In anticipation of Peace Corps leavaing Slovakia, Peace Corps volunteers trained a team of ULDP alumni to administer the prorgram through the Technixal University in Zvolen
Throughout the 1997 school year, a group of Peace Corps volunteer (PCV) lecturiers in Slovakia observed an absence of independent thinking and initiative amoung their university students. The students excelled in the technological fields, mathematics, and in memorizing facts. However, when asked to clearly state their opinions on issues, or when asked to think "creatively", they had much greater difficulty.
Simultaneously, the PCVs witnessed the lack of a rich social and academic university environment, as characterized by student run clubs and organizations. While some student organizations existed at campuses, few were wholly student run.
Acknowledging that the university years are crucial in the development of future leaders, and that the university provides the ideal setting for the development of leadership skills, the PCVs developed a University Student Leadership Development Program. This program seeks to reconcile these two observations. By providing leadership training and motivation, the participating students emerge as young leaders with action plans specific to their goals at their university. As a result of their leadership and initiative skills, university life for all university students is fuller and richer.
During the first three years of the program over seventy students from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Ukraine successfully completed the program. Their projects ranged from student newspapers, radio stations, to outdoor clubs and English clubs.
ULDP is currently in its fourth year. In anticipation of Peace Corps leavaing Slovakia, Peace Corps volunteers trained a team of ULDP alumni to administer the prorgram through the Technixal University in Zvolen. That the students were willing and able to take on this project as volunteers, is a tribute to the success of the program and the quality of its participants. All of the PCVs who had the pleasure of working with ULDP are deaply indebted to the Slovaks who are continuing the work we started. We all thank you for your commitment, your enthusiasm and hard work! We will miss you!
