Forum Bridging Initiatives (FBIs) 2010

Developing confidence in young leaders to bridge economic, cultural and religious divides

Concept

Forum Bridging Initiatives (FBIs) are designed to help young emerging leaders put the concept of servant leadership into practice. They bring together small groups of former delegates from the National Student Leadership Forum to engage with developing communities both in Australia and throughout the region. Each FBI will have 10-12 team members and be lead by adults who have been involved in the Forum as small group facilitators and team members. They will be approximately 7-10 days in duration and take place during the July semester break.

Vision

One of the great challenges a servant leader faces is learning to see the world through the eyes of others. This is particularly important when those others do not share a familiar background with us. It is easy, when we feel uncomfortable with other people, to gravitate back into tribal ways of thinking and acting, leading only in favour of "our own kind".

Forum Bridging Initiatives aim to immerse young adults in another culture unfamiliar to them, and in doing so, teach them the confidence to overcome their natural insecurities. This experience will give them the skills to “build a bridge” in order to connect with people who have experienced life from a very different viewpoint.

Outcomes

We hope that as a consequence of their participation in a Forum Bridging Initiative you will:

1. Develop relational confidence to initiate with others and to build common ground
2. Gain new insights into life & leadership from another culture
3. Develop leadership skills by having to work very closely with a small team of peers
4. Have an opportunity to serve others in practical and meaningful ways
5. Develop project planning and management skills by participating in the design and implementation of the FBI
6. Have an opportunity to further develop servant leadership concepts introduced at the Forum in Canberra

2010 FBIs

In July, 2010 we will also be running the following Forum Bridging Initiatives -

Corroboree 2010 – Northern Territory
Pacific Odyssey – Niue
The Philippines – a Banquet with the Poor

For more information on Forum Bridging Initiatives, please contact the National Student Leadership Forum office on 02 9499 9300 or info@nslf.org.au.