Students from Fort Worth, Italy, Germany, Japan, Hungary, Mexico, Swaziland, and Indonesia, along with China who will participate for the first time, will be in Fort Worth for this 2 week program. The Academy’s goal is to increase communication and leadership skills through teambuilding, problem-solving, and sharing cultures. The closing ceremonies take place on July 30th, 10:00 a.m. at TCU’s Ed Landreth Auditorium. The ILA Class of 2011 will demonstrate what they have accomplished during the Academy in an elaborate performance. Students will explain the concepts they have been discussing and will share their solutions, as well as their cultures. The ceremony is free and open to the public. This year also marks the 7th year of ILA’s middle school program, Jr. International Leadership Academy (JILA) held at McLean 6th Grade campus July 11-15. College students from Toluca, Mexico will serve as facilitators, as the Fort Worth students discuss the same issues as their high school counterparts. The students will experience cultural presentations and interaction with high school students from Reggio Emilia, Italy; Trier, Germany; Guiyang, China and Mbabane, Swaziland gaining an international education. For the first time, JILA students will interact with 15 students from Iraq. The Iraqi students are part of an exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, Meridian International and the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. “This will be a unique experience for our Fort Worth students to learn more about a culture that is very different from ours and to show them what Americans are really like,” said Nancy Marchant, ILA and JILA Coordinator.