WYN aCROSS-Cultures

On any given day when walking into the WYN offices there is a sense of excitement and energy.  There is an electric pull into this world of fresh ideas and youth buzzing with enthusiasm for the next adventure.  But on this particular day there was something new and intangible. The building was alive with curiosity and inquisitive minds from all ages.

On this magical day, upon walking in the WYN gym you would have seen organized chaos made up of a group of youth and a group of adults from all ages, and from numerous cultures and races encouraging one another to achieve the same goal.  This exact goal was simply to work together. 

In a matter of minutes these two groups of diverse people whom had never meet one another in their entire lives came together and collaborated to work through different team building activities.  At the end of their single hour together, they had achieved so much more than simply learning each other’s names or putting pieces of plastic together to build a track for a ball; they had broken down barriers and cultural misunderstandings.

Our guests on this day particular day were the Mandela-Washington Fellows who represented 19 different African countries and were in the U.S for their achievements within their own home country.  They came to WYN because many of their programs had a huge youth focus and they wanted to learn from us.  But unexpectedly, the WYN kids learned more from them.  

Our youth were able to erase judgments that they had acquired over many of never being exposed to other cultures.  They learned that no matter where you’re from or the color of your skin we are all the same at heart and everyone just wants to the opportunity to play games and have fun. 

When the fellows left that day, the kids lined up outside in order to wave goodbye and make a plea for their return.  Their conversations for the remaining time revolved around “how cool,” the fellows were and how they wished they could see them again.  It’s truly amazing how life-changing one encounter can be, and how it can shape your outlook for years to come.