Iraqi Student Leaders Train at University This Summer

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Spring International Language Center at
the University of Arkansas has been chosen to host the 2011 Iraqi
Young Leaders Exchange Program for undergraduate students this
summer. The students will be on the Fayetteville campus from July 9 to Aug. 8.
The program is sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and administered by World
Learning, a Washington-based nonprofit organization.

The six-week program provides students with the leadership
skills they need to produce positive change in Iraq, as well as giving them
opportunities to explore U.S. culture and share insights about their own
culture with Americans.

 “An important goal of
the program is that it should profoundly affect the worldview of these students
and give them a new awareness of themselves, U.S. society and values, and their
home communities,” said Leyah Bergman-Lanier, director of the Spring
International Language Center.

The students arrive in Washington in early July for an
orientation at World Learning on topics such as cross-cultural communication,
U.S. culture, diversity and public speaking. Following the training, 25
Iraqi students come to the University of Arkansas to attend a themed leadership
institute titled “Think Big, Start Small: Entrepreneurship in a Global Society.”

The institute is a collaboration between Spring International
and the Bessie B. Moore Center for Economic Education at the Sam M. Walton
College of Business. It is designed to teach the students the skills they will
need to become community leaders after returning home to Iraq. University and Spring International facultywill teach the students how ethics and social responsibility affect business,
government and non-governmental organizations. The program will also help
students practice their newfound entrepreneurship skills in hands-on workshops,
where they will learn to see market opportunities and will also learn the
practical steps needed to realize those opportunities in their own communities.
In addition to class work, the students will take part in several community
service activities during their six-week stay.

“The university’s Spring International Language Center has
become a leader in language learning both globally and throughout the U.S., and
is a valued asset to this campus,” said Sharon Gaber, provost and vice
chancellor for academic affairs. “Programs like this, though short in duration,
provide unique opportunities for our students to interact with students from
across the world, which enhances diversity on our campus.”