chance to engage in several cultural competency exercises, through presenting our countries, cultures, faith, traditions and sharing our knowledge. Personally, this even had a huge impact on me, I realized that if I ever have an opportunity to visit every country in the world, to learn the history of various civilizations, learn some basic language skills ­ I will definitely do so. What some people view as "weird" or "out of order" might be the most interesting thing for me, because my mind is open to explore the "diversity experience". As young leaders of our own future, we all have a responsibility to share aspirations and find their role in contributing to world change, to have the world provided with mutual understanding and appreciation.

For me, talking about the ways of changing the world is not just a heartwarming discussion in the evening, with a cup of hot green tea that calms you down after a busy day and helps you to fall asleep. It is directly opposite. It is what wouldn't let me sleep.

I left my hometown, picturesque and full of history ­ Zaporizhzhya City, located in the east of my heartland ­ Ukraine. I left full of excitement, ready to spread my wings and fly towards the new experiences. But I left something behind at the time of danger. I'm worrying about my family and friends. According to current news, the cold war in Ukraine, the fightings are still going, expanding their territories and my heart nervously trembles every time I make it through the watching news reports and reading newspaper articles. In my opinion, it wouldn't happen if people were able to listen and respect each other, be tolerant and put MORAL l in their actions, kindness in their hearts, open their minds to let the acceptance of differences between people, their thoughts, beliefs, come through. I didn't know how to start, how to make the world, but to begin with, my country a better place to live, like in a friendly little neighborhood. I'm still not quite sure, and as for me, it could might take weeks, months, years, decades to figure what changes I as a global citizen can make. Attending BUBW conference, made me believe in my strengths, made me close to people who share their ideas, made me a part of an international family. But I know what direction I should lead, not follow.

Вот немного фотографий:

Exchange students attending the Epcot in Orlando, Florida

A visit to the Methodist church. Jonathan (exchange student from Germany), Houssam (exchange student from Morocco) and me had a great honour to present the certificate of appreciation to the preacher of this church.

Had a wonderful opportunity to perform Ukrainian national dance at the final banquet!

Educating students from about 22 different countries was really interesting, and made me look at my heartland from the different perspective.

Receiving a certificate from the President of Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (CECF) Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat.

Exchange students from Ukraine, who got an opportunity to visit BUBW in Orlando this year

We all became a huge international family, we hope to stay in touch and visit each others countries, spreading BUBW ideas in people's hearts throughout the world.