Finding your Voice: The World Youth Service and Enterprise (WYSE) Conference

By Sarah Kiggundu

This title is taken from a conversation I had with one of the WYSE staff members. It’s a statement and sentiment that struck a cord within me – both then and now. World Youth Service and Enterprise (WYSE) is a non-profit organisation, based in London, which specialises in values and leadership education.  

The International Leadership Conference was held from the 25th July to the 5th August, in Lucca, in Italy. This 12-day conference, focussed on the themes of service (to humanity) and personal growth.

27 young leaders between the ages of 18 and 38 were selected to participate in this year’s Leadership Conference. The participants in the programme, came from different cultural - and employment backgrounds. As participants, we had to learn the art of working with people and learning through different leadership approaches. The most important aspect was the significance of adding value to the tasks that we were challenged with while inspiring others in that same leadership capacity.

I cannot help but be humbled by the astounding work that is being done by my peers. From the PhD student studying at Columbia University, specialising in Sociology, to the Nepalese doctor who started a rose movement based on his determination and an overall need to ease political tensions between India and Nepal, I have had the priviledge to be surrounded by, work with and befriend some of tomorrow’s leaders, today.

What became apparent throughout the programme was the overwhelming desire and want for a better world. So, where does one begin? The answer to that is: with you. Your work in the world will stand on the foundation of your values. As humans, we learn values through our family, society and through influences such as the media and education. How does one use these values in a leadership capacity? In my opinion, a leader is one who is not afraid to make unpopular decisions and always acts within his/her core values, regardless of the consequences.

One of the highlights of the Conference was the peer group discussion on the United Nations (UN), its role in the world today, its different organisational bodies and the problems in the world, most needing attention.  27 people – each from a different region of the globe, with a unique outlook on which Millennium Development Goal is most critical, discussed these issues openly. In reality, all the goals are pertinent to easing the blight on society’s indigents. 

Startlingly, it was found that the UN hires approximately 52 000 employees worldwide. This is roughly equivalent to the number of people that McDonalds and Disneyland hire respectively, on a global level. What does this say about our society and what we place emphasis on?

Roberto Assagioli, who was an Italian psychologist, humanist and visionary, is quoted as saying: one of the higher forms of service is to work on yourself. This means bringing awareness to what is occurring in the inner - and outer world and taking responsibility for what we think and choose to do. 

In short, service is not sacrificing yourself or simply reacting to what affects you but being able to truely tune in to  listen to yourself (and others) and act accordingly while merging your inner – and outer world, into the larger picture. This is a shift from the mindset of: "I matter" to "my role matters".