In the future, we will all remember 2020. We’ve adjusted and adapted. We’ve prayed, mourned, scrubbed, and washed our hands again and again and again. Many of us purchased or sewed a few masks in the beginning and now have a fashionista’s variety of choices. For us at Gulf Coast Diplomacy, we will also remember 2020 as the year when we had the time to grow our Leadership Week with the Youth Diplomats and occasional Skype calls with youth in other countries to a full-blown virtual exchange we now call Camp Global.
When we think of summer, we think of summer camp. S’mores, learning new skills, and making new friends are the things we recall from our own camp experiences. We are pleased to say we incorporated all but the s’mores into Camp Global 2020 and have plans for s’more and more for Camp Global 2021.
Students from El Salvador, Honduras, Kosovo, Mexico, and various parts of the United States joined to learn about each other’s cultures and to explore topics of global importance through games, presentations, and facilitated discussions. Here’s what some of the attendees had to say:
I want to thank you for the astonishing two weeks we spent together making lots of memories and learning so many new things! I hope we can meet in other sessions in the future. I will miss you a lot!
It is hard to choose only one thing from all of the astonishing moments of this experience. I enjoyed every moment of it.
—Aulona from Kosovo
I learned [about] different cultures from different countries. I met new people, and I was able to listen to their ideas as well as to share mine.
—Carolina from Mexico
I wanted to thank you for giving us this opportunity to join the sessions! They were definitely my favorite part of this summer! It was an unforgettable experience that I will always treasure! I loved meeting every single person in that zoom, loved the program and the guest speakers. I loved that we were able to share our thoughts, views, perspectives on different topics and everyone was cooperating and giving constructive feedback! You also really inspired me of what a true leader is; you were able to get us out of our comfort zone, get us to be comfortable with one another and always tried to incorporate new activities to make this even more fun. You always were very considerate and truly listened to each of us, gave us a chance to show our culture, our traditions and a lot more!
—Era from Kosovo
This past week I joined the Gulf Coast Diplomacy Program. I learned so much about modern topics like climate change, human trafficking, Black Lives Matter, COVID and the Northern Triangle. I got to share my ideas and learn from others. I also liked hearing other people’s perspectives on world issues and problems. I loved meeting new people from around the world and learning about some of their traditions like Eid. I would love to do this program again; I really enjoyed it!
—Jordyn from the USA
Leadership week was an amazing opportunity to get to know the other Youth Diplomats better especially as I am new to the organization. I felt like I was really able to engage with many of the local participants as well as those from other nations and it has helped me become much more comfortable with speaking up in social situations and with my diplomacy skills. It is truly incredible to live in a city with access to such an amazing program and I am so grateful to have been invited to join.
Throughout leadership week, I had the opportunity to lead discussions as well as to witness my peers lead in order to learn from them. Both of these experiences, while quite different, are priceless and offered me practice in sharing my opinions in a formal environment as well as listening to and understanding the views of others. I loved meeting the [teens] from Mexico and Kosovo as well and I was shocked at how friendly and accepting they all were. In fact, many participants including myself were able to work together with incredible ease during our simulation which was simply heartwarming.
Leadership week was an unforgettable experience that I will forever be grateful for.
—Kendall from the USA
I really enjoyed Camp Global this past week. From the discussions on the Northern Triangle and racism to the diplomatic simulation, the activities were engaging and enjoyable. Also meeting people from other places around the world was a unique experience. I learned other people’s perspectives and thoughts on topic discussions such as climate change, and how they relate or differ from mine. All in all, Camp Global was a great experience and I would do it again.
—Lindsay from the USA
I really enjoyed how I met people from different parts of the world like Kosovo and El Salvador during Camp Global. We did really fun activities like Kahoot, learned a new dance, and looked at llamas as a group. I had a good time every day at the camp. Some of the topics like human trafficking and the purpose of the BLM movement were uncomfortable to discuss but I’m glad I got the chance to hear other people’s opinions and perspectives on it. Right now, I am in contact with everyone that participated in Camp Global and I can’t wait to join this camp next year.
—Max from the USA
This past week, being a part of the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Program was a wonderful experience. It was amazing to be able to interact and bond with kids from all around the world. One of my main takeaways from this program was being able to discuss many sensitive topics, such as BLM, Climate Change, Human Trafficking, Suicide, and many more, and we also related these topics to our personal lives. Another main takeaway was learning how other kids my age live in different countries along with comparing our shared experiences. I was able to learn what it was like to live in Mexico and Florida because they were able to share with me what living through a hurricane was like. I learned about Kosovo and the food, weather, and language spoken there. I also learned about the geography in Iceland, along with the many volcanoes and beautiful features there. All in all, the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Program will be an experience that I would love to be a part of again.
—Taylor from the USA
As a participant of Camp Global, I can say mouthfully [sic] that it was one of the best international-interaction experiences I’ve had! I enjoyed every bit of it as all the time there was something new to learn from each and every one!
We did a lot of fun, exciting and educational activities while socializing with each-other! Some people who at first were strangers, quickly became my friends and as time passed by, we got to know more about each-other as well as express ourselves more freely which created a very amiable and easy-going atmosphere!
Having to know people from different cultural backgrounds and have them share their stories about their tradition, culture, daily life, struggles they face, and how it is like to live in their country was startling, eye-opening, and immensely inspiring!
The mentors were also very friendly and they guided us through every step with patience and kindness and made sure we felt comfortable and were on track!
We created some great memories together, as well as learned a lot of lessons which are very helpful and useful! I am very glad and grateful I got to know these amazing people and have this unforgettable experience!
—Viola from Kosovo
