VermontGroup's blog

Some Dreams Do Come True

VermontGroup — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:36:29 +0000

“Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world's work, and the power to appreciate life." The education to which Young refers is not the kind of education which can be taught in a classroom or extracted from the most enlightening textbook. It is this kind of challenging education that the Vermont Governor’s Institute on Current Issues and Youth Activism provides.

As I sit here and look back at my time in Vermont, I realise that I am looking back on two of the best weeks of my life. Undoubtedly it was one of the most rewarding experiences, one which is couched with so many happy memories.

As they say as gaeilge “Tús maith, leath na hoibre” (a good start is half the battle) and we definitely got off to a good start. From the moment we set foot in Dublin airport I had a feeling that this trip would be special ... by the time we arrived in Vermont I of was sure of it. As we travelled from the airport to SIT campus I was completely captivated by the picturesque views that enveloped us. The car trip in itself was an experience as Joe (one of the American staff members) acted not only as our chauffeur but also as our history and geography teacher, quizmaster, DJ and comedian. Like all of the staff he was a not only an infinite source of knowledge but an exceptional individual and a great friend to all.
Upon our arrival we were met with welcoming smiles from the staff members, that night those smiles broke into laughter as we played taboo. The camp had officially begun.

The next afternoon the American students arrived. The once peaceful and tranquil country campus was transformed into a hive of activity. When I returned to my room I found my room mates, Simone, a Indian girl wearing sandals with a sitar case across her back and Alexis, an extraordinary individual with a book in hand. Little did I know then that in a brief twelve days I would find myself in tears saying goodbye to these girls.
As soon as dinner finished we all proceeded to the main building, there we broke up into groups and a mock congress was held. We discussed and debated some of the most controversial and contemporary political issues and in the end each group was called to pass judgment on the issue. In spite of my jet lag I went to bed filled with a newfound enthusiasm and energy. My appetite for knowledge had been whetted. That night as I lay in bed I wondered how the rest of the week would unfold, how could they possibly surpass that day? Little did I know that the mock congress was a mere precedent for the events that would follow.

The following day I attended my very first “Issue Group” (a base group chosen by each individual) I chose Leadership with Ken Williams. William Arthur Ward once wrote; “The great teacher inspires” – every minute of Ken’s classes were enlightening and inspiring. His energy, passion and charisma were utterly infectious and we not only left Vermont with the fondest of memories but with a deep understanding of the term and concept leadership and an acute self awareness. We discussed everything from leadership styles, to ethics, to birth order and background with regard to leadership potential. He did not tell us what to think but rather instilled in us the ability of how to think, how to analyze leaders and individuals but more importantly how to evaluate and monitor ourselves. Throughout the two weeks I learned so much about leadership, not only through the reading material, film clips and class discussions but also through Ken’s personal experience and example. I can’t ever remember taking a class where I learned more or had so much fun. Williams doesn't advocate a particular position on anything. He tells students to think, to challenge, to remain open-minded, to understand the influences of family, religion and society on themselves and others. During one of our first classes Ken said that "You've been trained to think a teacher makes the class, but you have to think, 'I want the most of this.' It was evident that he was preaching to the choir on this matter, for even though everyone in the room was eighteen or under the enthusiasm, knowledge and ideas of the group was unparalleled.

Issue Groups only occupied one slot in a very busy time table. Everyday we had a different collection and combination of guest speakers, workshops, wisdom trees and activities. We participated in a mock Town Council, a mock UN, heard from local activists such as Jeff Unsicker (Nuclear free Vermont), Vermont politicians like Bernie Sanders and national figures including Joan Mandle (the founder of Democracy Matters). We listened to local students who have taken action on child labour, engaged in debate surrounding war, the crisis in Darfur and Zimbabwe, HIV/AIDs, human trafficking, poverty, global children, prison systems, education systems.....we learned how to be effective activists, how to organise fundraisers, information campaigns, how to more efficient communicators and public speakers.....
Everyday I found my skill set expanding and my interest and knowledge in current issues growing. It pleased me to be able to provide an Irish and European perspective on many of the issues and an international outlook was always encouraged and welcomed. In exploring many of the American and International systems I gained a deeper understanding not only of their structures but of our own, for it allowed me to compare ours with others, it provided me with a new clarity and perspective.

Despite the teeming educational time table there was plenty of fun to be had. Everyday there were entertaining activities built into the schedule. We had a 1930’s dance night, a drama night, an African drumming workshop, an unforgettable barn dance, a camp fire, fire works, singing on mountain and so much more. The last night there was a closing banquet followed by an open mic night (the last night I was the MC...I think they asked me for fear that I might perform if not :) The open mic night was open to staff and students and the audience enjoyed everything from a Sitar performance to a Spice Girls reunion.

Another aspect of the course which particularly appealed to me was the Forum theatre. Forum Theatre allowed us to explore activism in a more creative and less orthodox fashion. This included photography, drama, community garden, puppet theatre, music and fabric art. Having never been much of a country girl I decided that I was up for a challenge and volunteered to take part in the community garden. During the course of the camp our group worked in connection with a CSA (community supported agriculture) farm. We built an elaborate herb garden and created signs and other items that would help the farm to be more visitor friendly. Our aim was to help transform a part of the farm into a place where children could come and learn about agriculture and community farms. In the beginning I found it hard but by the end of the twelve days I was so proud of what we had achieved. We had grown so much as a group and our friendships were strengthened through our time spent together at the community garden.

From a colourful garden to a radiant parade, the 4th of July was one of the most incredible days I have ever had. During the morning of the 4th I was afforded the opportunity to read part of the American constitution in the town square in Brattleboro. Imagine the thrill of standing up as an eighteen year old Irish girl and reading the American constitution on their day of Independence just before the biggest parade in Vermont started. Following that we joined the others and began to March through Brattleboro. As we marched we held our demonstration posters high and sang and chanted until we reached the end of the line. There we were met by the president of the Vermont Senate Peter Shumlin and he spent some time speaking with us. Following that we had went to a lake and swam but not before we had picnicked in the park. After dinner the Irish delegation gave a presentation on Ireland and our nerves soon melted with the sight of our friends donning all their green attire. We spoke of the Irish culture (the sport, the language, and the music), the history of Ireland, the educational and political systems and Northern Ireland. We ended our presentation we a ceili and needless to say it was both entertaining and surreal to see 60 Vermont students luscadh to the Walls of Limerick. The night ended in a most fitting manner with a magnificent fireworks display, an amazing end to an unforgettable day.

To speak with perfect candor I believe that I learned more from the leaders and other participants than I could have ever learned from any politician or text book. Every time I sat down to lunch or dinner or even on the front lawn I learned something new, not always just about burning political issues but about people as well. The sixty two students and all the staff were quite an eclectic (and electric) group of people who were defined by their differences and united by many similarities. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to have been able to work with a team of people with such strength of character and clarity of purpose – they really were and continue to be a source of inspiration.

I left Vermont with a host of new friends, knowledge and experience. GIVCIYA (The Vermont Governor’s Institute on Current Issues and Youth Activism) empowered each and every one of the students who attended the course. Every one of us left not only aware of the problems but aware of our ability and obligation to create change, to find and implement the solutions.
It was an incredible two weeks and no words could ever possibly do it justice. This account would double if not triple in length if I were to mention everything that was good about the trip. We were made feel so welcome in Vermont and the kindness which was shown to us could not be surpassed. The quality of the staff not only as academics but also as individuals could not be matched anywhere in the world. The team of people in Ireland who worked tirelessly to organise the trip cannot be thanked enough (the effort to which Fiona, and Kevin and all the staff at EIL went to was unbelievable). I could not dream of writing about my experience without mentioning Ruth Mannion our group leader- she was so supportive, such fun and invaluable to the experience as a whole. The experience of the two weeks has added a further dimension to my leadership skills and refreshed my enthusiasm. It was an amazing opportunity to meet and work with young people from all over Vermont, to see and hear their stories and learn from them. I would hope that this trip has helped and will continue to help me to make informed choices as a young citizen and furthermore develop the skills needed to translate ideas into action. The foundation of every state and country is the education of its youth. Ideas are great arrows, of which there is no shortage. However every arrow needs a bow; and for five Irish youth leaders every years EIL Ireland provides a bow for those ideals.

Edith Delaney, Carlow.
Vermont Delegation 2009

Vermont- The experience of a lifetime

VermontGroup — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:04:44 +0000

As I sit here, at home in Ireland, a smile begins to form across my face as I try to put to words what was one of the most enriching and enjoyable experiences of my life. It has now been just over a week since I, as part of the Irish delegation, arrived back to the Emerald Isle from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont where we, as five EIL travel award winners and our exemplary group leader Ruth, took part in the Governor’s Institute on Current Issues and Youth Activism camp along with 55 other Vermont high school students.

Our first glimpse of what our lives would be like in Vermont came when we were picked up in the airport by one of the staff members, Joe, he was intelligent and friendly and those two words are a brief summation of the type of people we met over the two weeks. After our hunger was cured at Village Pizza we drove up the forest lined road to the SIT campus. Excitement soon took over from jet-lag as we settled in our rooms and Melissa, another great staff member, gave us a walking tour of the charming New England style campus with breathtaking views over the surrounding verdurous countryside.

The next day the other participants arrived and soon the intense 12 days of activities began. We took part in a mock congress, a mock town council and a mock UN Security Council on the crises in Darfur and Zimbabwe. We also participated in various topical workshops, some of the ones I chose included workshops on networking, fundraising, human trafficking, public speaking, the water crisis and organisation skills.

A number of speakers came and spoke to us during the camp for instance Anna Mullany spoke to us about counter recruiting in US High Schools; Colin Robinson spoke to us about liveable wages in Vermont, as an activist he wanted to change minimum wages to liveable wages as people could not meet their needs with just a minimum wage. Greg Prince gave a lecture on how to challenge authority especially in the education system. This led to an interesting discussion on whether teachers should share their opinions on certain issues with students or merely present both sides of the argument. Jeff Unsicker gave a talk on trying to make Vermont nuclear free which he did in a balanced way. Students from C.L.E.A, a local student organisation against child labour gave a presentation. One of the most enlightening and lively presentations came from Mollie Christie who spoke about HIV/AIDS. We also benefitted from a talk on diversity and social change by Dottie Morris. Adam Weinberg, the SIT Provost spoke to us about politics and issues and the work of EIL. This talk was followed by Joan Mandle on democracy in which she illustrated the source of funding for political campaigns and she was an advocate for publically funded campaigns. Richard Berkfield and Liz Sheehan spoke about global and local food systems. Vermont Senators Peter Schmulin and Bernie Sanders also took the time to speak with us and it seemed that they cared about the opinions of the young which was heartening. Needless to say a great number of interesting speakers visited us and opened our eyes to many of the issues our generation faces.

Over the course of the camp many interesting and stimulating conversations were opened these included discussions on the health and education systems in America and we were able to compare European and Irish systems. We also discussed the impact and legacy of Michael Jackson, whether war is necessary, gender differences and whether we are overly influenced by what society deems appropriate for female behaviour or male behaviour, the US prison system, social inequality and life in a military family. These varied discussions broadened our knowledge and developed our capacity to articulate our opinions and at the same time listen to others share theirs in a safe environment

We all chose issue groups in which we would study our chosen issue in detail over the two weeks. There were five issue groups to choose from: climate change, politics, leadership, global children and social justice. I chose climate change as I am deeply passionate about this issue. In this group we discussed local, U.S and global dealings with this problem and how we as activists can try to change the way our communities are acting towards this issue. We also went on fieldtrips; we visited the Omega factory which employs an environmentally friendly policy. I was particularly impressed by the building which is made from locally sourced timber and by the manager of the company who told us that they dehumidify the air in the building and then use that water to flush the toilets. We also visited a local sawmills. Another occasion saw our group visit a local high school which was completely inspiring. The high school had solar panels and a small wind turbine on the roof of the school. They were also in the process of building a new gym which would be carbon neutral. The school was a boarding school and some senior students could apply to live in log cabins in the surrounding woodland on the school grounds. The students who lived in the cabins would have to get up at the crack of dawn to heat the fire to ensure that they had hot water for their showers. Some of their energy needs came from solar panels so they would have to study the weather forecast as they couldn’t waste too much energy playing music etc. if the weather would be overcast in the coming days. The school also had its own farm and students had to do some farm duties at some stage over the school year. The school was amazing and I was proud to see an Irish flag hanging in the cafeteria of the school along with other flags representing the international students in the school. In this issue group we also went on a nature walk and we created a simulation of the upcoming Copenhagen conference. It was a wonderful group to be a part of and I learned a great deal. Our teachers, John and Alan, were highly qualified and were always willing to share their knowledge and expertise and to listen to us.

One of the best aspects of this camp was that amid the knowledge fuelled serious discussions and workshops, there were many fun activities incorporated into the intense scheduling. We enjoyed various team building activities and wisdom trees. Wisdom trees were a chance to learn something new that wouldn’t normally fit into the camp schedule, we were given options each time and some of the wisdom trees included cricket, volleyball, food decoration, slum dog millionaire, early childhood development, the conflict tin Palestine, martial arts, hip hop and crop circles! Some of the evening activities also included a hand drumming workshop, a scavenger hunt, an improv and drama night, a barn dance, a dance night in which we learned the dancing of the Savoy theatre in New York in the 1930’s and a campfire. I loved them all especially the discovery of the joys of smores at the campfire. This smore-enduced joy led our group to a rousing rendition of the fields of Athenry, which somehow just sounds better on sporting occasions.

The forum theatre gave us all a chance to use our creative sides, we had a number of outlets we could choose from to do this in, and they included drama; photography; puppet theatre; community garden; music and fabric art. I chose to hone my acting skills and in this group we created a play which had a gameshow setting and was called ‘Are you Smarter than America?’. It was great fun and my Spanish was useful for my part as Mexico, Ruth also took advantage of her Russian.

One of the most memorable days was the 4th of July. It began with the reading of the declaration of Independence in Brattleboro and followed with us marching in the town parade. We waved our banners with pride while chanting and singing ‘1 we are the students 2 we’ll raise our voices 3 we’re here to fight for peace and justice’ and ‘show me what democracy looks like-this is what democracy looks like’. Ruth’s, Edith’s, Simone’s Varghese’s and my sign was unquestionably the least controversial among the other signs looking to stop the war in Iraq, promoting social justice and trying to get people to buy local, ours merely stated ‘Happy 4th of July from Ireland and India’. I particularly liked Laura’s sign saying ‘Ireland is not un the UK’ which was contrary to what some American participants previously believed. When the parade concluded we met Senator Peter Schmulin and then had lunch on the Town Common. When this was finished we went to local strawberry fields and picked strawberries which we ate at Townshend Dam in-between the time spent swimming and playing Frisbee. It was an idyllic setting which was perfectly complemented by ice-cream on the journey back to the campus. After dinner it was time to give our presentation. Each of us gave a ten minute presentation on different aspects of Ireland. I spoke about history while Edith spoke about culture-the Irish language, literature and sport- Connor spoke about Education, Ben spoke about politics and Laura spoke about Northern Ireland. We were very well received and our American counterparts were incredibly interested. We followed this by a céilí and it was great to see 60 Americans dancing the Walls of Limerick, they particularly enjoyed the lúscadh! After our presentation the day concluded with a spectacular display of fireworks in Brattleboro.

My experience at the Governor’s Institute could be described in any number of superlatives and I am so grateful to EIL for giving me this opportunity. It was life-changing and inspiring. Not once did we feel excluded and the participants and leaders embraced our differences and welcomed our international perspectives. It gave me new ways to look at issues, it broadened my intellectual appetite and I now want to learn as much as I can about how different societies operate, about politics and economics and how the problems of the world can be solved. I may sound overly idealistic but how can things improve without aiming to improve them? This camp inspired and empowered every one of the participants to make change. We discovered what we are passionate about and we were given the skills necessary to deal with these issues.

We all made lifelong friends in Vermont and we could have been employed by Bord Failte with the amount of invitations we gave to people to come and visit us in Ireland. We will all miss the cookies, volleyball with Varghese, Yoga with Jo and the games of Taboo in the basement of Bolton but most importantly we will miss the people and we will carry the experience of GIV with us as we become greater activists wherever the road takes us all in the future.

I would like to thank all of the staff at GIV, Ruth who was a great leader, the other four delegation members for being great fellow participants and especially to the EIL team- Fiona, Kevin and everyone else who was involved in making this such an unforgettable experience. I would encourage anyone reading this to apply for a travel award as I am certain it would be as beneficial to you as it was for me.

We can change the world!

Emily McCormack, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.

Vermont Delegation 2009

Day 3

VermontGroup — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:20:39 +0000

Day 3- Everyone has gotten over the jet lag and made new friends with the help of volleyball and frisbee, although it's hard not to make new friends as everyone is SOOO friendly and open. In a presentation designed to paint the FULL picture of army life we were surprised and shocked to find that the American recruitment system is so flawed and unfavourable to the young people of America. We also viewed a recruiting advertisement from the US army. This adverstisement glorified war and was very misleading to the realities of army life. The advertisment seemed more like an action movie trailer than an official government release. The comparison between Ireland and the U.S in the this respect was staggering. However tomorrow there will be a lunch time discussion held my two of the americans who wish to defend the U.S army and further explain the situation and give the group their opinion on this subject.

Last night there was and open mic night for all talents. One girl played the sitar and others sang poilitically themed songs and we couldn't help but join in. So far we're having a great time and are looking forward to the 4th of July parade. Pictures to follow!

- Conor and Laura

Post Vermont- Looking back

VermontGroup — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:04:58 +0000

This time last week saw the conclusion of one of the best experiences of my life. I was fortunate enough to be one of the 5 Irish participants at Vermont's Governors institute on current issues and youth activism. I think looking back now, all five of us can say that being there has changed our lives in some way, shape, or form. For the whole time we were made feel so welcome by the Americans which lead to us becoming constantly engaged in all activities. We were all asked to choose topicals that we would cover over 24 hours during the twelve day programme. The topic I chose was "Global Children" which looked specifically at the Third world. This course was as humbling as it made me realize how much we, as a world have to do to help people less fortunate than us have half the lives we have. Some of the area's covered were child trafficking, child Labour and prostitution and HIV/AIDS. The common theme thorughout this course is that if we are to solve any of these problems, we must see the tree, but also the forest. What this means is that, behind every large problem, is a vast sea of minor problems which all contribute to the bigger problem. In our work in the future we must look to not only solve the problem itself, but the problems surrounding it. Then we can realize that these are real people and behind every statistic is child or person just like you or me.

We also had a number of guest speakers who enthralled us and opened our minds to new ideas. Some very topical issues were covered but the most startling one for me was when we had a speaker from an anti-military recruitment agency. US army recruitment is so common in America that 45 out of the 60 participants present had been approached by the US army at least once. It is important to bear in mind that none of these participants have reached the age of 17 yet. During this talk we were shown how the US army is portrayed and what the actual experience. The US government appears to have succeeded in glorifying the idea of being a soldier with the use of catch phrases such as "Nothing on this earth is more powerful than a US soldier". The harsh reality was a stark contrast. 65% of war veterans are homeless and suffering from post war trauma. The US government spends more on military than all other countries combined. The most striking aspect of this is that we, as activists, must urge countries with this kind of power to use it responsibility especially when we consider the challenges the World faces today. We also covered issues of gender inequality as well as examining how the role of the woman in society has transformed in the last 30 years.

While in Vermont I also had time to reflect on how lucky we, as a nation are. We are facing many challenges in Ireland today such as education and health cuts but we must look at other countries to realize that where we are now is not as bad as we perceive it. In America not all citizens have access to Health-care which is inconceivable over here. In addition to this, the average college fee is $40,000. This shows that we are fortunate to have these benefits which other countries that are more stable do not have. At the same time, if we are to be activists it us up to us to make sure that the leaders of tomorrow become the leaders of today also and take responsibility for their future. I feel that too often, we look at problem, complain, but yet fail to act on it. Vermont showed me just how effective one can be if they act on their ideas.

But don't worry, it wasn't all work. During our free time we did a range of cultural activities. From HIV/AIDS workshops, to Volleyball we were always keep busy. A highlight for me was the African drumming night which tested our rhythm and co-ordination which didn't really shine!!! Below is a picture of Ruth and I during the night. We were also fortunate enough to be in America for the 4th of July. Our day started with The Irish participants going into the town of Brattleboro to read the declaration of independence. We then marched in the town parade displaying signs with issues that were important to us. Later it was off to a picturesque farm to pick strawberry's which lead to my T-shirt changing colour from white to red as a result of Ruth’s good aim. The warm weather brought us from their to the beach where we swam and ate our fresh strawberries. The day concluded with the perfect climax which was going to watch the spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display. That night we also gave our presentation on Ireland. Collectively we spoke about, history, sport, culture, politics. Divisions, Education and much more. The highlight for the American's was definitely when we thought them The Walls of Limerick. Later all that could be heard was American accents saying "isteach dó trí", "amach dó trí.

Above is only a brief account of Vermont and only some of the highlights. For any outsider reading this blog, don't take my word, go and see for yourself. EIL offer so many opportunities to people around Ireland and I can now say from experience, they are life changing. Vermont allowed me to question what I stand for, what Ireland stands for, and where our future as young people will go if we don't take adequate and prompt action. If you are eligible, apply for a travel award or exchange programme. You have nothing to loose but everything to gain.

It is also a credit to Kevin, Fiona and all the EIL staff that we felt so prepared going over there which definitely contributed to our enjoyment of the programme. In addition to this, while in Vermont we could always approach our reliable leader Ruth Mannion who always put our interests first. I remember my orientation day in Cork and Fiona joking when someone said that their fear was that they wouldn't want to leave and I can now say that that fear became a reality in Vermont but in the best way possible, I m now back in Ireland and thinking of ways to pass on the experience I gained in Vermont so other people can benefit just like I have. So as my advice fresh from Vermont is; Don't just seek change but be change!!

I hope that this blog captures my experience and will persuade many more people to let EIL Ireland change their lives for the better, just like they changed mine.

Ben English, Bray, Co Wicklow,

Vermont Delegation 2009

Blog from Vermont

VermontGroup — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:16:01 +0000

June 26: We've arrived safe and sound. We were treated to the best pizza in Brattleboro last night as we were weary and hungry. All the staff here are so friendly and warm, after our feast last night we enjoyed a strolling tour through campus and retired to the Cafe to compete in an exciting and fun game of Taboo!
The views here in the green mountains of Vermont are stunning, even though its raining now it can still take your breath away. At 3 today the rest of the participants of the programme will be arriving so we'll be very busy today.
Keep well
The Irish Imigrants

June 30: Day 3 - Everyone has recovered from their jet lag and made new friends with the help of volleyball and frisbee, although it's hard not to make new friends as everyone is SOOO friendly and open. In a presentation designed to paint the FULL picture of army life we were surprised and shocked to find that the American recruitment system is so flawed and unfavourable to the young people of America. We also viewed a recruiting advertisement from the US army. This adverstisement glorified war and was very misleading to the realities of army life. The advertisment seemed more like an action movie trailer than an official government release. The comparison between Ireland and the U.S in the this respect was staggering.
Last night there was and open mic night for all talents. One girl played the sitar and others sang poilitically themed songs and we couldn't help but join in. So far we're having a great time and are looking forward to the 4th of July parade. Pictures to follow!