URI Youth Ambassadors in Washington D.C!

10 April 2011
youth are training

I was fortunate to spend the first weekend in April, from the 1st to the 3rd, on my first URI interfaith adventure in Washington, D.C.! The experience was educational and inspiring, and I met fellow students who share a passion for peaceful dialogue between different cultures and religions. 

The weekend served as the training program for the Youth Ambassadors of the North America region, and was held on campus at American University. This means that, besides connecting with my fellow Ambassadors for the first time, I got to bond with brilliant AU students who are doing amazing work with their dialogue groups on campus. The weekend was packed with activities, and we never stopped moving, but it was worth it. With workshops, panel discussions, and movies on everything from leadership qualities and dialogue models to the legacy of Andalusia, Spain, I come back to Stanford's campus armed with all the tips and tricks of the trade!

I was also excited to finally meet Ajarat Bada, Hala Dasouqi, and 2010 Ambassador Peter Dziedzic. They have great ideas for their time as Youth Ambassadors, and Peter was able to offer advice from his own personal experiences. Thanks for the entertaining conversations, guys...let's see what we can do! 

Finally, a shout-out to Matthew, Anat, and Anas, for your time and effort in making this such a huge success!