Other Programs

Follow Up Day 1:

A day at Genesee Valley Park where we highlighted the importance of connecting with and serving nature. Activities included a nature hunt, where we found objects in the environment that represented virtues of a leader, such as peacefulness and hope; a discussion with Kit Miller of the Gandhi Institute about coping with grief and using it as inspiration in leadership; making and decorating bird feeders to serve the animals; and the Web of Life, which showed how interconnected all parts of our environment are.

Follow Up Day 2: 

A day at the University of Rochester where students discussed ways to connect with each other and create a united community. Activities included a collaborative art project that explored the process of achieving consensus, sharing and teaching music from the students' cultures, and a project to create a flag representing unity. 

College Fair

A day at the University of Rochester where students discussed plans for the future, explored the campus and learned more about options for higher education, and wrote parting messages to each other. 

Student Reflections

Throughout the program, students kept journals on their reflections. Here are a few excerpts from the journals:

On our activities about communication: "I think the communication skills I learned today are important for leaders because leaders should understand someone's situation first before giving advice."

On empathy: "The skills I learned today will help me to understand someone's feelings and needs." 

On an art project about the values of a leader; this student's value was Communication: "I drew a microphone, people, flowers, cell phone, and the sun, because I think they are all connected with communication...A leader needs to learn how to communicate with different people, including those who we don't know." 

On our introductory activities: "I learned how to agree on something together." I loved how people expressed themselves by drawing. I love their art and how friendly they can be. I love coming here."

On our conflict transformation activities: "I learned that if we have a problem, we should ask ourselves: 'Are we going to blame ourselves because of what happened? Are we going to blame others? Connect to ourselves? Connect to others?'"

More on communication: "It is important to listen to what others say, and you need to focus on others when they talk."

Other reflections: 
"It feels good to be loved."
"I made a new friend today."
"I had a lot of fun singing today."