AMBASSADOR SERETSE KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS INITIATIVE FYI from William and Mary @ wm.edu Inspiring speeches from an ambassador, a former ambassador, a university president and a designated fellow highlighted a joyous ceremony commemorating the closing of the first Young African Leaders Initiative on July 24 at William & Mary. Members of the Presidential Precinct -- W&M, the University of Virginia, James Monroes Ash Lawn-Highland, Thomas Jeffersons Monticello, James Madisons Montpelier and Morven (a foundation that provides administrative services to the University of Virginia ) – were on hand. Since June 14, Presidential Precinct members had hosted 25 YALI fellows in a curriculum designed to create a network of young leaders, give them an opportunity to seek solutions to the challenges their countries face, learn the best practices in governance, public administration and social innovation and experience American history and culture, among other objectives. The group spent the last two weeks at W&M working with the AidData Center for Development Policy, the Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations and the Reves Center for International Studies. Also in attendance at W&M’s iconic Wren Chapel on Thursday were representatives from AECOM, a global company with 45,000 employees that has become one of the largest providers of technical and management support services in the world. Through a partnership with the Presidential Precinct, AECOM has committed nearly $300,000 to support the Washington Fellowship program’s development and execution. Her Excellency Dr. Tebelelo Mazile Seretse, ambassador of Botswana to the U.S., delivered the keynote speech. Her Excellency Dr. Tebelelo Mazile Seretse, ambassador of Botswana to the United States, told the fellows that they “the chosen few,” were selected to represent many others, some of whom may have been more qualified for the program. “Therefore, you have been given a very high and onerous task, and you must take it like leaders are supposed to. Along the way, there are going to be stumbling blocks, you are going to fall. But a leader is one who falls, learns, gets up and moves on,” she said. “You must have the courage to fall, because there will be times when you don’t know everything you need to know … A leader must have the ability to listen, the tolerance to hear a point of view different from their own.” The first woman ever to stand for the Chairmanship of her party, Seretse noted the tendency of Americans to think of Africa as one country, not 54 separate nations. “It shows our unity,” she said, “but it also causes our achievements to fall by the wayside. When you achieve, you must always remember as you go up to have a hand behind you to catch somebody and make them come up, too. “Leadership is never nice when you are alone. It becomes a party and becomes relevant when you are more than one ... You are challenged as youth, as leaders, to do your best to guide us, and to be inclusive in your regime. We should not be talking about democracy, but about participative democracy … Culture is not static. Our time will come, and we need to take our people along.” Full article @ wm.edu/news/stories/2014/25-african-fellows-celebrate-completion-of-inaugural-leadership-initiative.php wm.edu/news/stories/2014/25-african-fellows-celebrate-completion-of-inaugural-leadership-initiative.php
Posted on: Sat, 26 Jul 2014 18:28:05 +0000
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