New Program - National Committee on United States-China Relations

10
NOTES
Above Left:
YLF "City Slickers"
(L to R):
Lu Hongyan, Verna
Kuo, Alex Harney,
and Angela Chao
receive instructions
from a cowgirl on
how to rope a steer.
Above Right:
Gabrielle Giffords
and Xu Qiyu
before their team
herding event
Beyond the Forum
Right: Flanked by
Steve Okun (left) and
Todd Sigaty, VFI
staff member Chhoan
proudly displays the
new laptop donated
by YLFers.
Young Leaders Gather in Sedona,
continued from page 9
But perhaps the most otherworldly
part of the forum, particularly for the
members living in China, was the trip to
a local working ranch. Here, authentic
cowboys – belts, boots, and all – helped
divide the group into smaller teams.
Then, one by one, they ushered the
teams into a pen the size of a soccer field
with a pack of cattle and gave them five
minutes to herd them into a goal.
“Who is that guy?” the chief cowboy
wanted to know. He had his eye on Wang
Yang, better known as Orlando. Turns
out, the mild-mannered Shanghai-based
Rabobank Nederland managing director
When Steve Okun, a vice president for
UPS in Singapore, began planning a
vacation to Cambodia with his wife Paige,
he contacted fellow YLFer Todd Sigaty
about spending some time together.
Todd is the executive director of Village
Focus International (VFI), an NGO that
operates in Cambodia and other parts of
Southeast Asia, establishing programs,
was a natural at herding cattle. The real
cowboy offered Orlando, whom he called
his “Shanghai cowboy,” a job at the ranch.
For some participants, the meetings
did not end there. Gabrielle Giffords, the
Arizona state senator and Young Leader,
took those YLFers who were able to
extend their stay to the Grand Canyon for
a fixed-wing flight and hike. From there,
the group continued to Biosphere II, an
experimental living environment, and
then to Arcosanti, which calls itself “a
prototype urban laboratory.” Stephan
Fowlkes, a visual artist from <strong>New</strong> York
City, said these two varying approaches to
among others, for
street kids and
HIV/AIDS
education.
Steve also asked
whether there was
any-thing he and
Paige could bring,
and Todd requested
that they
look in Singapore
for a used, inexpensive
laptop,
as well as some arts
& crafts and medical supplies -- items
that are all hard to come by in Cambodia.
Steve thought that Todd and his
program deserved better, so he contacted
other YLFers to see if they would share
the cost of a new laptop. Their response
was overwhelming. Suddenly Steve had
enough money for a new state-of-the-art
laptop…along with a scanner, printer, ink
how people live – Biosphere’s focus on
the future of human space travel, and
Arcosanti’s response to the problem of
urban sprawl – reminded him of the
Forum’s efforts to bring two very different
countries closer together.
“Here we are, two very different
cultures, trying to approach similar
topics,” Stephan said. Perspectives from
both sides are “being shared, and as a
result, we’re learning the benefits from
one another so we can move ahead more
informed and more well-rounded.” ■
cartridges, other office supplies...AND
enough left over for a motor bike,
something Todd’s local staff could use for
HIV awareness and legal rights outreach
in the villages. Steve also carried two
copies of Microsoft Office donated by a
friend who works for Microsoft.
If that weren’t enough, Steve and
Paige also lugged over 50 kilograms in
crayons, clay, band-aids, antiseptic lotion,
and various other things that Paige
collected from her friends in Singapore.
All told, the value of the donations was
well over $5,000. Todd’s Khmer staff was
in tears when they realized that people
they had never met would be so giving
and supportive.
In a short amount of time, the nature
and strength of the bond these YLFers
have forged with each other is amazing;
the intensity of the YLF experience has
transformed their relationships into
something very rich. ■