From Egle Buitvydaite (BFTF founder 2007, Lithuania). “One year has already passed after my participation in BFTF.
However I can’t stop missing all the amazing and smart people I met in North Carolina a year ago. With a great pleasure I observe this year’s BFTF and with an indescribable nostalgia I remember all nice moments I experienced there in the USA.
I noticed a special BFTF alumni column in the BFTF blog and I am very happy that we can share our small reunions’ moments with our friends from all over the world.
The previous March three BFTF 2007 founders, Riccardo Conti (Italy), Georgios Stasinopoulos ( Greece) and me (Egle Buitvydaite, Lithuania) were present at the 2nd International Student Forum for Olympic Truce, which took place in Athens, Greece. Together with students from fifteen different countries worldwide (including China, USA, Qatar, to name just a few) we discussed global issues, compiled resolutions and during the General Assembly, of which the president was Georgios Stasinopoulos, we reached the consensus.
The significant knowledge gained in BFTF was evident. Riccardo Conti distinguished among other students by his wide political awareness of Darfur conflict. The Italian BFTF fellow became the co-submitter of the resolution on the cruel genocide in Sudan. I did all my best while trying to justify my submitted resolutions on terrorism and diamond conflicts.
Not only we three had a perfect chance to meet with each other once again, but also we found an opportunity to meet the Greek BFTF founder 2008 -Haroula Gotsi, who also took part in this forum. After meeting her, we were sure that without doubt she is a new genuine member of the whole BFTF family.
The pinnacle of the whole one-week event was the Olympic torch lighting ceremony. The prestigious event was organized in the Ancient Olympia, where we became witnessesnot only of this slender historical moment- the start of the torch’s long journey around the globe, but also of the first obvious protest against the forthcoming Beijing Olympic Games in China.
The spring’s week was very impressive and important for our growing up personalities. We could use our international and political knowledge gotten in BFTF practically and feel the world famous protest, which was just the beginning of that what we observed later in Paris and London, by ourselves.”
Great news from Turkemenistan: Shanepes Meredov, ‘07 Founder write: ” Mahym Alikerberova, Fellow ‘06, and Albina Mustafayeva, Diplomat ‘07, both of BFTF alumna got accepted in American University in Bulgaria and received scholarship. For myself, I also got accepted in Atlantic International University but I am going to take on-line courses for first two years
I wish all of you good luck enjoy your life and learn as much as you can about America and the world outside of your home country
All the best,Shanepes
Alumni Reunions: Riccardo Conti (Italy) & Carlos Fernadez De Plaza Lopez (Spain) in Rome, circa Unknown.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCMENT: 2006 FRANKLIN FELLOWS HOLDING CONFERENCE IN
DENMARK - JULY 8-17
Hosted by Aila, a group of 2006 Alumni gathered July in Denmark. They posted messages and photos at their blog BFTF ‘06Alumni
Attending: Harald, Norway; Jennifer, Malta ; Sergei, Albania; Darya, Russia; Alexandru, Romania; Patricia, Texas; Joline, Sweden; Ines, Slovenia; Dana, Minnesota, Lendyll, Illinois; Aila, Denmark
Send your update to louden@wfu.edu
Simonida Subotic (2007 Mentor), Montenegro/South Africa, has graduated from Towson State University where
she was selected as the student graduation speaker. Next year she is doing graduate work at Harvard.Anastasiya Kot, Ukraine. This year was awesome! And mostly due to the BFTF…First of all, I became a leader of my University group and later I was selected to head a student union in my faculty. That’s very responsible and interesting.
I also helped students of my University and the school I graduated from to organize debates on the topics we discussed at Wake. It was great!
Classes on blogging in the WFU were very useful: a teacher in my University asked me to give several lessons on making blogs etc. It’s a wonderful feeling when you can help smb!
Wake gave me the spirit not only to dream but to make your dreams come true. I guess it is possible only if you work hard, so these 4 months of studying I finished with one of the best results in the whole university, so I got a special scholarship for the excellence in studying.
So, perhaps, that’s all for today (and this year) but I will try and work hard to achieve as much positive results as possible.
I hope the next year will be as interesting and productive as 2006!!!
And now, looking back at everything, I am nothing but grateful I got the chance to participate in this program. Not only for getting a taste of a new culture, of the mentality of the US citizens, a whole new historical perspective about this nation’s past, and for the chance to ask my questions up close to people who have a significant effect of this country’s foreign relations, but for meeting all these wonderful people who have grown found to. But it was not only them I got to know, I got to know a lot about the countries they come from, the policies these countries lead, and a touch of how it looks to live there. Apart for meeting the “junior ambassadors” of the US and Eurasia, I met a variety of wonderful people, and made good friends.
This whole experience has had a huge impact on me, and influenced a significant array of not just my political views, but my interests as well, even everyday regular things. I am a debate coach and trainer, and I teach debate to high-school students, not much younger than myself, and thanks to this experience, I think I have become better at this, since the debaters I’ve been teaching this year have all showed outstanding results, from winning national championships, to representing my country on the IDEA Forum, and other seminars. I actually use the knowledge gained form the BFTF program to encourage them into critical thinking, and expressing their opinions, and to get them intrigued by topics that they used to find unappealing and serious. I warmly recommended this event to all of them, and most of them applied for this year’s BFTF. Also, inspired by a workshop we had at Wake Forest, me and some other colleagues from the NGO I am a m! ember of, organized the first ever online streaming debate in my country, on the thesis: “Macedonia should be the main promoter of the US political interests on the Balkans.” And this spring, I was a part of the team that organized the Macedonia Open annual international tournament, which hosted over 60 debaters from the Balkans, among which one exceptional Albanian debater, a friend I had met at Wake Forest.
I have grown found to the friends I made trough out the world, and I am as proud as it gets for every single one and their achievements, whether they got a chance to be journalists in a sports paper they always wanted to, whether they went to Lebanon to write a book on women’s rights, if they got accepted on the university they wanted to study at, for passing their IB, being the number one debaters in their countries, or being staff in this years Ben Franklin Program. This tiny group of people, scattered around the globe is a proof that friendships can last, regardless of the distance of diversity. And I am looking forward to seeing some of these people this summer, on an event organized by ourselves, hosted by a fabulous girl from Denmark, which shows the enthusiasm we have to see each other, even though a year has passed from the time we met. I am grateful to professor Louden and professor Petrou for organizing this event, and all the other staff members that made it happen.
Second, the policy gave me a clear and concrete sense of the sheer grandeur of our collective failures to win the hearts and minds of those abroad to our cause. I had always been skeptical of how well our policies would be taken by others, but BFTF put me in direct contact with young people, the next generation of leaders on the continent and beyond, seriously angry at American policy and to a certain extend, blurring the line between our policy and our people. Seeing this situation solidified my conviction to spend my later career working to change this policy trend.
Third, I think that my participation in the program has opened real doors for me in terms of other programs, internships etc…Just recently, I feel largely on the strength of my participation in BFTF, I was given an interview for a summer internship at International Security, no small feat, considering that this was an internship for college and graduate students. In addition, I will be interning this summer at the Election Defense Alliance, an election watchdog group here in MA. I was told that my experience at BFTF played a major role in my acceptance to the position.
I cannot thank Ms. Petrou, Dr. Louden, DOS, and the others involved in running the program enough for the opportunity I’ve been given, and I cannot thank the fellow participants enough for being so damn awesome.
Civitas Youth Network made action plan for implementation of government Law against illicit drugs, and we are in negotiation with authorities for adoption of this action plan. We have our newspaper and radio show to inform youth, educate them about democracy, citizenship and actuate them to be active citizens. My team is helping in center for disabled person. This week we are going to make a video spot against discrimination of person with disability.
We succeeded with this program thanks to all youth people who were and are participating. For me, personally, Ben Franklin program was inspiration. I learned a lot of things and I try to give that knowledge to others. In private life I have YOU - great youth people, friends all around the world. I am in contact with my host family. They made a postmark with my picture on it and when I saw that mail I knock down. They are marvelous, amazing… what can I say……
After we came back I started new school year as a student on Sarajevo University. I have all best notes (in my country it is 10, I think in America is A) and so far I am a best student of generation 2007/2008 in my University. So, thank you all for being a part of my life.
Sanja Bulatovic, Montenegro. The three weeks spent in the USA were the best weeks of my life. It sounds like a cliche, but I really mean that. I’ve been to many youth
I am very happy and proud to have a friend in every corner of the globe.And the best thing was that while making friends and building bridges of love and confidence, I also had a small, yet important taste of many different cultures, religions… That was truly a beautiful experience.
I can’t thank enough to all the people involved in organizing BFTF 2006, and of course, our dear fellows, who made these three weeks unforgettable.
Aaron Greer, USA, Montana.
2006 Fellows Interviewed at Conclusion of the inaugural Session
Send your update to louden@wfu.edu