A group of students from Bosnian and Herzegovina and their teachers are in Dayton learning leadership skills.
They’re part of the city’s Youth Leadership Program. Eighteen high schoolers and three of their teachers will spend the next several weeks in the Dayton area participating in numerous activities regarding democracy, community and civic engagement, diversity, and volunteerism.
Miranda Brooks is a Mediation Specialist and Project Manager for the City of Dayton’s Youth Leadership Program. She says the Eastern European teens along with their American peers will learn how to navigate opposing ideas.
“They will have to respond effectively to conflict. Checking in with their moral compass," Brooks explained. "Understanding they have choices to make, small moments to big moments — we all have choices to make.”
At the end of this experience, the students will demonstrate what they’ve learned in a final project.
“Often the projects come in the form of beautifying some part of their city or some capital improvement," Brooks said. "It’s a very tangible thing we can experience.”
The visiting students will create a final project to be implemented in their communities. Around the end of 2024, Brooks and her team will travel overseas to review them.
A $120,000 grant from The U.S. Department of State covers a portion of their expenses along with a cooperative agreement between the City of Dayton and the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo.
