Nick Vujicic Youth Leadership Retreat Interview 2012

Nick Vujicic interviewed by Cassandra Hsiao (13 yrs old) . Nick Vujicic is an international motivational speaker. He was born without limbs and leads a ridiculously great life. His organization, Attitude is Altitude, planned the entire retreat, which lasted from Friday , May 4, to Sunday, May 6, 2012, located at Camp Whittier, a 55 acre resident camp hidden in the woodlands. The camp was especially designed for kids in grades 6-8, with fifty participants in all.

The three-day retreat consisted of a full day high and low ropes course, workshops, sessions, discussions, and fun-filled, challenging games and activities. The five different presentations challenged campers to think deeper about the meaning of leadership, find their identity as leaders, step out of their comfort zone, experience breakthroughs, and demonstrate character in their daily life.

"I'm just really excited to see all the activities effectively enforcing the importance of servant leaders, being a follower or a leader, and teamwork as well," Nick said. "Courage is also important. Half the kids here don't want to do the high ropes. It's pretty scary, doing something you've never done before, to actually stretch the limit a little bit. I want to let them know that they can accomplish more than they think they can if they give it a shot."

Many of the campers agreed that the ropes course took them to whole new heights (literally).

"It was challenging but it was very fun," said camper Grace Wu, age 13. "Even though there were some times when I wanted to get down as soon as possible, I pushed myself to the end and I'm glad I did, because the experience was amazing."

Along with the flexibility of roles and courage in leadership, there are many other characteristics of a leader.

"First of all, it's honesty. That goes hand-in-hand with integrity. As leaders, we need to be authentic. We need to be real. We want to make a difference in people's lives. You have to have integrity, and you can't be fake," Nick reflected.

At the camp, teasing, even just for fun, was strictly prohibited.

"We have to respect ourselves in the right way, and then once you've learned how to respect yourself as a human being, then and only then you can love someone else. I asked some teenagers, 'What if no one ever teased you? Would you ever bully anyone else?' They said straight away, 'Nope. If no one teased me, why would I tease anyone else?' People tease because someone teases them."

Nick's reinforcement of no teasing set a safe and upbeat atmosphere in camp. In fact, the camp was such a big success that Attitude is Altitude might organize an international camp next year. Both counselors and campers can't wait for the next camp! Everyone took away priceless experiences from camp.

"I really loved camp! I feel like I grew as a leader as much as the campers did," exclaimed Alexa Valadez, one of the eight counselors. "There were a lot of challenges for me as well, for example, recognizing when to step back as a person in charge and letting the campers take control. It was really rewarding to see them turn into leaders."

Daniela Munther (director) explained that young leaders are not just leaders of tomorrow, but also leaders of today.

"Not to train them up in leadership skills would be to rob our society of leaders. And without leaders, we rob our society of something grand and invaluable -- change!" Daniela emphasized. "It is important for young people to become leaders so that they can become catalysts for positive change in our world. Without their contribution, little will ever be accomplished.

After skydiving, Nick would like to try some other adventure. He also talked about his next adventure in the interview.

Have you watched his movie "Butterfly Circus" yet ? It is a great movie and bring out a great message.