Four SU London students successfully complete ‘Journey of Understanding’
March 2008-03-07
SU London students Don Desawade, Haley Kanor, Nathan Muller and Celina Tousignant returned to London last week after taking part in a ten-day Journey of Understanding in Aberdovey, Wales. The four served as the only American representatives in a diverse group of participants hailing from Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
The Journey of Understanding program is a unique excursion that brings together 24 young people (ages 16-23) from the US, UK, Indonesia, Israel, and Palestinian Territories. Through a combination of intense physical challenges, team-building exercises and group discussions, participants address complex issues such as: stereotypes, identity, cultural heritage and ethnic conflict. The last day of the program is spent in London making presentations to local schools. In addition, the most recent program’s itinerary included a visit to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at his official residence, Number 10 Downing Street.
The Journey of Understanding program was created by Encompass Trust www.encompasstrust.org, an organization founded in the wake of the Bali terrorist bombings of 2002. The family of one of the victims—Daniel Braden—felt that as long as people are able to dehumanize the faith or culture of an ‘Other’, events like the one that killed Dan would continue to occur. Encompass currently runs two Journeys of Understanding per year in addition to their other local programming.
"By the end of the trip I stopped thinking about the people in the sense that he is a Palestinian and she is Jewish, and more in the sense that we are all brothers and sisters from the world," said Muller. "This is a powerful transition that can really affect thought, change and peace."
This is the third Journey of Understanding in which SUL students have participated, but the first since Syracuse University and Encompass Trust entered an official partnership. The next Journey of Understanding is set for November 2008 and will be held in Scotland in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Pan Am 103 Lockerbie tragedy.
"We’re very pleased with the partnership we’ve developed with Encompass," said SUL Director Peter Leuner. "It’s exactly the kind of learn-by-doing activity that Scholarship in Action is all about."