Pro-Active Leadership (PAL) Program
for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot High School Students
“The things I learned during my time in Amherst as well as all of the experiences I had, helped me see things from a different point of view. My experiences here helped me understand that if you really want to, you can achieve a lot in life. I will try to use all that I learned during the PAL program to guide my future experiences after I return to Cyprus.” (Student quote)
The Pro-Active Leadership (PAL) Program for Thirty-two Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot Junior-Level High School Students took place at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst from July 2-23, 2005. The Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT), in partnership with the Psychology of Peace and Prevention of Violence Program (Peace Psychology) and the Center for International Education (CIE) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, implemented the PAL Program. The three week program was built upon an educational pedagogy that taught students leadership development and cooperative problem solving skills while developing trust and friendships between them in a safe and respectful environment.
There were two primary goals that guided the PAL Program: (1) to promote positive interaction between students to build bridges for the future and to help strengthen a healthy civil society in Cyprus; and (2) to help students develop increased leadership, cooperative problem solving, and cross-cultural skills that they would use to build friendships and improve understanding between the two communities and with their American peers. The first goal was long term in nature and hopes that the program will have lasting impact long after the students return to Cyprus. The second goal was more short-term focused and was expected to help contribute to reaching the first goal.
Six objectives were designed to help actualize these two goals. They were as follows:
· To improve students’ leadership, cooperative problem solving and critical thinking skills that will aid their ability to become future leaders.
· To improve students’ understanding of cultural differences and similarities and increase their respect and appreciation of diversity.
· To help students develop trusting relationships and begin friendships across the two communities.
· To help students develop a new civic awareness in order to utilize and share their new leadership and cooperative problem solving skills within their respective communities in Cyprus.
· To help students explore the role of young people in fostering positive change within and between communities in Cyprus
· To prepare students to maintain contact after the program with each other and their American peers, and have the ability to organize reunions and share related experiences via an e-mail listserv and web forum.