JCI Cambridge committee member, Lisa Bredahl Thomsen, recently attended the JCI European Academy in Sweden. She explains what the Academy is, why she enjoyed it so much and why you should go next year:

One of the best decisions I have made in my life was to go to the JCI European Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden this summer.

You are probably wondering how I can say it was one of the the best decisions of my life? Well, you experience intense training at the JCI European Academy. You learn that every single minute is about you and your choices.

You will learn new things about yourself and the people you work with. By being able to understand people, what motivated the and why they do things the way they do, you will know how to motivate and inspire them.

At the JCI Academy you also have the opportunity to use your own leadership skills and styles in a "safe" environment, with great feedback and support from your team-mates. This focusses you on your ability to do a great job; not focus on yourself but concentrate on getting the very best from the person you are dealing with.

Besides developing your own skills, you also get to experience all your team-mates leadership styles, and understand the importance in being able to adapt different styles. You will understand the team's development process, its strengths and weaknesses, in order to get the most out of the team.

In the Academy you also strengthen relationships with colleagues across JCI Europe. You meet around 100 inspiring people from Chapters all over Europe. These include future JCI leaders on a local, national and international level.

The skills learnt at the academy can be used in many scenarios; at JCI,  at work, and on a personal level. It will equip you with the skills to develop great opportunities for the future.

It's YOUR choice to make the best out of YOUR life!