Testimonials from the 2009 Summer Fellowship Programs

Amy Larsen, American Fellow, American Program

When I reflect back on my HIA experience, I can feel the full range of emotions that took hold of me at different points during the month. I recall the initial excitement and enthusiasm with which I greeted the other participants on my program and the astonishment I felt when I realized that after only a very short time we had become friends. The conversations we had among ourselves and with speakers were refreshing in that they allowed me to take a more critical and honest look at the United States and its policies on immigration, race relations, LGBT rights (and lack thereof), education, religion, the environment, the criminal justice system, multiculturalism, civil and political liberties, and other social justice issues. As my understanding of the topics we were engaged with grew, so too did my frustration with the shortcomings of this system that I have always been a part of but somehow failed to fully comprehend from all angles.

Even as my discontentment with the way things are expanded to greater proportions than it ever had before, so much so that it suddenly stood in sharp contrast to my vision of what the world-- and my country-- should look like, I was simultaneously energized and inspired by the broad range of actions we were shown that one may take in order to challenge the status quo. Herein lies the great beauty and strength of the HIA program: that while one's critical eye further develops through discussions and more accurate insights into how things are (which could become overwhelming because of the harsh and dissatisfying reality that becomes apparent), the many ways that one is capable of enacting change and making a difference are also demonstrated by speakers and through site visits so that one does not sink into a state of crippling skepticism, despair, and inaction.

Instead, we were encouraged to exercise our creative faculties and to channel our passions and discontents into thoughtful debate and informed action. From this point of view, dissatisfaction is important, even essential, but its role is to serve as a positive force, one that gets you out of bed in the morning and reminds you why you are fighting to make things better. Without it, one might languish in apathy. Instead of allowing this, HIA empowers participants to take up the causes that are in their hearts and shows them how to inspire others, who may be paralyzed by their own frustrations or by the belief that one person is incapable of making a difference, to try anyway. I am reminded of the famous words of Margaret Mead, who says we must “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” I am looking forward to many more years of engagement with the HIA Senior Fellows network as well as with the many global challenges and opportunities that inform our various worldviews and compel us to act.

Ben Mericli, American Fellow, American Program

For a black woman immersed in the lawful racism of the Jim Crow South, the prospect of using the same restroom or of eating at the same lunch counter as her white counterparts – of even marrying a white man – was unimaginable, nearly impossible. For a gay man in 1950’s America, the idea of a concerted, nationwide movement for equal rights and acceptance was farcical, absurd, and again almost impossible. Again and again throughout history and throughout the world, the gravest abuses of human rights and the most repulsive atrocities in war and peace are too often deemed irresolvable by those who both observe and experience them.

My experience with the Humanity in Action fellowship, one that I will always value immensely and remember fondly, threw me into a world of people, organizations, and movements that confront that sense of impossibility with open-mindedness, ingenuity, and knowledge. We traveled to the precinct where the Newark Riots erupted in 1967, alongside the man who was handed a bullhorn and asked to calm the swelling mob from atop a squad car; we examined the motives and mechanics of a Brooklyn community development center led by a former convict and sociologist devoted to combating recidivism; we were welcomed into a house on a narrow side street in the Bronx where the homeless work together to expand the rights and access of others living on the streets. In other words, we stepped into settings both historically significant and currently relevant where some decided to examine and doubt that impossibility. We ourselves learned to erode or understand it through approaches both analytical and organic, communal and personal.

After the HIA program, it is much harder to make the excuse that today’s great injustices are inevitable, or that their solutions are impossible dreams. HIA pushes its fellows to search for reflections of possibility in even the most daunting tasks, through study, analysis, and dialogue. Truly unique in its broad scope, the program granted us personal access to some of the most accomplished scholars of history, law, and the humanities, and sparked candid discussions with some of the most creative and hardworking human rights revolutionaries of today’s New York. Perhaps most importantly, HIA fosters strong friendships among its participants, relationships with the potential to become a powerful international exchange between some of the great social innovators of tomorrow.

And I didn’t even say how much fun I had. Calling all skeptics, optimists, scientists, humanists…

Janine White, American Fellow, American Program

I found HIA to be an enjoyable, challenging, and ultimately rewarding experience. The highlight for me was connecting with an intelligent and energetic international group of young people who are interested in changing the world. It was fascinating to get to know the group members, whose diverse backgrounds spanned many more parts of the world than the six countries that we officially represented. Our broad range of perspectives and past experiences added depth to our discussions about the various issues that characterize American and European societies. I find the international nature of HIA to be one of its core strengths.

Becoming part of this network has provided me with a significant source of inspiration. I came into the program at a crossroads, looking for some direction about how to combine my academic interests with practical experience in working with immigrants and refugees. Given the nature of our intense conversations, HIA has perhaps left me with some more questions than answers about where to go from here. I certainly feel empowered by the experience, however, as it has helped to affirm my personal commitment to promoting human rights. As a New Jersey native, many of the issues that we dealt with struck, quite literally, close to home. I'm grateful that I've had the opportunity to see a place that in many ways is so familiar to me with new eyes. As I decide on jobs and graduate school for the next phase of my life, I know that this goal of addressing local and international issues of social justice will help to direct me. My experience with HIA has also made me feel connected to a broader network that is working in this field. I hope that we will continue to inspire and support each other as we pursue our various endeavors.

Sesi Aliu, American Fellow, Danish Program

One reasonable question for potential applicants to the Humanity in Action summer fellowship: how much can happen in five weeks? That certainly crossed my mind as I applied.

The answer is different for everyone, but for me, five weeks was enough time for me to get a critical glimpse into a rapidly transforming society. Five weeks was enough time for me to make friends I plan to keep for life. And five weeks was enough time for me to realize that a society’s own members must be its most severe critics.

What I valued most about my HIA experience were the connections it created and illuminated.

After completing the summer core program, I now know people in Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Poland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and all across the U.S. who share many of my values and goals, and I believe our connection through HIA will be an invaluable resource as we promote, advocate and incorporate human rights into and across our respective professions.

My HIA experience also brought to light connections between different segments of society, converging on human and minority rights. Most lectures, discussions and site visits added layers of complexity to issues I had only been vaguely familiar with beforehand, challenging me to examine many not-so-simple problems more deeply. Everyday brought new input, questions, and debate.

It’s one thing to read articles about challenges many European societies face in assimilating people of different backgrounds, but quite another to hear personal accounts of ethnic minorities struggling for equal footing and to see institutions fighting to provide these opportunities, all against the backdrop of broad policy statements offered by government officials.

The cross-cultural dynamic fostered by the multinational composition of the group was also refreshing. Studying another society puts problems, principles, and policies into relief, and everyone leaves the experience a bit more critical of their society’s faults, and appreciative of its merits. This dynamic is unique to the HIA experience, and in my opinion, definitely makes it worthwhile.

The gathering of fellows from all over the U.S. in New York was only a mild preview of the international HIA gathering in Paris. With 100 plus fellows from more than eight different countries – and many, many more backgrounds – interacting non-stop for three days, the opening week of the HIA experience is quite intense, as is the rest of the program.

But future fellows, take note: from the get-go, make the most of the experience. The schedule can be demanding and tiring, but as with everything else, the more you put in, the more you get out. So push yourself to do, see, and learn as much as you can, because you only have five weeks.

Sofie Boudigaard Nielsen, Danish Fellow, Danish Program

"How has it been and what happened on the program?" are the questions I am repeatedly asked to answer by my friends back home after completing the Danish core program. The first part of the question is easy to respond to: it's been incredibly intense and really interesting! But then comes the tricky part, because how can I possibly start to explain what happened on the program? Sure I could give a list of all the speakers and site-visits but that doesn't quite cover it.

Being a Dane myself I usually start by explaining how, for me, this program was an opportunity to learn more about marginalized groups and human rights issues in my own society - in a more catchy phrase the 'flip-side' of the Danish welfare state. Personally, I have mostly worked with these issues outside my own country, so looking inward instead of outwards was not only a healthy and important exercise but also necessary in order to have a more nuanced and balanced perspective in the future. Participating in this program definitely reminded me of the importance of not allowing the idea or illusion of the equal welfare state to become a pretext for doing nothing. Rather, that we must be constantly critical and question what we are not doing, who we are overlooking, and what we could do better if only we tried a little harder.

As an academic, one of the great things about this program has been the opportunities to leave theory behind for a moment and meet practitioners who actually work with these issues. This meant focusing on practical and feasible solutions and seeing for instance how laws passed in parliament effect people in their everyday lives.

Finally, and maybe most important of all, this program has left me with images: images of an inmate covered in tattoos singing in a prison choir, images of kinder garden children sitting in a circle at an asylum camp, images of what a 'free-space' for prostitutes looks like, and not least images of the people who live or work here. These are images which I suspect will stay with me for the rest of my life and hopefully remind me, and others, of the importance of focusing on the human and individual level when we discuss theories on society or make laws.

Luis Santoyo Mejia, American Fellow, Danish Program

Humanity in Action is one of the most intense, enjoyable, and enriching learning experiences of my life. The learning started from day one, and it continued throughout. It continues to this day, more than a month and a half after the program’s closing. And I’m certain it will continue for the rest of my days.

For the American fellows, the program began in New York City, where we learned about President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration’s influence on U.S. immigration policy, U.S. involvement in the Second World War, and the birth of the State of Israel. Then we got a glimpse of the same war through a group close reading of Czeslaw Milosz’s “Six Lectures in Verse.”

The following day our rapidly bonding group flew to Paris for the European branch of the program. There we met the rest of the HIA fellows, young Europeans from, yes, core program host countries, but also from the Ukraine, Kenya, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Canada, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. One of the things that makes HIA so special and unique is precisely the cultural diversity its participants bring. Many of these fellows had studied abroad, could speak at least three foreign languages fluently, and were more than willing to talk about their countries. In Paris we visited Cité Nationale de l’Histoire de l’Immigration, where we learned about France’s treatment of immigrants and minorities across centuries. At Mémorial de la Shoah, we learned about the construction of a memory of the Holocaust in France from French historian Georges Bensoussan.

Less than a week into the program, all the fellows split up into smaller groups. The European core programs had begun. I, together with twenty-one lucky others, flew to Copenhagen, Denmark, where I shared an unforgettable month and connected with a group of some of the friendliest, brightest, most open-minded and inspiring people I’ve ever met. Young, intellectually curious people eager to engage in meaningful and candid discussions at any time and in any place.

Through a program that included discussions, guided visits, and casual outings, I experienced contemporary Denmark and Copenhagen in a manner not possible in any other way—live and in full color. We had discussions with distinguished people in academia, government, and the media. We visited a refugee center, a shelter for prostitutes, and the Danish national parliament. We hung out at a local beach, joined in the celebration of a Danish birthday party, and ate dinner with our respective Danish host families, who showed us that side of Danish society hardly accessible in a lecture room: everyday Denmark.

Many things happened in Copenhagen, Paris, and New York City. I gained invaluable knowledge and perspective, new intellectual interests, and unforgettable life experiences. I met many kindred spirits along the way. And I made good friends for life.

Darya Marchenkova, American Fellow, Dutch Program

I applied for Humanity in Action because as a housing rights activist, I'm always saying, "Housing is a human right!" I wanted to understand the history, doctrines, and institutions behind the second part of that sentence. I took knowledge and information from the program that will help me in my future work, always in unexpected ways.

The Core Program’s research component was my most valuable HIA experience. I started out asking the question, “Weeks after an extreme Right wing Dutch politician was elected to European Parliament, why is Amsterdam so quiet? Where are the protests?” This basic observation led to a rich and fruitful research project on opposition to the radical Right, raising diverse issues of globalization and European integration, resistance culture, political apathy, liberalism, and the responsibility of journalism. I can remember thinking that I was learning more about my own city of New York than I was of Amsterdam; so sharp and illuminating were the political and cultural contrasts. My interviews with local activists and pundits were always fascinating and productive. After only 5 weeks in the country, I have access to a large political network in The Netherlands.

Above all, my experience with Humanity in Action has been very empowering. After completing this summer’s Core Program, I feel like I’m beginning something, not ending it. Joining the HIA community offers one a huge amount of opportunities—not strictly in its internship offerings, but in the enormous network of intellectual companions and good friends. I have the feeling that the world has grown smaller, and I have more opportunities to explore it and contribute to its well-being.

I would advise students preparing for application or entry to HIA not to be afraid of creating an alternative experience—to challenge canonical human rights and develop unconventional perspectives. While examining life and society in your host country with a critical eye, take this opportunity of complete cultural immersion to build an insightful, nuanced, and compassionate interpretation of your host city, country, and its people. Above all, you should be excited! HIA is an extraordinary adventure.

Jan de Graaf, Dutch Fellow, Dutch Program

Often programs that are primarily focused on talented, engaged students tend to pretend their program will create future world leaders. Not Humanity in Action. It did not promise air castles or future world leaders but it did in fact create an environment in which it inevitably becomes clear to all participants that our ambition and engagement is needed not only in a global setting but in our own near world as well. Being exposed to life-stories of ordinary people who fought against all odds for a better life, for themselves or for others, made me realize that the aim for human rights and human dignity is not only an intellectual exercise or a struggle fought for far away from here - but in fact a struggle that is a daily reality for many people among us. By offering challenging, intensive and often very personal lectures, site-visits and group discussions, HIA manages to create a very intensive but encouraging program.

The story of a former refugee from Africa, for example, touched me deeply and motivated me to take direct action. He shared his experiences as a former soldier, as which he ended up fighting a war - because he had to do military service - without a clue of what he was fighting for. Eventually he managed to escape the army, the country and the continent and after a long bureaucratic hassle he even managed to go to university and to finish his PhD in The Netherlands. Besides that I was deeply touched by his courage and tenacity, I was proud to hear he was a senior fellow of Humanity in Action too!

That is HIA's biggest accomplishment, it brings motivated people together - both co-fellows and speakers - all sharing a strong commitment and a critical view towards the status quo. In the same way I was touched by the endless struggle of a woman from the refugee council who continuously pledged the government for more humane circumstances for asylum seekers in our country. In a similar way I was inspired by young school teachers of an Islamic school in a suburb of Amsterdam who tried to tell their pupils not to be fearful, despite the intimidating preventive police protection in front of the school as a result of the heated public debate on Islam in The Netherlands. Moreover, I was at least as impressed by the struggle against certain prejudices that some fellow students in our program had faced in their lives. I have learned tremendously from them and from the other speakers and I can only congratulate Humanity in Action with bringing these people together and with facilitating such a challenging program. It will have a long lasting impact on my thinking and my actions.

Gorčin Dizdar, Bosnian Fellow, French Program

The HIA 2009 programme in Paris was an immensely rewarding experience, enabling me to break down numerous stereotypes and gain a profound insight into the realities of contemporary French society. The quality of the speakers, the enthusiasm and variety of backgrounds of the participants as well as the intensity of the debates all contributed towards the depth of the learning process, leaving the participants with a clear idea not only of the issues at hand, but also of the strengths and weaknesses of their own positions. The sheer amount of data and opinions encountered during the programme also ensured that our ideas about some of the most important human rights issues today could not remain unchanged, or at least developed to more profound levels.

The constantly recurring debate about the French 'non' to ethnic statistics exemplifies another significant aspect of the HIA experience: it is a programme enabling one to simultaneously learn about (at least) two countries and their attitudes. In addition to that, the presence of the Bosnian fellows usually adds a third perspective, while the input of fellows with diverse backgrounds often provides additional views and ideas. The 'clash of civilizations', primarily between the US and the French fellows, led to the most significant insight of the programme: the so-called 'West' is a very heterogeneous collection of countries, peoples and attitudes which sometimes mutually differ more than their alleged enemies in other parts of the world. What unites them is a declarative commitment to human rights, but the variety of interpretations of these rights offers hope that in the near future we will finally be able to overcome the rhetoric of insurmountable differences between individual cultures.

Finally, and most importantly, the HIA programme offers a unique opportunity to meet the actual 'humans' whose abstract rights we are discussing, and learn about the true impacts of the application of these rights on their lives. This relates to some of the speakers, but also the participants whose personal experiences tell us about the complexities and ambiguities of the concept of human rights. Even though sometimes it felt as though our human right to an 8-hour working day was not completely respected, we also had plenty of time to get to know each other and ultimately have a really great time.

Daniel Gore, American Fellow, French Program

The imperfection of testimonials and society. Every person who futilely attempts to describe their HIA experience within the space afforded in a testimonial may, despite their best intentions, be doing a disservice to the purpose of the program. The program is much too unique and distinctive to simply sum up in a few concisely written paragraphs. HIA does not adhere to one academic routine, but rather seeks to educate its fellows through a variety of means: namely lectures, seminars, discussions, workshops, site visits, and independent research. Through the challenging academic environment that is induced by the hard-working staff, fellows are able to debate, discuss, and reason with one another regarding contemporary and historical human rights subjects. Yet, if one is looking to encounter consensus and unanimity in thought, look away, change the website, and apply somewhere else. Each of the fellows, whether American, French, or Bosnian, brought their own perspective into the program. Strong beliefs are a necessity here since one must be able to defend their views in front an adept, yet constructively critical group.

The strength of this program lies not only in the independent nature of the fellows, but in the quality of subjects discussed. They certainly force one into reflection, and a form of introspective behavior that I was typically not accustomed to. Many of the images witnessed were powerful and force one to re-evaluate one’s own previous biases and misconceptions. I was impressed by the fierce urgency that many of the speakers elucidated in their presentations, and I came away thinking about how some of these problems could be resolved. Of course, it is important to note that most of the time; we were left with more questions than answers. This program is not designed to simply offer a set of solutions for the many ills plaguing our society. On the other hand, we are presented with a wide variety of issues that have yet to be resolved. We have a responsibility to bring these pertinent matters into the public realm, and raise the level of the discourse in our world. Then, we must turn our words into deeds, and our plans into action to make society free of the divisive and hurtful discrimination that still persists.

I would conclude by urging all those seeking to intellectually challenge themselves to participate in this program. We live in a society that often accepts ignorance because we do not want to tackle the difficult and imposing questions that exist. HIA does not follow this creed, but instead confronts these important questions head-on. The five weeks I spent in Paris were a great time academically, and do not fear, there is still some time to go out and enjoy the city of lights.

Kennedy Odede, American Fellow, French Program

Humanity in Action is an incredible program because it allows fellows to understand and connect with the essential elements of the human experience. As a student from Kenya I had never before understood the struggles of Europe, as in Africa we often conceive of the West as a perfect place.

By being a fellow in Paris I learned that a universal aspect of the human experience is struggle. This has changed my interpretation of my experience growing up in a Kenyan slum, and gives me hope that in the future people from all over the world will unite in a collective struggle for justice and humanity.

Ignacio Petticollot, French Fellow, French Program

I am grateful. To the Senior Fellow who insisted that I should apply for HIA. To the HIA staff for allowing me to participate in the '09 French core program. To the French staff in particular, for this incredible month they organized in advance and reorganized on a daily basis for us fellows. I am also grateful to the other fellows for letting me know them, and for influencing my life with precious inputs.

This might sound as if I were in awe of Humanity in Action. What was so extraordinary about it? I'll explain my gratitude.

HIA came at a time when I stopped mentioning my high school on my resume. But it felt like going back to school. In a concrete sense: time schedule, fatigue, lecturers defile, same classroom, same classmates everyday. And also in the sense that it upgraded my life, career and studies projects. I applied following a very good friend's advice. As many French students, I was not used to summer programs. Not willing to stay in France, I was wishing to be part of the New York summer program. I was finally selected for the French one.

What would I have missed.

Participating in the French Core Program meant to rediscover France. Through my own eyes of course, but also through the American and Bosnian fellows'. We were a group with very diverse origins and backgrounds, and I listened with astonishment to the challenging questions asked by young and brilliant students who were just discovering France. The program presented France's political, social and cultural challenges deeply, objectively. The experts we had the opportunity to meet showed both worth of pride and shaming events, in French history as well as in present days.

Concerning the time shared with other fellows, set aside how wonderful were the people I've met, it has made me more precautious. Getting used to cultural difference is a trap we can easily fall into. We end up not questioning ourselves, assuming that we're not that different in the end. Diversity of backgrounds and origins would be incomplete without the diversity of projects and solutions we have in mind.

Humanity in Action offers every fellow the opportunity to turn these thoughts into action. Humanity in Action handles these projects and solutions to the social, political, institutional actors in countries where programs are organized. I strongly wish there will still be a program in France in the next couple of years.

Deva-Dee Siliee, American Fellow, French Program

HIA is more than just an educational summer program. HIA is about life, about looking deeply into the complexities of social life, about thinking critically on all its components, questioning your pre-existing notions, asking hard questions, listening, observing, discussing, learning and growing. HIA is also about breaking barriers, from language barriers to cultural and ideological ones. Moreover, HIA is about building bridges in the search for solutions to contemporary issues that affect us all, regardless of where we come from or live. The framework through which you analyze the dilemmas, struggles and issues that one country faces in the area of human rights and minority rights will help expand your own understanding of the world.

More than just another academic experience, this truly unique opportunity provided me with a new of breadth of knowledge, intellectual tools and interpersonal skills that I didn’t have before. Most importantly I left Paris with a group of new friends, whose ideas and contributions have all had an impact on me. I was inspired not only by fascinating scholars, artists, leaders, entrepreneurs, social workers and grassroots activists but by a multicultural dynamic ensemble of like-minded young people. If you are open to absorb and to learn as much as possible, you will. When I left Paris, I felt overwhelmed, but at the same time satisfied, fulfilled and encouraged. I know that there is a long journey ahead of me, but thanks to this program I am another step ahead,..

Lijia Xie, American Fellow, French Program

Humanity in Action comprised for me many firsts: my first time staying in a hostel, my first trans-Atlantic flight, my first time in Europe, my first time walking in a gay pride parade, my first time meeting a Holocaust survivor, my first time meeting people who had survived civil war and genocide, and my first time engaging constantly in a diverse community of American and European scholars for five weeks. Periods of this kind of intense scholarship and collaboration are often surprising, with intellectual gains creeping upon me in such rapid succession that I can hardly imagine how the world must have seemed to me before HIA. The only thing that remained the same was my knowledge that these changes and firsts could not have happened without HIA and its generous support, both intellectual and financial. HIA has further strengthened my goals to become a social advocate as well as a physician. It helped me to see the unavoidable links between human rights, including the right to healthcare, and the social politics that happen everyday in the U.S. and France that disenfranchise groups. I was amazed to hear about the poor living conditions in a French prison, see the poverty just minutes by car outside of Paris, and the lack of rights right inside Paris for undocumented immigrants. When a group of protesting undocumented workers, mainly from the Maghreb, asked my group of Scholars what we could do for them, I felt helpless and overwhelmed. HIA has motivated me with the urgency so that when this happens again, I will have answers.

Elizabeth Krasner, American Fellow, German Program

What is amazing about Humanity in Action being in a group of like-minded people, with similar values and completely different professional goals; it is both humbling and inspiring. The idea that we each go on after HIA and work towards minority and human rights in different ways around the world is a powerful one, and I certainly met many extraordinary people doing just that.

As an architect, I necessarily approached lectures and visits differently than many of my political scientist and historian colleagues. This meant that for me the program became an exploration of the intersection of many different disciplines -- issues were no longer simply a question of human rights, but spatial/social/political struggles. Each topic became inherently more complex and I learned immensely from my peers as we struggled together to clarify the core of a particularly issue.

Within the program, the Research Project is an invaluable opportunity to conduct real field research in a context that matters -- to be taken seriously, and published, with so little initial expertise. For me, it was a way of understanding the culture I had inserted myself into; being able to look at architectural-political movements in underprivileged areas in Berlin precisely at the moment when they were publicly called into question was an extraordinary privilege. It was also one that I could never have gotten in another way -- the level of detail and comprehension in the program provided me with the framework to recognize and explore this issue only days before protests broke out.

The HIA Berlin team, particularly Antje Scheidler and Anton Guhl, were fantastic leaders. Without missing a beat, they accompanied us through the thorniest parts of history, across the culture and through the city. I was continually surprised (and exhausted) by the realization how much more there was to learn every day. In this way my German counterparts proved invaluable troves of knowledge, filling in the gaps left between broad historical themes. There is a cliched expression that they took us to the kinds of places "only locals know." There is a kind of specificity and necessity about these places -- that once you understand the uniqueness of the experience it becomes inherently more valuable. I think the German students did this for us on a number of levels, certainly starting with showing us their country, but also by explaining their culture, their histories, and their own understandings. Indeed, the underground/klezmer/punk bar (another amalgam of genres) or the east Berlin squatted house party/variety show were things that I could never have seen without them, or understood without a knowledge of Berlin today, or even that could have happened in any other place.

I hope to carry with me the lessons I learned from HIA -- both the discrete knowledge I acquired but also, and more importantly, to embody the less tangible qualities of the program; the curiosity for what is invisible, the determination to do what is right, and the knowledge of my own power to make change.

Ruth Langer, German Fellow, German Program

Growing up in a western European country where average living conditions are good, the social welfare net catches most of the needy, education is provided more or less for free, where I can go out at any time of day or night without fear, a country that claims to be respectful of all people, allowing for freedom of speech and religion; I asked myself: what could I possibly learn in a summer programme looking at human and minority rights in exactly this country?

Well, I knew that not everything in Germany is perfect and that things could and should always be improved, but it was not until I saw the disbelief in the faces of my international HIA fellows when talking about our school system, that I became aware myself of how unequal the established structures actually are. And it is exactly this combination of pressing topics and a diversity of people and minds that made me open up my eyes and think again about a country that I thought I knew so well.

HIA has provided the platform and the structure, the speakers and the expertise, and last but no least, selected the people to share this unique experience with. It was a challenge and it was a lot of work, but it was open for everyone to take as much out of it as he or she wanted to. It was engaging and it was just the door opener for a new group of like-minded people who might stay in touch all over the world to keep questioning the supposedly comfortable and not so comfortable routines of our every day life.

Colette van der Ven, Dutch Fellow, German Program

More than anything, Humanity in Action is a challenge. Humanity in Action will challenge your ideas. The depth of the core-program is such that one gets exposed to a myriad of different issues related to human rights. The discussions surrounding different themes and topics make each participant question their personal opinions and be more aware of their own prejudices. In my case, Humanity in Action deconstructed my notion of developed versus underdeveloped countries. Being Dutch but not having lived in the Netherlands for the last seven years, I always thought of Europe, especially Western Europe, as the world’s champion of human rights. My concern about human rights violations was primarily directed at the Southern Hemisphere. Participating in Humanity in Action made me more aware of Europe’s shadow side. It opened my eyes to severe human right violations that are still taking place on a daily basis on a continent whose political rhetoric may make you to believe otherwise.

Humanity in Action is challenging on a personal level. Most of the participants, despite their incredible diversity, have one thing in common: they all like to discuss, engage in debate, and take on leadership. In such an intense environment, it takes some readjustment before everyone has found his or her place within the group. This makes the program quite confrontational. Your peers become mirrors, enabling you to better examine your own strengths and weaknesses. This gives one the opportunity to improve, both as a person and as an effective advocate for human rights. I learned, for example, to be less imposing when sharing my convictions with others.

Humanity in Action provides you with future challenges. It is one thing to aspire for a better world; it is quite another to know how to commence this quixotic adventure. From the 120+ fellows, the numerous senior fellows, and the many, many lecturers you will meet, you will undoubtedly hear about opportunities that resonate closely with what you want to do in your life, or that can give you ideas if you are lost. For example, after listening to a lecture on right wing extremism in Germany, an HIA friend of mine is now interning with the NGO that helps right wing extremists to leave the scene. Personally, I will soon be interning at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia—thanks to a fellow in Berlin who inspired me to follow in her footsteps.

If you care about human rights and minority issues, if you are seeking to find concrete ways to put your ideals into action, and if you are open for an adventure—then I hope you will take up this challenge and apply for Humanity in Action.

Frithjof Wodarg, German Fellow, German Program

The HIA summer program was great. I think there is not much to add. Of course, one could say that it was ‘challenging’, ‘demanding’, ‘inspiring’, ‘eye-opening’, ‘tiring’, ‘entertaining’ and even funny, but that would just mean to color the ink of the pen that already writes ‘great’.

But there is something that really struck me about the program and about Humanity in Action itself, which I think is important since it might give a more personal impression of what I mean when I say ‘great’: When I applied to HIA, I deliberately chose to apply only for Berlin, since I wanted to ‘re-‘discover Berlin and at the same time place it in a global and historical framework of human rights. The summer program gave me exactly that insight and made me want to engage with that city more intensely afterwards. However, at the same time, HIA’s internationality and its perspective had such an influence on me that I believe more than ever in the motto of ‘think globally and act locally’. Humanity in Action is the perfect organization for that.

By now, I have engaged in other HIA activities and I must say that everybody I have met there had something to give. It is an organization that is full of inspiring people and I am honored and happy to be part of it. If we want to achieve change, we can’t do it alone; but there is no better platform than HIA for that. So let’s get back to work!

Anna Kendrick, American Fellow, Polish Program

Day after day, I was amazed by the energy that my Humanity in Action team poured into our five weeks in Warsaw. Whether on city buses or in lecture halls, our leaders and fellows were sensible, engaged, compassionate, and enthusiastic. Our Polish fellows brought us into their lives with great generosity—and we, as Europeans and Americans, attempted to bring them our curiosity, perspective, and a good dose of humor.

From my first walk around this unfamiliar city, I was astounded by the sense of resilience that Warsaw exuded. Whether in its bullet-scarred walls, bustling new malls, or breathtakingly reconstructed old neighborhoods, the city’s urban space has been marked, shaped, and developed by waves of political upheaval. Reminders of that tumultuous history are everywhere, from the Palace of Culture towering above to the old ghetto walls memorialized underfoot.

I loved that HIA inescapably intertwined these signs of past and present, working within the context of one national history in order to understand more universal questions of intolerance and resistance. I came away from HIA with a sense of individual responsibility: to learn, to cultivate intercultural dialogue, and to support development, integration, and justice across national boundaries.

Barbara Pięta, Polish Fellow, Polish Program

Disappointing as it is, being a social science fresh graduate, you hardly know anything. Having attended Humanity in Action Summer Programme- you know even less. And this is the first precious thing you get out of this programme.

It will be a derogatory generalization to say that Humanity in Action Summer Project is an intense six-week period of a constant surprise and confusion. But in this confusion you are not alone- you have an inspiring group of 20, who are in the end as physically and mentally drained as you happened to be during all those hectic days in Warsaw. This exhaustion is the price that you pay for the input you get and your part that you share during the meetings. And the area that you deal with in those weeks is vast, even though finding representatives of ethnic minorities in Poland is as a hard job as getting a free time in HIA schedule.

To process all what has been said during lectures and discussions, and maybe even more importantly- what has not been said and what has not been discussed- is a challenging task. And it is even more challenging to draw on the given conclusions and turn it into action project.

At one of our first meetings in Warsaw we have been said that, just as New York, Humanity in Action is a state of mind. I would rather say that it is a potential, which we have managed to create during those days in Warsaw. And it only depends on the people whether or not it is used efficiently. We are just in the middle way- thinking things over, looking for project partners, struggling to make our social initiatives doable. The potential we have. Now we’re getting to work.

Ira Stup, American Fellow, Polish Program

When Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was questioned about marching hand-in-hand with Martin Luther King on the Jewish Sabbath, he famously replied that he was not scorning his religious obligation, but in fact “praying with his feat.”

Heschel’s ability to synthesize social justice and traditional religious ideology seems as relevant today as ever before. And it is Heschel’s ideal which also characterizes my HIA Poland experience.

As enriching as I consider my HIA experience, I was skeptical at first. After four years of intense involvement in civil rights organizations, I was cynical of how one might effectively travel around the world to "put humanity into action." Minority rights were something I certainly held very dearly, but endless obstacles, setbacks, and difficulties in my own work had left me disenchanted and disengaged from those things which were so important to my own life and personal history.

So often in my own experience, social justice and minority rights work had meant highfalutin talk, commonly disconnected from the people it sought to serve.

All this uncertainty is what I brought with me the first day of HIA orientation. And nearly from the beginning, I found myself challenged and surprised.

I was so often struck by the way in which HIA puts into action Rabbi Heschel’s ideals of “praying with your feet.” The HIA approach to civil rights work is profoundly accessible, holisitic, and unique. HIA does what few are able by bringing together so many different pieces of the puzzle necessary to act as an effective and productive agent of change.

Over the course of the summer we brought together academic texts, site visits, relevant speakers, and community engagement in order to understand Polish society and engage in its struggle for civil rights.

And just as Heschel’s own history escaping the Holocuast informed his worldview, so too does HIA understand contemporary issues through the necessary prism of the tragedies of the European Holocaust. From this catastrophic foundation, we approached contemporary issues with a perspective fuller and more nuanced than have ever been possible for me in a classroom or textbook.

HIA has an exceptional ability to engage more completely, addressing hidden identities and minorities just as it does those widely recognized. As a Polish team, we encountered diverse and oft overlooked minority groups, from Chechen asylum seekers to the Vietnamese immigrant community. By doing so, HIA helped us understand the connections between groups which allow communities to reach across difference to change their reality.

Perhaps the most salient piece of my HIA experience was learning how to empower others. As the Polish team explored the complex issues at hand in Polish society, I was challenged by HIA to not provide my own American solutions, but to thoughtfully engage another society and learn how to help people change their own situation.

Though I was able to attend few prayer services over the course of my summer, I am quite sure I prayed more than ever before. But this time, most assuredly with my feet.