GYC Facilitator: Lexie Huculak
Stepping out of your comfort zone is never easy, but it is especially difficult when you’re in a foreign country that doesn’t speak your language and you don’t speak theirs.
This year’s GYC facilitators come from many different countries including Singapore, Taiwan, Colombia, Australia and Hong Kong. So it is an understatement when we say that facilitating a conference located in Japan, but presented in English - which for most of our facilitators is not their native language - is stepping out of their comfort zone.
With the goal of creating a network of like-minded global citizens keen on contributing to creating positive social change in their communities, it’s fair to say the GYC is just as challenging and rewarding for its participants as it is for its facilitators.
Aside from the difficulties that can arise from working and living in a new culture, the fact that the GYC facilitators are interns and young people themselves makes the quality of the content produced each year all the more impressive.
Behind the scenes, the facilitators must work in teams to research their designated topic and design a 120 minute workshop to present to the GYC participants.
On first glance, 120 minutes sounds like a long time, but as the facilitators have quickly realised, it’s no easy feat considering the complexities of the four topics – Gender Equality, Cultural Stereotypes and Racism, Fake News, and Climate Change.
Lexie Huculak, 25, is a YMCA Victoria volunteer from Australia and a 2017 GYC facilitator. She has a Bachelor of Youth Work and has just completed her Masters of Teaching. But despite her experience, the GYC has presented new and unexpected challenges that she is thriving off.
“We are all striving for the perfect workshop and with time creeping up fast, the heat is on!” says Lexie.
Lexie is co-facilitating the Gender Equality workshop, a topic she is personally very passionate about.
“I could spend the entire conference (and more) facilitating workshops on this topic, but we have limited time… Finding creative ways to present complex information in simple English to enable the young people to make their own informed decisions is the greatest challenge.”
Lexie explains that the three facilitators working on the Gender Equality workshop all come from different cultural backgrounds with different opinions, so it is their hope that participants will gain new perspectives – just as they have each done through this process.
Like the facilitators, participants of the GYC come from around the world, bringing with them different languages, cultures and experiences. While Japanese culture is very insular and doesn’t necessarily place much value on globalisation, the GYC hopes to open participants’ minds to new perspectives and learn about the importance and opportunities globalisation presents.
“Global citizenship is as important as it is undeniable!” says Lexie.
“We live in a world where everything is connected, where global information is instant and living within your own bubble is not really acceptable anymore. It is important that young people realise their potential to change the way people interact globally, and the impact their small actions can have.”
Lexie hopes the GYC workshops inspire participants to support what they believe in when they return to home.
“If the young people leave feeling motivated to create positive social change in their communities then we know we have succeeded.”
The GYC will be held on 7-11 August, 2017.