By Tumusime Aniella Vanessa,  Vice President of Critical Thinking for Peace

I joined Critical Thinking For Peace in my first year at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV). In truth, I joined without knowing what the club does, but I found that I loved it. In the club, we learn about critical thinking and do Model United Nations (MUN) and community service. In MUN, each person represents a country, and we must pass a resolution together that is sustainable and promotes peace. 

At my first MUN conference, I was representing Togo. I had to adopt the culture, the perspective. I even found kitenge clothes to feel like I was from there. Before, I was shy and would shake when I got in front of people. But I gave the best opening statement, and was a great delegate. It really built up my confidence and helped me with public speaking. It also shaped me as a leader. You learn a lot by putting yourself in others’ shoes and trying to address the problem from the point of view of a certain country in a certain situation. You're thinking critically, and being adaptable and diplomatic. No one is shouting during the debate. You're embracing that empathy within you and that opens up your mind. 

I want to take the skills that I learned from Critical Thinking for Peace and apply them to other clubs and areas. I will keep up the spirit of diplomacy when addressing problems, and try to guide others to do so too. Who knows what solutions we may find.