Roughly 100 students from universities across the country were at Carleton March 23-24 for INSPIRA, Carleton’s first Latin American youth leadership event.
INSPIRA, a Spanish word for “inspire,” featured a panel discussion with three ambassadors from Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala.
The three spoke about youth leadership and initiatives in their respective countries before answering some questions from the students in attendance.
Although this was the first time the Humanitarian Organization of Latin American Students (HOLAS) hosted the event, group president Carl Karamaoun said he’s confident it will become an annual affair.
“We figured out the whole event in three months. Next year we’ll have more time to get funding, to seek sponsorships, to advertise, and I’m sure we’ll do an even better job,” said Karamaoun, a master’s student in international affairs. “It was a learning experience, and a very positive one.”
Since being created five years ago, HOLAS has specialized in cultural events such as the popular “Locura Latina” fundraiser, which is held twice a year.
Profits from those events go towards humanitarian projects in Latin America.
“[INSPIRA] is not like Locura Latina where the name sells itself — it was a new creation,” Karamaoun said.
“[The ambassadors] told me that it’s rare for them to find an event focused on Latin youth, other than a party. We wanted to do something more professional, focused on humanitarian issues.”
Profits from INSPIRA will go to an organization that helps immigrant women settle in Canada, keeping in touch with the group’s humanitarian side, Karamaoun said.
Brazilian ambassador Piragibe dos Santos Tarragô also touched on the organization’s humanitarian efforts.
“This event allows for a closer relationship between the [Brazilian] embassy and the students at Carleton,” Tarragô said. “An organization like HOLAS, which has a strong humanitarian interest, will find in Brazil very similar organizations, and [the Brazilian embassy] could even eventually put them in touch.”
Most of the students present were from Ottawa, with a few coming from other cities as well.
“I learned a lot during the event: management skills, leadership skills, and just about ways I can get involved,” said Alina Hall, a student at the University of Ottawa
“Although the Latin American student population is not so big, it’s great to have events like this to promote Latin American culture in other countries,” she said.
Ultimately, Karamaoun said INSPIRA was designed to help students become better leaders.
“Being a leader is more than just being successful,” he said. “We measure how good a leader is by successful people around them are.”
