How do people hear about the role of facilitator? Many of our facilitators heard about the GYC through their friends who were past participants, or through being a previous participant themselves.
In 2017, Rishi, 24, was a participant in the GYC, and this year, he’s come back to help train and mentor the facilitators.
“I had a lot of fun getting to know the facilitators last year, getting to see what gets them excited and what challenges them. I saw them make friends and bang their heads against the wall trying to make the workshops, and I thought ‘I kinda want to do that too’.”
As a facilitator trainer, Rishi’s role involves teaching the facilitators how to run the best workshops possible for the GYC. But Rishi is also learning many lessons from the facilitators.
“One thing I’ve learned is that it’s not just about conveying the information to people... It’s about asking the right questions so that they can provide different answers and generate these ideas themselves. I think that’s one of the most important things I’ve learned. If you ask the right questions, people will provide the right answers.”
At the GYC, the workshops are designed to create a supportive environment where participants can learn from different cultures, discuss the success and challenges of different ideas, and work together to find common understanding.
“I’m excited for all the conversations that happens in the workshops from the participants, but the conversations that happens outside of the workshops are magical. They’re amazing.”
“The nature of the conference is that it’s global, and so there’s many different cultures… I think one barrier will be trying to get people to kind of ‘check-out’ of their pre-conceived notions.”
Each year, participants travel from all over the world to attend the GYC. Despite our cultural differences, Rishi is impressed that young people all over the world still have the same goals.
“So many different young people from all over the world all thought, ‘you know what, I’m going to have a new experience’, and dedicated their summer to personal growth and serving others. Just that idea really excites me because something I feel the world could always need more of is just young people being engaged and involved in their communities and other communities.”
Working behind the scenes gives you a greater idea about just how important youth involvement is to the GYC. While the GYC is run for people aged 17-24, the facilitators and other interns are not much older. By doing this, every aspect of the GYC is emphasising and supporting youth empowerment.
“One thing that we try to communicate is the idea of youth voice. If you’re designing programs for young people, if young people don’t have any input, it doesn’t really feel genuine. It’s like you’re creating something for someone else.”
“I feel like the experience of being a young person - at least in America - is that a lot of things are designed for you. It’s really important to know that your future is mostly in your grasp, and that if there are things that you don’t like, you have that power to change it. It can feel at times that you’re really powerless, I’m just one person, but I think that experiences like the Global Youth Conference, and knowing that your voice is being heard by so many people, gives you that confidence and ability to do the same thing outside of GYC, and in your local community.”
So what does Rishi aim to achieve at the GYC?
“I want to help a group of people grow and work together… and maybe even inspire those young people to bring their understanding back to their communities. I think the best way to phrase it is kind of the motto of GYC: think globally, act locally.”
The GYC is running from the 6th - 10th of August.