Champion change
Senators Coons and Carper inspire, advise young global leaders during UD visit
9:01 a.m., Aug. 25, 2015--The two U.S. senators from Delaware, Chris Coons and Tom Carper, took to the University of Delaware stage to address some of Africa and the Middle East’s most promising young leaders during a session last month.
With them, they carried a message aimed at inspiring each one to champion the wheel of change in their home communities.
Global Stories
Fulbright awards
Peace Corps plans
Here as part of the State Department-sponsored Mandela Washington Fellowship Program, the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Institute and Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders on Women’s Leadership (SUSI-WL), 65 young professionals and students from 36 countries are learning essential civic leadership skills and exchanging with and teaching Americans about their homelands.
Coons, who sits on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, encouraged these young people to be patient in their countries’ implementation of democracy. “Take the long view and recognize that change comes slowly and then all at once,” he said.
Speaking just after the 239th anniversary of U.S. independence, Coons reminded those in the audience of the United States’ continued struggle for liberty even centuries after establishing democracy.
For those young leaders from countries still on the journey to democracy, this provided a tangible sense of hope in the changes to come.
Saying he is “convinced that Africa is the continent of the 21st century,” Coons also advised the leaders that “strength in democracy has to be rooted in accountability, in openness, in transparency, and in a willingness to occasionally and fearlessly just engage, particularly with those who are most crippled.”
For Nana Akwasi Awuah, a 2015 Mandela Washington Fellow and lawyer from Ghana, this message rang especially true.
“In the preamble of the Ghana Constitution, it is stated that we as a people commit to probity and accountability,” he said.
Upon returning to Ghana later this summer, Awuah will continue his work toward these essential principles of democracy.
Carper, a ranking member of the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, shared the importance of continually seeking positive change and increased efficiency in organizational affairs.
In a session with student leaders, here as part of the MEPI and Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI), he noted that in every organization, people must always ask, “How can we do this better?”
Carper, who has been elected to government office 13 times, emphasized to participants that they must always look within to find the change they seek. “The leader you are looking for is sitting in your seat,” he said.
Many of the audience members said they enjoyed the opportunity to learn from a passionate and personable leader.
“I like how he presented every one of his staff and gave them the spot to introduce themselves. I think he’s very down to earth, which makes his team trust him more and put more effort and loyalty into their work,” said Hassan Dib, a participant in UD’s MEPI Student Leaders Institute. He added that the senator also “provides a comfortable atmosphere for people who work with him….”
Among other things, Carper stressed the importance of humility, servant leadership and independent thought as key characteristics in young change-makers who hope to inspire others to follow suit.
The global leaders, who range from 18 to 35 years of age, will return home this month to begin implementing the many ideas and skills gained from their experience interacting with Coons and Carper, along with the dozens of University and community experts who have given lectures and taught practical sessions throughout June and July.
Many will help to advance progress in areas including good governance and democracy, human rights, disability awareness and poverty alleviation, among others.
For more information on the University of Delaware’s Department of State sponsored leadership institutes, visit the Institute for Global Studies website or contact Dan Bottomley at dbott@udel.edu.
To learn more about the 65 young leaders on campus this summer, follow @UDGlobal on Instagram and engage using the hashtag #UDGlobalSummer as their stories are highlighted.
About the Institute for Global Studies
The Institute for Global Studies was created in 2009 to enhance the international dimensions of teaching, research and outreach at the University of Delaware. IGS provides leadership and support for programs and experiences that contribute to the education of informed, skilled, open-minded citizens of the world.
Best known for coordinating the University’s study abroad program, IGS also awards scholarships and grants to faculty and students for a number of global opportunities, and administers internationally-recognized State Department-sponsored programs such as the UD Fulbright Initiative, Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) Student Leaders Institute, Mandela Washington Fellowship Program for Young African Leaders, and most recently the Study of the U.S. Institutes for Student Leaders on Women’s Leadership (SUSI-WL) program.
IGS sponsors such signature events as Global Month each fall and country-specific celebrations each spring.
IGS collaborates with other global partners on campus, including the Office for International Students and Scholars, the Confucius Institute and the Center for Global and Area Studies. In addition, IGS partners with Enrollment Management to coordinate the UD World Scholars Program.
Article by Nikki Laws