On July 14, four students from Ukraine and five students from Kazakhstan met for the first time as they gathered in the conference center of Good Shepherd Community Church to begin the 2008 Servant Leadership Academy.  Each of these students had come on a long journey, both geographically and personally.  In the Fall of 2007, these students, recognized for their strong leadership potential, were accepted into the MCF's international servant leadership program.  After attending a servant leadership principles course held at their own universities by MCF trainers, they spent 6 months working with a MCF mentor to research leadership in their own countries.  The next step was the "Academy."

It quickly became clear that these nine students had come to the Academy prepared and ready.  They had written in-depth reports on their research into leadership in their own countries.  They also came with some serious questions and a healthy level of skepticism.  Many wondered if servant leadership was nothing more than a wonderful theory.  Others wondered if the Academy would be yet another seminar filled with speakers sharing their methods and philosophies.

In fact, the Academy was designed to be anything but just another seminar.  The Academy had the profound goal to impact students by giving them 16 days of experiences that exposed them to real-life models of servant leadership.  The hope was that students, through these experiences, would change and grow in their hearts and that they would develop their own passions as servant leaders.  The Academy also strove to be a community for students, a place of openness and trust where students knew that they were believed in and accepted.

The Academy's schedule revolved around nine distinct visits to "communities of servant leadership."  These included locations such as Intel Corp., Concordia University, Medical Teams International, AKT Accounting Firm, and First Fruits of Washington.  Woven alongside these experiences were regular opportunities to share and debrief together at the beautiful conference center of Good Shepherd Community Church.  These times of discussions were supplemented further with videos, guest speakers, and activities that helped students to more deeply process what they were learning.  Students spent most of their evenings with three host families which served as homes away from home and a place where they could relax, share with each other, and record their experiences in a journal.

The days of the Academy, although intense, flew by quickly, and culminated with a closing banquet and program on July 29.  During this program, each student shared how the Academy impacted their life.  Many students commented on how "their hearts were changed."  Others shared their amazement at the close bond formed between them as students from two different countries.  Still others shared about how they now believed that servant leadership was more than just a theory - that it was something real, true and possible.  Students also shared about their own personal mission statements that they had developed during the Academy.  These included missions to "encourage dreaming in children," "defend life," "serve uneducated children and orphanages," "help women to believe in freedom," "build a student society," "promote servant leadership in the business world," and "to practice law to defend the rights of people."

We at the MCF are greatly encouraged by these students and their passions, their missions, their faith, their leadership potential and their hopes and dreams for their own countries.  These students will now embark on the next step of the international servant leadership program.  As they return to their countries, they will demonstrate that servant leadership is truly possible as they work together over the next year to complete a leadership project that serves their home communities.

Following is a brief summary of each day's activities during the 2008 Academy:

Monday, July 14 - Welcome
Students participated in get-acquainted activities and reviewed the concepts of servant leadership by imagining a community of "extraordinary respect."

Tuesday, July 15 - Research Presentations
Students presented their research projects and considered the power of modeling servant leadership by watching the video, "Joshua."

Wednesday, July 16 - Experiencing SL in Corporations
Students met with key leaders at Intel Corporation, where they discussed the values of leaders and how teams of trust are formed.

Thursday, July 17 - Experiencing SL in Education
Students met with leaders and students at Concordia University where they saw community service being modeled by the university.

Friday, July 18 - Experiencing Service with a Non-Profit
Students experienced the "Real. Life." exhibit at Medical Teams International, where they considered the reality of poverty and suffering around the world.  Students then made a difference by serving with MTI's mobile dental clinics.

Saturday, July 19 - Sightseeing in Portland area
Students enjoyed a day of shopping and sightseeing in downtown Portland.

Sunday, July 20 - Faith and SL
Students attended a service at Good Shepherd Community Church and then considered how servant leadership, at its best, is something "greater than ourselves" and requires faith.

Monday, July 21 - Reconciliation and Emotional Intelligence
Through two seminars and the video, "Remember the Titans," students considered the importance of reconciliation, forgiveness and emotional intelligence in relationships. 

Tuesday, July 22 - Experiencing a Community of SL
Students experienced First Fruits of Washington, a Washington apple orchard and an amazing community of servant leadership, as they toured the orchard and met with its owners and leaders.

Wednesday, July 23 - Experiencing a Community of SL - Day 2
Students experienced First Fruits of Washington more significantly, as they participated in the community's summer camp for children.

Thursday, July 24 - Experiencing SL in Business
Students experienced servant leadership working in business as they met and discussed with the leadership of AKT Accounting Firm and Country Financial.

Friday, July 25 - SL in Government
Students met with the Mayor of Tempe, Arizona and with Gresham City officials where they discussed the hopes and challenges of serving with integrity in government.

Saturday, July 26 - Experiencing Service with a Non-Profit, Part 2
Students experienced serving in the community by working with Catalyst Project and painting an elderly neighbor's home.

Sunday, July 27 - Reflection
While camping at Oxbow Campground, students spent the day reflecting on what they had learned at the Academy.

Monday, July 28 - SL Mission Statements
As they continued camping, students finalized their own personal mission statements as servant leaders.

Tuesday, July 29 - The Hard Work of SL
Through discussion and the video, "Freedom Writers," students prepared for the hard work of servant leadership as they return to their home countries.