Guest Column: Summit shined light on different cultures
When I first heard about the Sister Cities International Youth Leadership Summit, I was interested in the opportunity to learn more about international relations. I have been interested in a career in foreign relations and the United Nations, and this experience furthered my desire to pursue this path.
We participated in a diplomatic simulation where we came to a compromise regarding a fictional situation, in which a country was violating the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. We were first given a brief lesson on the history of nuclear nonproliferation before being divided into groups for the simulation. We each represented different stakeholders in the situation and discussed possible solutions to come to an agreement. One of the most interesting parts of the simulation was being able to find a compromise when working with people from different countries. Seven of the people in our group were from Russia and learning how to communicate through a translator to work through the language barrier made it seem more realistic.
Throughout the week, I was able to connect with students from across the country and the world. I enjoyed learning about different cultures and seeing stereotypes being broken. One girl in my room was from Italy. She described how being here caused her to change her perception of Americans. I was also able to see people break down stereotypes they typically held regarding people from different areas of our country. I was able to learn more about different cultures from within the U.S.
It was also interesting to learn about the cultures of other countries where students had done exchanges. I talked with students who had traveled to Japan, Germany and China, and they described their experiences with the language barrier and shared about those cultures. It also inspired me to help further establish the Sister Cities program within La Cañada so students from our city would be able to travel to other countries to have similar experiences.
The summit also allowed me to further learn about leadership in politics. After the classes we attended on Saturday, I was able to talk with some of the speakers who inspired us. I learned more about how to be involved with diplomacy and how to succeed as a woman in a male-dominated field. Overall, I am grateful that I was able to go to Washington, D.C., and learn from this amazing experience.
NAOMI STEPHEN attends La Cañada High School.