Advancing Leadership Skills – World Link’s PAL-NYC Workshop 2018

During these 4 days in NYC I learned a lot of things, including good team building, time-management, and most importantly being a successful alum. With help and training of several amazing people, I identified every step that needs to be taken in order to accomplish a project. This conference indeed helped me to put everything in the right order and now I know what I should do first to organize something. – Aidin Turganbekov (Kyrgyzstan/CO)

The Advanced Leadership Conference helped me to grow into a more successful YES Alumna who is inspired, motivated and encouraged to do sustainable projects in her home country. I had plans about doing projects back home but after that conference and discussion I am thinking of a broader view, asking for other’s help, making organization be part of my projects, explaining my project in a way that is clear and people want to hear more also making sure what I do remains sustainable. All the great skills that I have learned during the conference are life-long helpful skills to be successful. – Zartaj Asim (Pakistan/IL)

I think the most important thing that we learned all the year but especially during PAL Conference is that we can make a change and there will be many opportunities and people along our way that will be ready to support us making it. The UN visit was something very special and at the same time very important because we learned more about how UN works and it’s sustainable goals and most important about what we can do to help reaching that goals. During the conference we went deeper into how to write a project, how to manage it, and find funds. Now all that we have to do is to use these skills to make things happen. – Irina Madan (Moldova/IA)

We had an amazing opportunity to visit the United Nations, to see what changes have been done in America and all over the world. Thanks to the briefing that we were able to have there, we found out how everything works, what changes we can bring in our society, how we can make a difference in the world. It inspires to work harder, to strive for a better life. PAL-NYC Workshop gave us more information and training for being a good alumnus. During our conference we’ve been improving our leadership skills, our ideas about projects that we’re going to start back in our countries. It was an amazing opportunity which prepared us for being great leaders after the exchange program. – Olga Prosianchina (Moldova/CA)

[This conference] was super productive to listen to the successful alumni and have her as a great example in front of us, little talks during free times were super important and motivating too. For sure I have a better image of me as an alumna. Due to all the projects that we have had this year and all the hardships that we have taken lessons from, our alumni projects are going to be better organized, I am sure. Visiting the UN has always been a dream for my entire life. We know the world is not perfect and there are things to fix. We are not ready or able to fix them, until we know for sure what they are, what are the reasons for them, and what would be the most beneficial way to solve them. We are all able to productive somehow, it is just left to use passion towards things and make them better daily. Make every day better then it was the day before. – Sona Vardanyan (Armenia/CO)

Public Achievement Leadership workshop has become of the most memorable experiences of my exchange year. Not only that we got to meet students and National staff members who have been inspiring us the whole year, but we also got to learn to dream big, set goals and find all possible ways to achieve them. I witnessed the majesty of the United Nations and I am now determined to work there and make difference on a global level, but before that I will become an active alumna and start changes in my home. This is what I learned during PAL-NYC  and I am forever thankful for being selected for FLEX and World Link. I don’t know what my life would look like without every piece of experience of this year. It is indeed not a year in life, but life in a year. – Madina Arapova (Kazakhstan/CA)

For me this was a remarkable conference as this was my first experience for me acting as a YES alumni. All throughout the workshop we were introduced to several project organizing, and management techniques and we were able to make a detailed plan about our first alumni projects. Furthermore, we started discussing and practicing “elevator speeches” which we could deliver to our audience and leave a lasting impact in their minds about our project. Finally, we were given some basics about the various small details related to the art of grant writing. I was blessed to have such great mentors from World Link and the sheer experience of being among the best of the best was more than just an experience for me, it was an achievement. – Yash Saboo (India/IA)

This conference showed me that l can be a change, and I can really impact on the World’s future. It motivated me, gave inspiration and helped to discover the passion inside of me. I loved the tour in the UN. It was amazing to realize that at the moment you step in the United Nations building, you are not in America anymore, it is a place where nationality and race do not matter, because all the people there are working with one purpose: make the World better. I realized that I want to be a part of it, put my effort to develop and bring peace on the Earth! – Zhanel Sagnayeva (Kazakhstan/CA)

In New York, we got to visit the sites of our dreams, but the most memorable part was going to United Nations Office. I learned a lot and  had heard of the UN in my school back in Turkmenistan, but seeing it in real life and finding your flag there is another experience that you can’t describe with words. We also had a tour guide who showed us the rooms and the purpose of UN and what its members do. We were also so lucky to attend a conference where we discussed about issues around the world and how they can be solved. We had the chance to ask questions and give our opinions. In our workshop, we learned effective ways to create projects to solve problems in our countries. We learned how to give an effective Elevator Speech. I am so excited to see everyone’s accomplishments when we return to our home countries. – Barna Babajanova (Turkmenistan/CO)

What I like the most [about PAL-NYC] is that we are able to learn a lot of things that can help us on setting a plan to make our alumni projects successful. I learned that we have many problems in the world that needs to be addressed and we can be the one who can help fix it or lessen the problem. The discussion about the SMART goals, Sustainable development and Alumni grants enlightened me and it pushed me one step closer to my future alumni project. – Narisa Lumambas (Philippines/CA)

We had a whole day of workshop where an alumna from Ukraine-Daria taught us the ways to be successful alumni. Now we are knowledgeable about making projects by ourselves and getting grants from the U.S. State Department. I strongly believe all of this advice is going to be helpful for us as alumni. One of the best things we have done in NY was going to UN and learning about the goals of sustainable development. From that time I set a new goal: to work at UN. – Meerimai Stanova (Kyrgyzstan/IA)

Attending the United Nations was the most interesting and useful part of the PAL-NYC trip for me. While being on the tour I learned about 17 of Sustainable Goals and it opened my eyes towards how many problems exist in our world. Being aware of these specific goals would help me with organizing projects as an alumnus, because knowledge is the strongest weapon. I was informed about grants that are available for alumni. Now that I know how many grants there are, I can organize greater and more sustainable projects in my home community. – Mykyta Kotsehub (Ukraine/CA)

The entire year I’ve been mostly focusing on global diplomacy by sharing Kazakh culture with others and on helping people in need by completing community service, but again my view of the world has changed. After having a tour in the UN and seeing the rooms of Security Council, Trusteeship Council, and the General Assembly Hall,  and having a chance to attend a briefing session on 17 sustainable development goals, mostly focusing on climate change, [I found a new issue I’d like to help solve]. Frankly speaking, I was so concentrated on issues regarding politics that I almost forgot about the most threatening one – climate change. – Aiganym Khamitkhanova (Kazakhstan/CO)

By participating in the Advanced Leadership Conference held in New York City, I firmly believe that I am on my way of becoming active and successful alumni back in my country. One of the best things I witnessed during the workshop was the presentation “Being Awesome Alumni” by Daria, FLEX alumna from Ukraine. She highly encouraged me to determine new ideas of the possible projects I could implement. In addition, my future goals and her projects that she is doing now, matched a lot. Furthermore, I have a goal that I will contribute to the education system of my country in the future… Secondly, I am very inspired by the United Nations and the people who work there. The tour gave me a chance to educate myself about what is UN, its function, and how it works. Currently, back to the point again, I am going to work in education area, and I set a goal that I will be an ambassador of Kyrgyzstan at one of the UN meetings in the future. – Aigul Saparova (Kyrgyzstan/CA)

Through the United Nation’s tour and debrief, I learned about the way it works and the problems that they are focused on. I learned about the Global Warming, Environment Issues and all other problems that they are trying to fix, and I got to know about how a simple person can make an impact for the whole world through changing his own perspective and actions toward his or her community! You don’t have to be member of the UN to make changes. You just need to understand the issues and try to change your own life. I think this conference made me more confident about taking actions toward solving problems in the future back home! – Behruz Gharibov (Tajikistan/IA)

I got the opportunity to see so many sites, I got to tour, and indulge in the beauty of the city itself. But I too got the opportunity to be presented with help and guidance for my future activities as an alumni. Knowledge, skills, and leadership I’ll take home and implement. I was presented with tips on how to grab people’s attention, how I can build up my project at a moderate pace, but also reach the top, making an impact on the society I present my project to, and most importantly, for it to turn out successful. I learned that I’m never alone, that all it is, is to ask for a lending hand, and to your surprise, you’ll find so many people out there willing to lend you that hand. I learned that you’re enough. You’re here for a purpose, and we all have an impact on this earth, and together we could do wonders, and it’s never far-fetched. – Carmen Kelly (South Africa/CA)