The last two years+ with the Laidlaw programme has been undoubtedly one of the best and most transformative experiences to date. So what happened?
Last summer, I completed my research project on the application of the UK's revised domestic counter-terrorism policy (Prevent Duty), focusing on self-radicalisation policies aimed at schools in County Durham. This culminated into a lengthy report to support Dr. Jessie Blackbourn's research, with a breakdown of individual school policy application/updates, trends identified from the data and recommendations for greater uniform adoption. In my second summer, I had the privilege of doing my independently sourced LiA at Wasgamuwa, Sri Lanka, working with SLWCS, a prominent wildlife conservation group.
The LiA was arguably one of my the boldest undertaking, overflowing with enriching unique experiences and irreplaceable memories. Not many can say they've lived in a rural village for 6 weeks, woke up to the sound of morning birds and encountered herds of wild elephants among other flora & fauna daily. Through it, I gained a deeper understanding of the difficulty in managing conflicting priorities. For a developing country like Sri Lanka, the emphasis on progress and modernising might come at the expense of local biodiversity. While external environmental groups might validly criticise and call out certain damaging actions. A lot of these decisions hinge on the country's leadership, or lack of, instilling dubious policies that inadvertently had a negative chain reaction of events. For example, unregulated expansion and awarding of farm land to garner political support during past elections, has then caused the encroachment onto historic elephant migration paths due to poor foresight. This then results in the vicious cycle of unfortunate human-elephant encounters, causing fatalities on both sides suffered by the laymen and wildlife. It just goes to show the importance of ethical leadership at any level but especially the highest echelons of governance; and how fostering a global citizenship mindset helps to contextualise cultural complex problems in a bid for a fairer solution for all involved. It's only with the openness to engage with different local communities and stakeholders and the root of the problem can be identified. Additionally, the diverse volunteer team gave the chance for further insight into different lifestyles, education systems, beliefs and upbringings. It reinforced the fact that as different as we might seem, there are often more similarities than you would think if one bothers looking deep enough for them.
The programme also constantly provided opportunities for character & leadership development - something I appreciated as it's not often you get the chance to dedicate time for such personal growth with guidance. This included attending the Leeds Scholar's Conference, Oxford Character Project, and the ethical leadership seminars. During the course of these events, it became clear that ethics and character can be cultivated, but also stems from a yearning to learn, to be receptive, to be unafraid of failure and to treat everyone fairly. And all this takes time and effort, through positive reinforcement and careful guidance. Therefore it's great that the Laidlaw Foundation takes such an active approach in nurturing the next generation of leaders. I can safely say that I grew tremendously as an individual, and I'll end off with something that's been on my mind of late.
"Be patient with yourself when you're becoming someone you've never been before. Growth doesn't happen overnight, it takes time. Don't rush the process, because every small step forward is shaping you into the version of yourself you've been working for. Trust the journey, give yourself grace, and remember, becoming greater takes patience."