RheinMain University of Applied Sciences (HSRM) celebrated its seventh International Week Future Leaders. Organized by the Competence & Career Center, participants improved their intercultural skills and learned more about leadership styles. The international group consisted of external students from Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Spain, South Korea, South America, and HSRM students.

Focus on intercultural exchange

“The goal is to learn more about leadership during the week and gain intercultural competencies through exchange with the other students and course contents,” says Gudrun Bolduan from the Competence & Career Center, organizer of the International Week Future Leaders. The main focus of this week was meeting students from other countries.
The learning content of this year’s International Week Future Leaders was designed by Yasmin Hedjri, International Business Developer and Trainer, and Grace Leinbach Caggio, Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

In discussions and interactive group work, the 16 students reflected on the type of leadership – including rules and behaviors – they would like to establish as future leader. Communication and empathic listening are important aspects of leadership, explains Prof. Grace Leinbach Caggio to the participants. “A leader is a role-model who is brave, resilient, creative and most importantly able to listen to those who need it,” reads the guiding principle on the classroom blackboard.
Other items on the week’s agenda include learning about intercultural communication, leadership training, a guided tour of the Wiesbaden-based company Seibert Media
and sightseeing in Mainz.

Feedback from the participants

Students are excited to meet people from different cultures and share experiences. HSRM student Luca reports: “I learned a lot about new cultures and made new contacts.” Nizam from Indonesia’s University Diponegoro says: “I learned what leadership means and gained a new perspective.” Taewon, an international student from South Korea, adds: “I liked the interactive aspect of the week, that everyone was so open and eager to discuss. It’s special for me to be here.”