Advertisement They attended workshops and participated in games and activities Aug. 2-9 with 7,000 youths from around the globe to learn about different cultures and how the YMCA benefits other countries.
“Most of our programs here in La Crosse are with sports and athletics and focus on being healthy, and in other parts of the world they are more religious and Christian-based,” said Victor Mirasola, 17, who will be a senior at Central High School.
“We were really surprised when we first got there.”
But through workshops and interacting with kids from around the world, Corbin Philhower, 18, said, the local participants gained a better understanding of several global issues.
“You definitely saw how other people from around the world view different things and how they learn to interact,” said Philhower, who graduated from West Salem (Wis.) High School this year.
A session on the Holocaust that touched on discrimination and quality of life was “shocking” to listen to with people whose families had been touched by the dark time in history, Philhower said.
Susie Martinson, 18, who graduated from Onalaska (Wis.) High School this year, said the presenter laid out a set of keys and explained how to some they can be a sign of freedom and to others they can signal being locked up.
“It was unbelievable,” she said.
Those attending the conference were able to connect with one another during nightly concerts, Martinson said. Everyone sang along with the words that appeared on a giant screen.
“It’s kind of like a corny feeling, but it was really cool,” she said. “It was a neat feeling that I can’t really express.”
Mirasola said the teens also had time to see sites in Prague and spend time with others attending the conference.
“It was neat to just kind of learn about other people’s experiences and to see different things over there,” he said. “It was a great experience.”
The La Crosse-area attendees also took a break to play a game of pick-up soccer one day and ended up with people from six different countries on one field, said Garrett Soper, 18, who will be a senior at Onalaska High School.
“I liked hearing about their own cult and hearing about what they associate with us and what they associate with Wisconsin,” Soper said.
A few people asked about bluffs and the Green Bay Packers, while some girls from Norway related Wisconsin to the television sitcom “That ‘70s Show,” Soper said.
The experience allowed Soper to get more involved with the local YMCA and added perspective on how it can be better.
“It really gave an excellent sense of community,” he said.
Alison Huppert, director of member and community engagement for the La Crosse Area Family YMCA, said the trip was the first of its kind for the local YMCA. Students were chosen by applications and essays.
Autumn Grooms can be reached at (608) 791-8424 or agrooms@lacrossetribune.com.
