Leadership

VAK NEWS

LEADERSHIP

Friday, May 5, 2023

"Kiekvienam savas Atlantas"
Aurimas Valujavičius

Aurimas Valujavičius Creates History

An example of leadership

Aurimas Valujavičius hit the top headlines in Lithuania. However, the event has been noticed by UK and USA reporters as well. Miami News channel reported:

Lithuanian man arrives in Miami after rowing solo across Atlantic Ocean from Spain
BY ROBBIN SIMMONS APRIL 25, 2023
NEAR CORAL GABLES, Fla. (WSVN) — Mission accomplished for a man who rowed across the Atlantic all the way to South Florida.
The trip was quite an adventure, and he called this a once-in-a-lifetime journey.
Imagine rowing across the Atlantic Ocean all by yourself. That’s just what a young Lithuanian athlete has done arriving in Miami Tuesday after four months at sea.
His arrival at Matheson Hammock Marina near Coral Gables made waves. After 121 days at sea, Aurimas Valujavičius finally set foot on dry land, tired but happy.
“Five hours without stopping and rowing against the stream, but yeah, so far so good,” said Valujavičius.
The 28-year-old left Spain the day after Christmas, rowing his single-seat boat, the Lituanica, 5000 miles.
After asking how he felt after all of this, he said, “A little bit dizzy, maybe dizzy.”
He is the first Lithuanian to do a solo row, unsupported, from the continent of Europe to the continent of North America.

VAK students are working on the final chapter in the course English for Career Development. The topic is leadership. As a final project of the class, the students are asked to present on the issues and challenges of today's world and the leadership that is needed to make the world a better place. To search for inspiration, students think about the leaders that come from humble backgrounds and make big difference in the way we think, act, and live. On May 5th, curing the lesson, the students were asked to comment and discuss the heroic event of Aurimas Valujavičius in light of the information discussed in the course.

Crazy or inspirational?
Do we need role models like this?
What does this accomplishment mean to you, to Lithuania? What type of leadership is it?
Is such type of leadership needed? Why?
What does his motto mean to you? How would you translate it?

Insert a recording to answer the questions

An inspiration for the future generation

Inspiration for young people

After the recent victory of Aurimas Valujavičius, who broke a record and became the first Lithuanian to sail the Atlantic ocean in a single person canoe, a surprising number of young scholars in Lithuania have expressed the desire to do the same and break even bigger records. Being from a relatively small country, that doesn't have many inspirations likes this, every child looks for someone to show them that they can achieve great things no matter their background. This only goes to show that all people really need is a leader, of sorts, to show them that they can.
Witnessing someone accomplish a victory inspires the young generation to strive for the same. After all, there are many records that still need to be broken and with an inspiration like that people get more determined to do so. A person like Aurimas Valujavičius was needed, to set an example and show that representing your country like this is an honor and a respectable goal.

Aurimas Valujavičius enjoying his journey

Aurimas Valujavičius arriving at the shore after completing 2800km in a canoe

Why do we need inspirations ?

Raising the national spirit of the younger generation and honoring your country is a great thing. We are lucky to have an inspiration like this. Best of luck to the future generations in their achievements

Lithuanian superhero
Aurimas Valujavičius

The first Lithuanian to row the Atlantic ocean

''Kitokie pasikalbėjimai''

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Back to Lithuania

Words by Eimantas Gadeikis

Rowing 8000 kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean all the way from Spain to Miami in 121 days in a single-seater boat. Sounds crazy right? Well, not for the 28-year-old Lithuanian superhero Aurimas Valujavičius who did just that. The main purpose of this trip was to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the flight across the Atlantic by S. Darius and S. Girėnas and to improve the current world record. Although he wasn't able to break the 110 days world record due to bad weather conditions, still he was only the third person in the entire world to accomplish such an incredible journey.

2023 May 7th

After landing at Vilnius airport at noon. The traveller was met by a huge group of people with T-shirts congratulating him, Lithuanian flags and flowers, asked for autographs, took pictures together, applauded Aurimas and thanked him for the trip. The next day he had a meeting with President Ginatas Nausėda in the presidency.
"The journey across the Atlantic in the single-seat rowing boat Lituanica involved and united Lithuanians all over the world. For 121 days, we marvelled at man's endurance and determination, wished him a favourable wind, cheered for him and crossed the Atlantic together in our thoughts.
It is surprising how Aurim calmly and modestly talks about the challenge and difficulties he had to face. I think Aurim's trip is not only a proof of stubbornness and determination, but it is also a symbol that "Lituanica" dissected the Atlantic, reminding us of the great achievements, successes and challenges of our nation", said the head of the country.

2023 May 10th, Kaunas Sports Hall

The hometown hero is finally back home to Kaunas where he participated in a TV show called ''Kitokie pasikalbėjimai''. During his entrance, all 2500 participants were standing on their feet and gave him loud applause. Luckily, I was one of them and it was such an honour for me to listen to him talk about the trip, challenges and plans. The thing which impressed me the most was his confidence, he explained all the details of the trip calmly, with jokes and no tears. I've never seen such a psychologically strong person who would say that he could've stayed in the ocean even longer. It wasn't a rush for him to complete it, he completely enjoyed the process. In my opinion, this speech inspired many people.

Another Article

Lithuanian Aurimas Valujavicius is rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.

Words by Aistė Bogušaitė

Aurimas Valujavicius became the first Lithuanian and the third person in the world to cross the Atlantic in a single rowing boat from Spain to Miami, local media reported earlier this week.
Valujavicius set off from Spain on December 26 last year and rowed alone across the Atlantic for 121 days and reached the shores of Florida in the United States.
During the journey, he rowed for 14 hours per day from 6:00 and until 23:00 with breaks. "I've seen dolphins a few times, and every day, I meet a passing container ship. Sometimes, there are birds flying around to keep company," Valujavicius explains.
Valujavicius' stories have inspired many kids and led to heated discussions in Lithuania. His trip even became a subject of some lessons in school. It became a topic for both civics and geography or physics lessons.
Since childhood, Valujavicius loved nature more than other kids. He spent his childhood in nature by the Kaunas reservoir where he grew up. He used to switch off his computer every summer when he was a teenager.
In 2014, Valujavicius became the first Lithuanian to win the title of the European Shotokan Karate Champion. However, by that time he had already made up his mind to retire from professional sport.
The young man started a new chapter in 2015 when he decided to cycle from Lithuania to Norway to visit a friend. The journey took him 19 days.
Valujavicius has completed many challenging journeys - he cycled around Scandinavia, Namibia, and Indonesia, crossed the Nemunas and Danube rivers in a kayak, and climbed 16 of the world's most active volcanoes.
The Lithuanian man filmed his journey and plans to make a documentary film, which is scheduled to premiere in Lithuanian cinemas in January 2024
Source: First-ever Lithuanian rows solo across Atlantic-Xinhua (news.cn)

Last vlog from the Atlantic Ocean. Rowing between islands.

In his last vlog

Crazy or inspirational?

In his last vlog from the Atlantic ocean he was greeting everyone from the Bahamas.

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VAK & THE DAILY NEWS

The crazy Lithuanian who beat the Atlantic with a smile!

Friday, 5th of May, 2023

LEADERSHIP

An example of leadership

By Emilija Lukoševičiūtė
Published May 5, 2023

The final chapter of the English for career development course is currently being worked on by VAK students, focusing on the topic of leadership. As part of their final project, the students are tasked with presenting on the challenges facing the world today, and the kind of leadership required to bring about positive change. To find inspiration, the students are encouraged to consider leaders who came from modest beginnings and made a significant impact on the way we perceive, behave, and exist. In relation to the course material, the students have been prompted to discuss and provide commentary on Aurimas Valujavičius' heroic act.

Crazy or inspirational?
Do we need role models like this?
What does this accomplishment mean to you, to Lithuania? What type of leadership is it?
Is such type of leadership needed? Why?

The discussion on leadership has sparked a wave of inspiration, motivating individuals to accomplish remarkable feats. The students' minds are presently abuzz with the impact of this discourse.

"Gyvenimas – arba drąsus nuotykis, arba niekas!"

The feat accomplished by Aurimas Valujavičius, a man from Lithuania, is truly impressive. He has become the first person from his country to undertake and complete a solo rowing journey across the Atlantic, after spending four months alone at sea. The journey began on December 26, 2022, in Spain, following two years of preparation. Valujavičius navigated the 5,000-mile trip using only a single-seat rowing boat called Lituanica. His incredible journey finally came to an end after 121 days near Coral Gables, a town located in southern Florida, where he was welcomed with warmth by the locals. Valujavičius' accomplishment is particularly inspiring for young Lithuanians who seek motivation to achieve their goals.

Insert a recording to answer the questions

Lithuanian traveller who rows solo across the Atlantic

Friday, May 5, 2023

Who is Aurimas Valujavičius?
Aurimas Valujavičius is a traveler, blogger, known for his efforts to improve Lithuania's record by rowing 2,800 kilometers along the Danube and crossing the Atlantic Ocean by rowing. A. Valujavičius completed the journey in 121 days and became the third person in the world to accomplish this route.

Do we need role models like this?
It may be helpful that we have role models such as Aurimas Valujavičius, who can inspire us to face our difficulties and push past them in order to accomplish our goals.

What does this accomplishment means to Lithuania?
The achievement of Aurimas Valujavičius makes Lithuania proud, as he's made the country famous for extreme sports and adventure. Lithuania can also serve as an example to others, showing that it has a lot of gifted people who are capable of having significant impact on the world.

What type of leadership is it?
I believe that Aurimas Valujavičius has a TRANSFORMATIONAL leadership style. He inspires and motivates.

Is such type of leadership needed?
In a time of crisis or change, transformational leadership can be particularly helpful in stimulating people's sense of direction and purpose as well as inspiring them to work with one another towards shared goals.

This expression is frequently used to convey the idea that everyone has their own, particular hopes and aspirations and that they should work toward those goals regardless of whatever difficulties they may face. It serves as a means of inspiring individuals to forge ahead along their own paths without giving up.

Crazy or inspirational?

Words by Saulė Vaitkūnaitė

"Kiekvienam savas atlantas"

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