It is the first week of June, in comes the heat and also the participants in the Washington Ireland Program (WIP). As many of you know, I worked at WIP for a few years before moving onto to 4-H. It is hard to describe just how many wonderful people I met through the WIP program and I’m so fortunate to continue to be in touch with so many of the participants and host families and still be part of the WIP family. I like to joke that WIP is like Hotel California – you can check out but you can never leave.

Started over 20 years ago, WIP has supported the peace and reconciliation efforts in Northern Ireland and Ireland. Identifying young people with a commitment to service and a track record of leadership, WIP builds their skills through work experience, educational opportunity, and hands-on citizenship both at home and in the US. Through these efforts, WIP is building the next generation of leaders that will achieve a peaceful, stable and prosperous future for Northern Ireland and Ireland. (stolen directly from the WIP website – http://www.wiprogram.org).

The WIP participants will spend 8 weeks here at job placements, living with host families and attending a lot of talks and events. They will make you once again appreciate Washington DC as a city, as they explore it with fresh eyes. It is a long 8 weeks and yet a short 8 weeks.

If you’ve ever participated either as an exchange student or as a Host Family, I think you will understand the impact of a program like this has on the participants and those who support the participants. It is a once in a lifetime experience for everyone involved.

It is amazing to see people grow in their time here and return home more confident, with more skills and hopefully with a better appreciate for other’s opinions. You don’t have to agree with each other, but you have to try to understand a different point of view and look for common themes. Isn’t that what we hope our current and future leaders will do?

WIP alums have gone on to do many things. They are in medicine, arts, politics and business. They are continuing their educations. They are working in non-profits. You can see their footprints all over the world.

One year, Jonsi’s song “Go Do” was an unofficial theme song. I listened to it over and over. I actually couldn’t even understand the lyrics, I just liked the song. There is one line “Go do, you’ll learn to Just let yourself, fall into landslide.” Sometimes that landslide is something huge, like the recent vote for same-sex marriage in Ireland and sometimes that landslide is letting your own prejudices slip away. Whatever it is, just Go Do!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5VgLOs0LwQ

(All viewpoints are my own. No endorsement of these views by WIP is implied.)