Forty One Individual Players – One Team
By: Natalie Bendinelli

In July of this year, 41 teenagers from across the globe met up in Brattleboro, Vermont as part of the World Learning Institute International Leadership Program.  Thanks to the Rush “Reach Program”, Natalie Bendinelli was notified and selected to go and represent the United States. For all of those who participated, this was an opportunity that dramatically changed lives.  The teens were selected from many different cities, many diverse economical backgrounds, and many distinct religious backgrounds.  They came from the U.S., England, and lastly, Iraq, a place where war is an everyday place of life.



Upon arrival at World Learning Camp each teenager would say they would have had a predetermined idea of what those from the other countries would have been like.  Perhaps it was their own understanding (or lack of) or what they read or saw in the media that planted these often inaccurate impressions.  But whatever the case, all were determined to break down these massive stereotypes.

Throughout the seven day camp located, in the humid rolling hills of Vermont, we, as a team of young leaders, consistently tried to provoke one another into growing closer to each other and into learning more about ourselves. What began as a group of segregated teenagers each with their own mind set slowly began to mold into a group of companions, fellow leaders, friends and foremost humans, all reaching toward the same common goal.

From faraway down the long windy road leading up to the World Learning Campus you could hear a gathering of voices as many came together to dialogue, discuss, resolve conflict, and ask questions that had never before had a chance of being discussed. You could hear hysterical laughter as teams competed in acting out their theater skits and you could hear the bittersweet silence of salty tears as all listened to one boy’s impossible reality of what he calls life in Iraq.

We, as representatives of countries at war with one another, developed new and deeper convictions as we worked hard to really get to know one another.   We pushed the country’s war aside, rather taking full responsibility for the war that raged inside of each one of us. This was a war of our own selfish judgments and fear of the unknown. As a result, we fought hard to disassemble all stereotypes we had in place.



By fighting through these false ideas, we as individuals and as a team were rewarded in unexplainable ways. We realized that upon fully embracing one another, whether white, black, yellow, or blue, we could all find a small common thread that stretches through each one of us. We now understood that we were no longer British, Iraqi’s or Americans, but we were now humans, a group of people with far more influence than any single unit. In this truth, we grew immensely.

Our group arrived in Brattleboro, Vermont as a distant group of individuals.  Yet throughout our learning and hard work we united to create a team that we believe could accomplish anything we set our minds to. We also believe that if we could do it, then anyone could.

We also knew that when our time came to part, we would take away new experiences and understandings back to our homes across the world in hope of influencing others in this same way. After the initial camp in Vermont, 15 Iraqis returned to Denver where local families hosted them. Rush hosted a soccer day for the Iraqi students where everyone ran around laughing for what seemed like not enough time.  So, the influence has begun.  The Iraqi’s left truly affected by the genuine love felt by the Colorado Rush and in return, we, as a club, were truly blessed by these wonderful people.



Yes, we are still a small group of young people, but now, I am proud to say that we are young people who have joined to make a team of leaders, a team who sees the importance of impacting others toward good and a team that will forever hold one another deep inside our hearts.