University of Guyana (UG) students Ryan Hoppie and Onika Stellingburg were selected this month to represent the University of Guyana at the annual One World Youth Project Summer Training Conference in Boge Village, Kosovo.
The training, an international leadership conference, brought together 12 distinguished university student leaders from Guyana as well as the U.S., Turkey, Kosovo and Pakistan, said a news release from the One World Youth Project (OWYP), an international non-profit organization.
The purpose of the conference was to prepare the student fellows from around the world to lead and manage the OWYP education project in their own communities, implementing a 21st century education curriculum in surrounding middle schools and building a global mindset among local youth.
Through experimental learning activities at the conference, fellows have developed skills in project management, organization, team building, conflict resolution, facilitation, professionalism, decision-making and leadership.
The universities represented at the conference were University of Guyana, Boston University (Boston, USA), Georgetown University (Washington, D.C., USA), National University of Sciences and Technology (Islamabad, Pakistan), University of Prishtina (Prishtina, Kosovo) and Istanbul Bilgi University (Istanbul, Turkey).
“This is the first time that something of this nature, a programme that directly empowers Guyanese youth through education, is being implemented in Guyana,” said Hoppie. “I’m very, very excited to be a part of it.”
And Stellingburg added, “Although I’ve been to many workshops before, this was a hands-on conference with a specific aim in facilitating cultural communication and education among youth.” She continued: “It has given me a chance as a leader to improve my skills – even after I leave the conference these are skills that I still can use and will use to bring about positive change in my community.”
