By: Gloria Busingye
You have probably heard about the increased African feeling in Georgia lately. As we speak, I write from my heart, with words inspired by the coolest environment at the University of Georgia, located in Athens, the heart of the State of Georgia in the United States of America. I hail from the Leadership track of Civil Engagement with my focus on creating a voice for victims of Violence (Gender Based Violence, Sexual Abuse, and Domestic Abuse) in Rwanda, with a focus on girls and children. Still honored to be part of the Mandela Washington Fellowship. As we usher in the third week of the fellowship, we can only be thankful for the content we have consumed already. We have had detailed sessions on leadership and community engagement and as a matter of fact, the ideas have all been fascinating. Waking up to well-planned sessions has not only left us inspired to do more for our communities but also be better leaders and human beings. The highlight of these sessions so far has been the Speed Networking session where every fellow got some time to collaborate with amazing people doing amazing stuff in the American community. It didn’t end there, they also shared a few tips with the fellows on how best they orient their community engagement and work better using home-grown solutions that resonate with their communities.
We also had an opportunity to show off our rich African culture to the American community. Through our traditional dances, dressing and languages, I am certain that Athens and the other states of this great country get the feel of a live African community through the diversity demonstrated by the Mandela fellows. We painted the city with African colors.
From my experience, I got to know that there is always something new to learn and it always relates with our own lives. From the connections with fellows that I made through the 2 weeks, I am certain that besides getting to know what they do, they each have a skill that can be helpful for me to achieve my goals. This will come in handy in future. As we look forward to being part of a team of improved leaders, we also hope to put our lessons into practice, putting our passion for African development at the core of everything we do.
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