Building Bridges

- leading and collaborating across differences

In July 2013, around 30 young people will come together in the Belgian university town of Louvain-la-Neuve. They will come from vastly different backgrounds - representing the diverse communities of Belgium as well as other countries across Europe and the world. Their common mission: explore, learn and discover how to empower themselves and their communities to see beyond differences, manage conflicts and strengthen collaboration across divides.

The Belgian example

Belgium broke a world record in 2011 - the longest elapsed time without an official government, reaching a total of 541 days! Belgium has several divides - tied to language, geography, socio-economic status and politics - that played a part in the political stalemate for so long. Although the political situation was unique, the divides in society may not be. Many of the issues are similar in other countries and societies, so what better place to gather and discuss common issues such as intercultural understanding, problemsolving, personal responsibility and how we can collaborate across divides to make a better society?