The Second School for Ecumenical Leadership Formation [SELF], 21st September to 12th October, North Sumatra, Indonesia

The Youth Department of the Christian Conference of Asia conducted the Second School for Ecumenical Leadership Formation [a.k.a. SELF]. The School was a 21-day intensive training program, organized amidst the scenic hill-station surroundings of Sukamakmur, near Medan, the capital city of the western Indonesia Island of North Sumatra. Dominated by a majority Christian population, North Sumatra is the home place of the Batak Karo Christians in Indonesia.

The SELF is a leadership development program, which aims to train and empower first line national ecumenical youth leaders with international training, preparing them to take prominent leadership roles in the ecumenical movement, nationally and internationally. The SELF aims to facilitate ecumenical leadership formation.

SELF-2003 consisted of the following topics:

1. Reading the Signs of Our Times: Deciphering the challenges of our times and the issues that the churches in Asia face.
2. Feminism and Gender Sensitization and Mainstreaming: Analyzing, and responding to, the role and place of women in the Asian societies and churches.
3. Globalization and Economic Injustices: Analyzing, and responding to, the realities of the economic effects of globalization in Asia. Globalization is also understood as a process affecting not just the economic being of people, but also their culture, language, society, safety, and security.
4. The Ecumenical Movement: An anamnesis (memory) of the global ecumenical movement based on the ideology that youth leaders should know where the movement comes from so as to be able to lead her.
5. Interfaith Dialogue and Peace Building in a Multi Religious Context: Responding to the issue of facilitating peaceful communities in Asia and around the world.
6. Networking and Communicating the Ecumenical Vision: Analyzing and preparing oneself to be able to encourage people to become part of the ecumenical movement, and especially studying how one can communicate the ecumenical vision to the youth and other parties.
7. National Projects/Action Plans: Finally, at the conclusion of the theoretical and experiential input (through exposure programs and field trips), putting together concrete and pragmatic strategies for youth work in the national and international context. Emphasis on individual responsibility in the individual and organizational or group action plans.

The SELF 2003 incorporated the use of Bible Studies, exposure programs, field trips, session inputs by thematic experts, continuous theological reflections and understanding the theological and Biblical underpinnings of the SELF components, and sharing of personal and organization real-life experiences to undertake the study of the courses according to the topics included in the program.

An important element of the School was the learn-as-you-do pedagogy of learning. This required the participants to lead the general program and conduct the day-to-day activities. For this four groups of four participants each were formed balancing gender and sub-region. Hence, there was leadership development by practicing how to lead an international program along with the theoretical inputs on different topics provided by resource people. The organizers maintained the overall facilitation of the duration of the School. (This style of leadership on the part of the organizers is commonly described as servant leadership)

The SELF-2003 engaged in building a community of friends among the participants as concentric circles, yet co-joined with other circles of leaders.

The SELF-2003 included 16 participants representing 12 national councils/conferences of churches/Christian councils/conferences in Asia and one participant from the South African Council of Churches Youth Forum. Participant demography consisted of 6 females and 10 males. Background represented included youth leaders, student leaders, lawyers, trained-theologians, seminarians, educators, laymen and women, and Pastoral ministers. Work demography consisted of full-time/part-time staff of national ecumenical organizations, teachers, social workers, volunteers in church youth committees and various youth and student organizations and initiatives.

Countries/regions represented at the SELF-2003 consisted of Australia, Aeotoroa New Zealand, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand. The age group ranged from 21-38 years.

SELF-2003 was hosted by Youth Wing of the Gereja Batak Karo Protestan [GBKP] (a.k.a. Permata (youth) GBKP). Mr. Jan Putra Perangin-angin, General Secretary of the PERMATA GBKP, headed the Local Hosting Committee [LHC] for the SELF-2003.

SELF-2003 was co-hosted by the Youth department of the Communion of Churches In Indonesia (CCI) under the leadership of Ms. Widowati Suwandi, Youth Secretary, CCI. Ms. Wido served as the national contact person for all arrangements regarding the SELF-2003 and played an important intercessory role between CCA and the Permata GBKP during the preparation stage.

Among the various challenges faced by a program of the duration and nature and composition of participants as the SELF, the most prominent were cultural and language barriers, cultural communications, the mental and physical stress of the long duration of the program, lack of modern communication facilities at the venue, different expectation levels, previous exposure to some topics being discussed, and other general adjustment challenges to the food, the weather, and the location.

The SELF-2003 provided a strong bonding among the participants, where the participants mutually supported each other in their stay and learning.