Student perspectives from the YROW Summer Congress
08 oktober, 2024
Read more about the experiences of two Applied History alumns who attended the YROW Summer Congress 2024.
The YROW Summer Congress is a 5-day professional development programme aiming to provide an international/multi-national forum both to inform and to debate military and reserve issues along with leadership skills/perspective development.
Perspective from Louise Lee Hultberg
Going into the YROW summer congress as a civilian, I had no idea what to expect. My interest in defence and security has followed me throughout my time as a business student, Sweden's entry into NATO left a large impact on international trade and it sparked my growing interest in the alliance. I wanted to learn more about how organizations work with defence and how negotiations are managed on such an international scale, and the interactive sessions allowed me to do just that. We delved into topics such as AI, cyberwarfare, “the future of war,” Law of Armed Conflict and multi-party negotiation.
A highlight for me was the NATO simulation. The amount of cross-culture communication and careful planning made me so curious towards pursuing a career in that field. Another highlight was the visit to Tapa military unit. It started with a lecture about NATO’s military strategy against a potential invasion from Russia. Apart from that, we also made friends from all over the world.
As perhaps clear by now, the experience exceeded all my expectations. Despite not having a military background, we were welcomed from day one and quickly introduced to the new lingo that allowed us to participate in workshops and discussions.
Perspective from Rasmus Salén
Participating in the Young Reserve Officers Workshop at CIOR’s annual conference in Tallinn is a unique opportunity. First, having a completely civilian background myself, I was able to gain firsthand insight into military thinking, language and culture from reserve officers. Their experiences with one foot in the military and one in the civilian world make them particularly qualified to ease you into learning from the military way of doing things.
Second, the weeklong workshop explored everything from contemporary security issues such as the implications of AI and cyberspace on military and civilian sectors to NATO negotiations and the domestic impacts from Russia’s war in Ukraine, all delivered by experts on these subjects.
Third, the week offered an intensely social atmosphere both in coffee breaks and lunches as well as the evenings, meaning you can network with people from all over Europe and North America working in a wide range of fields, giving the participant better insight into new perspectives and career opportunities.
Thanks to the Center for Statecraft and Strategic Communication’s partnership with CIOR, I have benefited from a great experience beyond SSE’s normal curriculum.
