Ilse's Story

Ilse Aucamp, South Africa

Being a LEADer….Cohort 12

I’ve been trying to write down my experience of becoming a member of the LEAD family a number of times, but with no success. It is almost as if it is something that you need to experience, like river rafting or bungee jumping, and no words will really ever do justice to the experience. And it truly is an experience.

For the Associates from Southern and Eastern Africa the experience started in Malawi. Africa can break your heart with its tremendous contrasts, and our story is often a sad one. But the African spirit is also strong, and high in the mountains outside Zomba, I was reminded why I was so proud of being African, and why there is so much hope for our continent.

What an amazing experience for a group of Africans, from different countries and tribes, to discuss Africa and its problems in an honest and open way, without interference from outside. I realised then that we must be the change we want to see in the world, as Ghandi, another great African leader, has said. It was up to us, the young leaders, brought together by LEAD to start making those changes.

Malawi set the scene for Indonesia, I didn’t think that I would learn much at the ITS – being a social scientist working in the environmental field I am very familiar with the terms “communities” and “climate change”. I was proved wrong on every level. Being a member of a group, observing group processes consciously over a period, socialising with people from across the globe, working closely with my colleagues from SEA, and exploring a new environment was all a tremendous learning experience. I could write a book about the one night in Jakarta and the week in Bandung. There will be characters like Mowgli, Bagheera and Shere Khan in my book, and lots of Latino dancing. Rice will be served three times a day, and bus rides with multi-lingual singing would be obligatory for the development of character.

I realised that we live in a global village, we are all the same, and experience the same problems. We are never alone, and there are passionate people across the globe doing what they believe in, fighting for people and planet. I realised that the greatest gift in this world is the people, and within them lays a wealth of creativity, love, caring and passion. There are still people with “old fashioned” value systems. I am proud that I could meet some of them and work with some of them for a brief period in Indonesia.

When I feel uninspired, I think of some of the fiery individuals, and I create a new passion and joy for life. The LEAD experience changed me. It taught me more compassion, and it inspired me to become a true agent of change. Since we live in a global village, inspiration is only an e-mail away...

Would I recommend LEAD to anyone? Yes, I would, wholeheartedly. It is an organisation with its heart in the right place, and LEADers all over the globe will work towards being the change they want to see in the world.

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