Common Ground
November 16, 2009
Oliver from Hungary tells his Global Workshop how he views the election of Obama. During the Salsa dance elective, Rocio and Vicky from Brooklyn teach new moves to their friends.
Every summer in Virginia, at Legacy International’s 80 acre campus with beautiful trees, streams, and cabins, you find young people making friends and finding common ground.
A young man from Baghdad talks about some of the challanges he feels face his country while Liam from Massachusetts listens. Jason, a staff member and former college football player, teaches a group of US and internationals American football. The Green Your World workshop plants a fast growing vegetable in the garden and learns how this plant is grown in the mountains in Indonesia. Amanda the counselor maintains her crown as Queen of Ping Pong despite some heavy competition. Experience it all at GYV. Legacy International has been showing youth they can be global citizens for the past 30 years. Check out the Program Choices.
Mohamed Eid P’87 Publishes Book
November 12, 2009
Nationality: Egyptian
GYV Participant : 1987
Education: PhD in Sustainable Development & Project Management, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland UK (1999-2004)
Most Interesting Countries Visited: Scotland, France and the US
Favorite GYV Memory: I have so many unforgettable memories at the GYV, it has been 22 years since I was there, yet the memories are so vivid in my mind and I owe a lot of my personality to what I experienced there and then. I left and took away with me my memories of learning sign language and singing with it, I took with me the memories of when I was selected as one of the team to run the camp for a day, driving the golf cart for the first time in my life. I took with me the memories of the nights at the Bubble Theatre, the workshops and the team building exercises. I took with me the memories of great friends and wonderful mentors.
Biography: After my PhD in 2004 from Edinburgh University, I went back to Cairo and started my teaching for undergraduates and postgraduates, I was only 30 yrs old and in some case had students who were older than me. The experience was wonderful, the challenge in undergraduate teaching is very different than the one for postgraduate, I cherished both experiences and I love my students. I just attended in October 2009, the graduation of the first class of my students who I taught back in 2006, it was wonderfully rewarding.
I also worked as an independent consultant for sustainable development for several international organizations, the field work is also very rewarding and meeting the people in need makes all worthwhile. Feeling that I am contributing to positive change is a feeling that cannot be compared to anything else.
I have now moved to the US and aiming to join international organizations as a full timer such as World Bank or the UN. I have just published my PhD thesis in a book entitled “ Sustainable Development (SD) & Project Management (PM); Rethinking relationships in the construction industry, integrating SD into PM processes”, it can be accessed online on through Amazon , click the following link
or
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=978-3-8383-1578-2&x=0&y=0
For all my friends of 1987 Alumni, please get in touch and send me pics and your memories at my email Mohamed Eid
It Takes A Village… (aka – General Staff Duties)
November 11, 2009
It takes the whole staff team, working cooperatively, to make the Global Youth Village a success. Many tasks have to be taken care of each day to make the program run safely & smoothly.
General, All-Staff Duties & Responsibilities
In addition to your primary job role, all staff participate in the following:
Meal‑cleanup: Each staff member is assigned to do meal clean-up once a day, with some exceptions for select staff who have schedule conflicts.
Program Support Functions: During staff training and throughout the session, administrative, program, and counseling staff (and some support staff) may be assigned to fulfill various duties:
- Helping design and deliver select evening all-Village events
- Setting-up or striking set for evening programs
- Moving equipment and supplies, setting up for picnics, campfires, special festivals, etc.
- Trips off campus to public transportation terminals or church services
- Helping create back drops of posters for special events
- Assisting kitchen, housekeeping or maintenance staff
- Being part of staff team that goes to Washington, D.C. for international arrivals and departures.
In-between sessions or at the close of the season:
- Evaluating programs and procedures
- Cleaning cabins and work areas, preparing equipment and supplies for storage
- Completing inventory reports, summaries, etc.
A Day in the Life of a GYV Staff Person
November 11, 2009
GYV is a cross-cultural experience. Like other such experiences, it is intensive, rewarding and dynamic.
As staff, we guide participants through their initial adjustment, group building, individual goal setting, skill building, and reflection.
Our personal touch, as well as all the activities we design and deliver builds among the young people (and staff) a deep sense of community. Individuals leave with new perspectives, inspiration, and confidence.
For staff there is a constant cycle of planning and delivering. Your days are full and you will discover different levels of service and multitasking. View the Youth Schedule for an idea of the flow. (More details will be provided if you are selected for an interview.)
Community Guidelines (Legacy Honor Code)
November 11, 2009
As a close-knit team, we work to strengthen the Global Youth Village community and to realize the uniqueness of each individual. Our guidelines are few, but they are necessary to reach our goals.
The Legacy Honor Code was written jointly by past participants and staff, and provides the guidelines by which we can create a model cooperative community and broaden the experience of every member of our “global village.” Each participant and staff is expected to:
- Be open to new ideas and willing to listen
- Respect other people’s point of view, cultural difference and music
- Participate fully in all activities
- Resolve conflict through communication
- Engage in non-exclusive, open relationships which avoid cliques and pairs
- Accept a diet free of meat and sugar for a period of time
- Abstain from tobacco, alcohol & illegal drugs
Please do not apply if you feel you cannot abide by this code. More details about staff policies will be provided to those selected for interviews.
Facilities & Village Cuisine
November 9, 2009
The Global Youth Village is located in the southwestern part of Virginia, a four to five hour drive southwest of Washington, D.C. It is situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, on a beautiful 80-acre wooded site with a stream, soccer field, basketball court, classroom buildings, pool, outdoor stage, gardens, art studios, computer lab, staff lounge, a health center and a dining facility.
Accommodations for counseling staff are in cabins with youth. Other staff are housed in similar cabins, but with adult staff only. (Housing for couples or families is very limited. Please inquire as to availability prior to applying, if this is a need for you. ) Centralized bathhouses serve each cluster of cabins. Select program areas are air-conditioned. Sleeping areas are not.
The Global Youth Village serves a delicious vegetarian (ovo-lacto) diet with dishes representing various international cuisines. Special dietary needs can usually be met. Poultry or fish entrees are served on rare occasions.