Wesleyan Intercultural Leadership Program (WILP)
The Wesleyan Intercultural Leadership Program (WILP) is open to International and U.S. domestic students (both undergraduate and graduate). WILP believes that leadership is a practice, not a destination. One of the most profound things we humans can do today is shift away from fear and mistrust of difference towards possibility and understanding. When people come together from diverse backgrounds and/or with different perspectives, an inherently creative possibility begins to grow. This program is designed to foster an intercultural community of leaders who are ready to take on issues they are passionate about in order to transform the intercultural vibrancy at Wesleyan.
THE PURPOSE
The purpose of WILP is to cultivate a community of practice for students interested in building intercultural understanding between international students and U.S. domestic students in order to cultivate more trust, acceptance, and cultural understanding. WILP allows opportunity for students to work alongside Wesleyan staff to improve the ways our centers can better support intercultural communication between these two groups of students by taking on projects that are meaningful to students. These projects can range anywhere from a creating a website, to a series of events on a given topic, to creating newsletters, to holding info-sessions, anything that would benefit the centers they work with. Students are meant to be co-creators of WILP, not consumers.
THEORY TO PRACTICE:
WILP is intended to help develop a cultural knowledge base that one can draw upon to help understand the impact of culture upon leadership and intercultural interactions; develop lifelong appreciation and respect for cultural differences; and develop intercultural leadership skills that value and include cultural differences.
We will explore leadership from an intercultural perspective called Personal Leadership. Personal Leadership means leading from the inside out. You become more skilled through self-reflection and a deeper understand of yourself. We will explore Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory.
THE PROGRAM
The Retreat: There will be a mandatory retreat. The retreat is intended to foster relationships within the WILP leaders, learn about intercultural communication theories, and take the lead in one of the committees.
The Committees: WILP leaders will select one of the committees to lead on various projects relating to intercultural communication throughout the school year. Working in small student committees with oversight of a staff member, students will put intercultural communication theories into action. Sample Committees include:
- International Education Committee
- Study Abroad Committee
- Language Symposium Committee
- Fellowship Committee
- ISO/NSO Committee
- Civic Engagement Committee
The Mid-Way Check-In: After winter break, we will have a large group gathering (similar to that of the WILP Retreat) to assess your intercultural leadership development and to discuss each committees’ progress.
The Presentations of Learning: To celebrate and recognize student intercultural accomplishment and growth, we will hold a celebration and “presentation of learning” at the end of the school year. Students, faculty, and administrators will be invited to listen to your presentations of learning. These presentations can be done in a group or individually.