youth council training

06.09.2011

A whole year has gone by since the very first members took up their role in the dance4life youth council. The year has been a great one, with youth council members advising dance4life on many aspects of the dance4life concept. With the first year coming to an end, it was now time for the youth council to welcome 15 new members, and to say goodbye, and thank you, to the departing members.

The new youth council members kicked off their year with a training week that took place near Gloucester, in the UK, from July 30th to August 5th. The training was run by Lucca Leadership. Representatives from 8 countries participated: Barbados, Serbia, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, USA, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal.

The general purpose of the training was to strengthen leadership skills for international youth council members, as well as have a face to face meeting about their role within dance4life. The training included fun, dynamic presentations, followed by exercises and coaching and reflection.

Although it was an amazing week, the main challenge was attendance: Several youth council members sadly got their visas denied to the UK, (Indonesia, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda). The UK and Netherlands were unable to attend due to previous commitments, and in the case of India, the process of getting a passport is so incredibly long that the youth council member just wasn't able to leave the country on time…

It was great to see how well prepared and competent the new youth council members are - more than qualified to fulfil their role of advising us, representing us, increasing youth participation at international level, and making the movement visible.

We will keep you updated about their activities during the year - so keep an eye out!