Harun (third from left) with new friends at GYV

Name: Harun All Rosid Sahrun

Nationality: Indonesian

Years as a GYV Participant: 2006

Education: Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta,  Indonesia

Recent/Current Education: Instructor/ Student in the Dept.Of Computer Science

Most Interest Country Visited: USA

Favorite GYV Memories:

- presenting Indonesian Culture & Tradition on the GYV stage with friends from around the world
- World Interfaith Dialogue with Mr. Rash (founder)
- Afternoon Electives,Composing haiku, learning poetry
- Sport tournaments!

Volunteer/Civic Engagement Activities:

I train trainers who work with the disabled. We work with people that have cerebral palsy, and many other types of handicaps. It is hard but rewarding work.

Interest Biography to share:

Well,  I was born and raised in Mataram, Indonesia and was here my whole life before I came to the U.S./GYV on a State Department grant.  I learned a lot of really good values at GYV; I became more open-minded and tolerant as a result of participating in the program.  I started paying more attention to problems in my hometown and looked for ways I could help. It was truly a life-changing experience.

Global Youth Village (GYV) offers a unique summer camp for kids age 14-18 that enables young people the opportunity to learn how to become develop themselves through courageous action, personal example and selfless leadership.  At GYV, we believe a balanced  whole person is key to a successful future,  so your days are filled with provoking discussions, creative thought work, skillful action planning, fun physical recreation and innovative arts.

We  want you to win a free week of camp this season.

And it’s super-easy to enter. Just fill out the form below for one entry. We’ll announce a winner by May 27th.

GYV is a micro-model of the world community filled with the music, laughter, food, arts, and aspirations of our one diverse humanity. Young people not only learn the languages and dialects of our diverse world, but new languages like ‘Change’, ‘Future’, and ‘Tolerance’.  The language that forms the basis of all our interactions at GYV is ‘Respect’.   At GYV, participants are immersed new cultures, taste fresh new foods, speak new languages, uncover their real selves, and discover that they become the change.

Our international summer camp is operated by Legacy International.    Since1979, participants from around the world have been coming together on our beautiful 50- acre campus in Bedford, Virginia.

Nationality: American

Years as a GYV Participant: ’84-’87, ’89-’90

Education: Oberlin College (BA French and Economics), MIT (MBA)

Current Occupation: Executive Director of Diaper Free Baby

Most Interesting Country (s) Visited: Argentina, Brazil

Favorite Memories: It’s hard to pinpoint one memory, but I remember playing the violin with Nguyenvu, playing soccer on the field barefoot in the evening, singing songs, finding peace in the clay Friendship Hut, acting and singing with Charles Williams, and spending a whole day blindfolded to try to understand what it was like to be

blind. I remember the bucket brigade up the big hill when we had no electricity. But one of my favorite multi-sensory experiences was picking green beans in the garden after breakfast. When my kids and I pick vegetables from our garden or our CSA garden, I remember those mornings when the sun was shining, the ground was damp, and the smell of the fresh soil and fresh vegetables surrounded us!

Volunteer/Civic Engagement: Promoting Elimination Communication with babies

Interesting Biographical Information: After graduating High School I went to Oberlin College, where I studied French and Economics, and continued dancing (I have done modern dance since I was 3). I met my husband there, and we lived in Cleveland for a few years after college. He became an attorney and I had several jobs in economics and business management. We then moved to Boston, where I got my MBA at MIT and worked in e-business and strategy.

After having my first child, I discovered that babies did not have to wear diapers (something many Legacy alum probably know but most Americans did not know) and along with a friend founded the organization DiaperFreeBaby. The mission of the organization is to inform and teach parents and caregivers that babies do not need to be diapered and are capable of using a potty / toilet from infancy!

For 9 years we have been helping people learn how to communicate with their infants and babies (and toddlers even ) about their elimination needs so that they may be free from dependence on diapers, even in a materialistic

society! It has been a joy to work with so many families and to discover how amazing babies really are, and how even though they can not talk they truly can communicate and know more about their own selves and bodies than adults realize.

Besides helping families learn about freedom from diapers, I love being a mom to three wonderful kids. Even though I am not a native speaker, I speak only French to my children, who are all bilingual. I love to cook, to do activities with my children (music, hiking, playing outdoors, helping at our local CSA farm) and explore New England. I still dance (and I am in a modern dance company in Boston) and for the last few years I have been training with kettlebells, which are great for strength building and are so much fun!

I am always fascinated to see how different experiences in my life bring back memories from Legacy, whether it is the smell of damp soil in the garden, a song my kids learn to sing in a music class, or countries I learn about or visit that remind me of a fellow participant or something we celebrated at Legacy.

Melinda with her husband Andrew

At Global Youth Village in 2013, we anticipate to once again have a diverse group of young people attending our international summer camp. Youth will be coming from all over the U.S. (California, New York,  Montana Maryland, Utah etc) as well as Russia, Iraq, Tunisia, Spain, etc. As we celebrate our diversity, we strive to come together to realize our shared similarities and values.

In many cases, there can be a great deal of diversity within a single country. This is very true of countries like Iraq. This year, unlike previous years, our Iraqi participants will be coming from all 18 provinces in Iraq! As many know, the north of Iraq differs greatly from the south of  the country  in many ways-ethnicity, culture, topography etc.

As Iraq works to rebuild itself after years of war, it’s important the young Iraqis who attend the Global Youth Village come all areas  in Iraq; it is helpful for young Iraqis to appreciate the different ideas and perspectives that exist within their own country. In a nation that always seems to perch on the brink of civil war, youth who are aware, united and appreciative of the diversity within their own country can only be an asset.

In recent years, GYV has offered a Green Your World workshop which gets teens of the classroom and into the natural world. Participants will enjoy nature hikes, work on stream monitoring projects, learn to identify  birds and plants  and enjoy harvesting vegetables form our organic garden.  For the past two summers, youth have also had the opportunity to build models of eco-friendly homes and make pizza using a solar oven! Hands-on projects make the program dynamic. Energy  and energy conservation have been  important discussion topics.

Participants begin to realize that small actions like turning the tap off when you are brushing your teeth and turning off lights you are not using can make a big difference. Eco-showers are the norm at GYV, stressing the importance of water conservation.  Participants begin to realize the interconnectedness of everything. For example, the toxic fertilizers that are used on lawns or on farms ends up polluting our ground drinking water and killing fish in rivers and streams when it washes off the soil during a heavy rain.  So, when wasteful and irresponsible behaviors, attitudes and habits shift to become positive ones, every day becomes Earth Day.

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE!

The Hoorah Cloggers are an Appalachian dance group that have performed at Global Youth Village for over 20 years. They introduce GYV participants to traditional bluegrass music and teach a type of folk dance called clogging. 

Visit their site for more info.

 

 

Watch Robert perform at GYV with World Beat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yys4pMyzd68

Performances are partially supported by the following:

Nationality: Nigerian

Years in GYV as a Participant: 1992

Education: MBBS, PGDM, MPH-FE (in progress)

Recent Current Occupation: Medical Doctor

Most Interesting Country(s) Visited: USA, Jordan, Egypt and UK

Favorite GYV Memory: A great memory is camping out with my YES (Youth for Environment and Service) in a park. We hiked for miles and ended up at a waterfall.  The memory still makes me smile. Making friends with a global community was another highlight. It was enlightening to find people with very similar interests and hobbies. Everybody back in Nigeria thought I was too active but I returned home knowing I was normal and just in the wrong geographical location!

Volunteer/Civic Engagement Activities: Outreach programs, health talks and art classes

Interesting Biography Info to Share: I became a medical doctor instead of a lawyer (always thought I would be defending people in court). My field of practice is reproductive health but I am now undertaking a masters program in field epidemiology and international public health with the CDC-NFELTP. It involves traveling to remote villages and unreached nomadic populations. We provide vaccines and medical care. I served as a member of my country’s medical team on 2 occasions during the annual Hajj pilgrimage (2007 and 2010).  My work has been a real eye-opener; now I understand what it is to live with nothing and no hope of change and  it has made me constantly grateful. I compensate by traveling during my breaks. I will be in the USA in April at the Epidemic intelligence service conference in Atlanta with my country’s delegates. My mother Mrs. Hadiza Mailafiya is now my country’s Minister of Environment. I try to encourage green living and alternative energy sources too.

Tom Taylor has been the master gardener at GYV for the past 20 years. He often invites GYV youth to join him in the gardens for community service and is a featured guest speaker in the Green Your World Workshop offered in previous years.  Right now at GYV, we have lettuce, arugula, parsley, and green onions ready to eat.  If you’ve been trying to eat more organic foods both to decrease the amount of pesticides you and your family consume, and to help protect the environment from overloading with toxic chemicals, you know it can be expensive. Below are some tips on starting your own garden.   Luckily, there’s a way to grow your own delicious, fresh produce, while having fun and learning at the same time: organic gardening!

 Dreaming of Your Spring Garden

Step 1. Choose your location. A vegetable garden requires at least six hours of sun a day. As you consider locations around your home, don’t discount the sides and front of your property. If you live in a condominium or apartment, ask your management company if there is a place you might be able to start a garden if there isn’t already one. If not, you may be able to plant a garden on your patio or balcony, if you have one, or you could even simply put some herb planters in your kitchen window. You may also consider one of the new indoor hydroponic gardening systems available now.

Step 2. Test your soil. If you are going to use your native soil, be sure to get a soil test (skip to step 3 if you are going to bring in soil). Not only will that tell you exactly what nutrients may be missing so that you can amend accordingly, but it will let you know if the soil contains lead or any industrial toxins that you simply don’t want in your food. Contact your county’s agricultural extension service for help with this. Ask to have your results converted to organic recommendations if your extension service doesn’t already do this.

Step 3. Build your beds. Determine the size and shape of your garden and then build your planting beds (or you can purchase them pre-made). These can either be mounds of soil right on the ground or raised beds made out of untreated wood, cinder blocks, stone, coconuts, or whatever non-toxic material you have available or can afford to purchase. Having some sort of border will help prevent erosion during storms, help your soil warm up in the spring and fall, and enable adequate water drainage. If you are using pots, be sure they have drainage holes. You may need to drill them in ones you purchase.

4. Add and amend your soil. The ideal growing medium for plants and vegetables is what’s called loam, and it is a combination of soil; organic matter, such as compost; nutrients, including potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and trace minerals; and air. (If you have good, healthy, non-toxic soil, the earthworms this attracts will dig holes that give your soil air.) Follow your soil test results to create this perfect mixture, or consider buying a pre-mixed version. An easy-to-do pH test, which you can buy at a garden center, will let you know the pH level of your soil. Most veggies like the pH to be a little below 7. You can “sweeten” it with lime or “sour” it with gypsum or coffee grounds if you need to adjust it a bit.

(Tips provided by Darren Joffe. health.usnews.com)

In Iran

In harmony with the rebirth of nature, the two-week Persian New Year celebration, or Nowruz, always begins on the first day of spring.  On that day-which may occur on March 20, 21, or 22 - Nowruz celebrations include many traditions and wonderful foods.

Nowruz ceremonies consist of a series of symbolic actions dating back to ancient times, including:

• Cleaning of the environment, cleansing of the self, confession of sins, the exorcising of devils, or divs, from the house and the community.
• Forgive yourself and your enemies and a time for making up relationships.
• Dowsing and re-lighting the fires.
• Processions to borders, seas, and rivers.
• Disruption of the normal order of things with boisterous parties.

In Ethiopia

Enkutatash is the spring festival that is celebrated on September 11.  Enkutatash means the “GIFT OF JEWELS.” Legend has it that when the famous Queen of Sheba returned from her expensive jaunt to visit King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her back by replenishing her treasury with enku or jewels.

Ethopians have many unique celebrations to mark the arrival of spring/New Year. On the eve of enkutatash, many people light big bonfires made of twigs in their yards.  In the morning, the floors of houses are strewn with freshly cut tall grass (kaytema). Families will often attend church and then slaughter a sheep or a chicken for an evening feast. Later in the day, young girls donning new clothes, gather daisies and present friends with a bouquet, singing New Year’s songs. They often receive a small gift in return, usually either money or bread. Young boys paint pictures of saints to give away and also receive a small token in return.

 In Peru

The  international spring festival in the city of Trujilo, Peru takes place during early October.  Trujilo is known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’ due to its very pleasant year-round climate.  One of the main features of the Festival is the spectacular Spring Parade with music bands, dance groups and a colorful parade of floats, competing in beauty and originality. During this festivity, homes lining the streets of Trujillo are decorated for the passing of the parade of floats which is led by a beauty queen:  the Queen of Spring.

Read more about U.S. participants environmental activist projects  as well as the Environmental activist projects of Indonesian participants.

Read about Christo’s “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” project, a trash management program with separation bins plus workshops on how to make saleable products from recycled materials.

The Indonesia-US Youth Leadership Program (I-US-YLP) is a two-way exchange that focuses on community activism to address local and regional environmental issues in the U.S. and Indonesia. I-US-YLP and highlights young people as our future leaders and as valuable contributors to their communities.  The I-US-YLP initiative is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs and implemented in partnership with the Center for Civic Education Indonesia (CCEI).