Sharing my travel grant experience!

Moreno Jackson
Jul 21, 2017 · 4 min read

On Wednesday, May 10, 2017 I traveled from Suriname through Aruba to finally enter the Dominican Republic in order to participate in the JCI American Leadership Academy. The Academy was held from May 13 to May 16, 2017.

I got to spend two entire days in Aruba because of the way my flight schedule was set up. It was my first time there and I must say that I am truly in love with this Island and definitely received the best hospitality from YLAI Fellow Anika Stevens! This is one of the most enjoyable benefits of having friends all over the world :) .

With one of the YLAI Fellows, Anika Stevens from Aruba

JCI is a worldwide community of young active citizens ages 18–40 who share the belief that in order to create positive change, we must take collective action to improve ourselves and the world around us. Engaging in activities ranging from community development to international projects, members demonstrate their social responsibility and improve themselves through participation, leadership and action.

The objectives of the Academy were:

- Making sure members get to know the organization on an international level

- Discussing best practices to tackle social challenges

- Discussing how we can use technology to create a greater impact in our community

- Giving the participants the necessary tools to be a better and more effective leader in their community

- Improving negotiation skills

- Improving skills for Crowdfunding/Crowdsourcing

- Defining the qualities of a leader

I can truly state that this has been a very effective academy and that it has inspired me to set my ambitions on fulfilling an international role within the JCI organization. The main objectives of the academy were surely reached, and I must say that it was very well organized from morning till dawn. There were 28 participating members, who are now a part of my professional family, and each and every one of them had an inspiring story to share from which I really learned a lot. Below you can see some of the participants who I got to work with closely on different projects and presentations. The best teammates I could ever wish for and outstanding young leaders!

(From left to right: Suriname — St. Vincent — Puerto Rico — Colombia — Paraguay — Brazil)

I also learned a lot about the different cultures but what I enjoyed the most is that even though more than 80% of the participants were mainly speaking Spanish they really took the time and effort to teach me different words and sentences. Within four days I improved my Spanish understanding and speaking skills by at least 30%.

I can still feel the positive energy I got from the participants and organizers of the Academy, so many inspiring and motivating young people. Every time I participate at such a conference or workshop, I realize again that the world has millions of people who are contributing daily to create a better society and my most overwhelming dream would be to meet as many of these outstanding people in the world.

Presenting different strategies on how to use technology to execute sustainable projects

I especially want to thank the YLAI team for approving the Travel Grant which made it definitely easier to travel to Santo Domingo and receive all this knowledge and outstanding experience! I’ve also shared what I learned within my local organization and implemented the different strategies to improve education for our youth in my community already.

Here we proudly presented our country flag

I am forever grateful for all the opportunities we get in life and will make sure to keep giving it even more than 100% to ensure we contribute to the development of the next generation of young leaders!

Connect with me on| Facebook | LinkedIn

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

Entrepreneurial stories, ideas, and insights for a better region

Moreno Jackson

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Through positive leadership we act as role models for others around us and give hope for a better, safer, healthier future. Change begins with you!

Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative

Entrepreneurial stories, ideas, and insights for a better region

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