Carr reaches out to international delegates in Russia in hopes of building tomorrow’s leaders
Public administration and public policy professor T.R. Carr was selected to mentor and teach delegates from more than 120 countries in Russia at the International Youth Forum last summer.
Carr said it was really an impressive event with a high level of motivation and professionalism among those who attended.
“There was a wealth of knowledge about international business and professional skills related to individual career development available to delegates.” Carr said. “The speakers were selected based on their professional accomplishments and the delegates were highly motivated as well.”
The International Youth Forum Seliger (IYFS) was funded by the Russian government according to Carr. Carr met with emerging leaders from around the world. Approximately 1,000 delegates were from Asia, Africa, Europe, U.S. and Russia and were between 20 and 30 years of age.
They all gathered near Lake Seliger in the Tver forest region- about 150 miles northwest of Moscow-to learn about leadership and professional development, as well as to meet other individuals from around the world.
Carr said this was a significant opportunity to meet future business and political leaders from around the world “in a format that provided for individual interaction.”
“The delegates generally had the same aspirations as graduate students at SIUE,” Carr said. “You realize how small the world is after meeting so many individuals from around the world.”
Carr said he observed from his conversations with the delegates that “as individuals, we’re all alike.”
As Carr learned from the various perspectives of the delegates, he said they expressed considerable interest in attending such an event in the U.S. should one be sponsored by the American government.
Carr was one of two faculty members from the U.S. selected to serve as presenters. He lectured on such topics as: Leadership in the 21st Century, Understanding the American Health Care System, How to Engage in Business in the American System and Essential Elements for Success in the Decentralized American System.
Other speakers included, Alexey Nikolov, managing director of Russia Today, an Emmy-nominated global news channel with more than 530 million viewers; Marty Boldin, director of the City of Manchester Office of Youth Services in England and a chemical dependency and social work professional; and Alisa Korneeva, marketing manager of Galeries Lafayette in France. Other speakers were from the United Nations, the European Union and international businesses.
As stated on the IYFS website, “The main goal of the Forum is to build an international community of young people based on the principles of peaceful coexistence, the promotion of personal and democratic liberties and recognition of cultural diversity.”
Carr said he believed in the importance of learning about international perspectives and about international business.
“Events like this would allow Americans to gain insights into the views of individuals from other countries,” Carr said. “One of the things impressed upon me is that we as Americans need to understand the complexities of international business.”
Carr said his participation in the Forum has served to encourage him to set a goal to create some international classes here at SIUE.
“My participation in the Forum lays a foundation for future international presentations in various venues and, perhaps most significantly, participation in this international forum serves to increase the reputation and visibility of SIUE in an international environment to individuals from countries around the world,” Carr said.
For more information about the IYFS visit www.interseliger.com
Filed Under: General CAS Stories • Public Admin & Policy