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.
