CGI U: Closing Remarks

I love hearing President Clinton speak, and this occasion was no different. His remarks were poignant and, as always, articulate. If you want to see a master public speaker at work then make sure you hear him speak in person at least once in your lifetime.

I can do little justice to his speech by trying to pull out some of the things that I connected with, but I will remark on a couple of things. It would be best, however, to watch it for yourselves at the link I provided in my last post. It lasts about 30-35 minutes but is well worth it.

He started the address by talking about a recent scientific finding about the human genome. It is now under question that instead of humans being 99.9% alike, they are more like 99.5% alike. All the differences in the world - our skin colour, eye, hair, nose, teeth, gender, moles, birthmarks - all separated by .4%. It is that .4% that we focus on, sometimes exclusively, it is what divides us, and it is in some respects tearing us apart. However, it is also that .4% that makes the world so interesting to us. It is in our differences that we find meaning and how we relate. It is that .4% that we can either choose for interconnectedness - to bring us together - or we can chose for it to destroy us - to tear us apart. That .4% difference is more important than the other 99.5% that is alike. This is the choice that confronts us. We either come together to to solve what is wrong in the world - to find peace and happiness - or we use it to divide and conquer us. It is a choice he sees that must be made because if we refrain from choosing then we automatically allow apathy and division to find a home. We must stand one on one side or the other.

The answer seems clear to me - but in reality we have thus far made a very different choice. The challenge is before us to find a way to overcome the monumental .4%. To come together for our collective betterment. The choice is yours, but I hope you do indeed make it. It is not one you can make flat footed, or subconsciously, it must be acted. Silence and inaction are the wedge.

CGI U: Working Session #2

A More Employable Future: Educating our Global Youth

Panelists: Ruth Simmons, President, Brown University - Moderator; Steven Muray, Chancellor, Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas; Emeka Okafor, Partner, Caranda Fine Foods; Joanna Ramos-Romero, Latin American Reigional Manager, entra 21, International Youth Foundation; and, Ethan Veneklasen, Regional Director - West Coast, American Indian Federation.

Key Facts from the session:
* A single year of primary education correlates to a 10-20% increase in women's wages later in life. The salary correlation to a year of secondary education for girls is even higher between 15-25%

*In FY2007 the U.S. appropriated $460 million for basic education in the developing world. The best estimate for the cost of putting every child in school by 2010 is $10 billion annually, a sum equivalent to the annual operating budget for New York City public schools.

* In 2005, Ghana abolished user fees across the country, and primary school enrollment rose by 14%

*In the U.S. persistent childhood poverty's estimated cost to the nation each year is $500 billion because of lost adult productivity and wages, increased crime, and higher health expenditures. Just as alarmingly, 42% of children born into the poorest quintile in the U.S. will remain in the quintile their whole life.

*Global youth (aged 15-24) unemployment increased from 11.7% in 1993 to an all-time high of 14.4% (88 million) in 2003

*In 2003-2004, of the approximately 20 million youth in Latin America and the Caribbean 15.9% were unemployed, which is more than double the adult unemployment rate of 6.6%. Conversely, young people in Latin America are more educated than their parents.

*Over 30% of the Middle East's population - or 100 million individuals- is between the ages of 15-29. Youth unemployment rates are at 25%, which is among the highest for any global region.

These key facts paint a real problem in the world today. Youth, my own age demographic, are finding it increasingly difficult to get an education, and get work. It is unfortunately a situation that if not rectified will have serious repercussions for generations to come.

The panelists each outlined what they were up to in ways of solutions. I must admit that at this point in the day I was starting to get lost in my own thoughts and much of what was said was lost on me, unfortunately. I did, however, zone in for a couple of interesting points that seemed to fit what my mind had at this point focused in on. Ethan Veneklasen brought up the point of youth being a key asset, and in particular their inexperience being a real asset to help come up with solutions. When he said that I instantly zoned in. After the session I approached him about his comments because I figured he would have some real insight into the mentorship idea. I am happy to say that we have continued/started discussion recently and I think he is as keen as I am to see what we can come up with.

The other panelist who caught my attention was Emeka Okafor. He was one of the most elegant speakers I have heard in a long time. He is involved quite extensively with TED in Africa, and has a blog that might be of real interest to you at Africa Unchained. His perspective on education in Africa and the need to solutions to be home grown was in real contrast to some other comments, but also in my opinion more viable.

At this point in the day I was cooked. I was saturated with new information, and like my mind tends to do in these circumstances, I started to mind wander. I piece things together in my mind and find paths to other things I already know (or at least think I know!) Sometimes it can be a bummer because I miss out on more valuable information, but I suppose I am only wired to take in so much at once.

I should mention that the delegates seated at my table were all quite fascinating. While my enthusiasm had somewhat wained due to exhaustion, they were all rather chipper. When I explained my commitment our table moderator made quite an interesting comment about me. In describing me he referred to me as a Pragmatic Idealist - I quite like that title! As well, the other delegates had interesting commitments that were of real interest to me. One girl is creating a Political/World Issues Revue Magazine for her college at Vanderbilt to inform people about what is going on around them - her sense was that informed people are more participant in making things better and less apathetic. I would have to agree - to a point. I am interested to see how it goes and what sort of results occur.

Check out the video of this session, and the others for that matter, on the CGI U website to get a better idea of what I was sitting in on.

CGI: Rebuilding a Sustainable New Orleans

After lunch we all came back to the main auditorium to hear a special session on the status and future of the New Orleans rebuilding project. It was a panel discussion lead by President Clinton once again. The other panelists were Ed Blakely - Executive Director, Office of Recovery and Development Administration, The City of New Orleans; Russel L. Honore - Lieutenant General (Ret.), US Army; Bethany Housman - Program Manager, New Orleans, City Year Louisiana; and Bill McDonough - Chairman of William McDonough and Partners.

This session gave an overview of the progress that has and hasn't been made in New Orleans as the city tries to rebuild. The underlying theme of the session was that it wasn't about bringing back the old New Orleans - with its many systemic issues - but rebuilding a better New Orleans including all its historical history. As the panelists each shared their role in the rebuilding effort, it became apparent - for reason - that they were advocating for the realization that New Orleans is a real opportunity - from its ashes a city can be rebuilt that will be a landmark around the world for sustainability.

There was a lot of acknowledgment of how slow the process has been, and the many issues that have arisen along the way. However, they tried to stress that patience must be heed as rushing things was sure to only create more problems in the future. Now more than 2 years since the flooding, New Orleans is still in piecemeal. It is certainly not an area of my expertise, and while I believe that progress is coming as fast as feasible, after having the chance to speak with local residents on both my trips to the area, I must question whether it is all just politics and rhetoric. People are suffering. Sustainable or not, they need hope and they need action. It takes time, and takes even longer to do things right, I just hope that when it comes to a conclusion that the toll it has taken on the people does not leave the new, and theoretically better city, in shambles.

I enjoyed the session for the frank dialogue by the participants, and also because as an outsider to both the area and the country I was able to learn a lot. It is not a situation I have the capacity to fully understand, but I was happy to receive some insight.

CGI U: Lunch Session

Still working away at these debriefs. School, and some other complications have kept me busy but I promise I will start posting more regularly again.

The working lunch at CGI U was a real highlight of the weekend (amongst many others). The lunches were broken down into regions to give delegates a chance to mingle with people from their area and make some connections. Lunch for me was amongst all the international delegates, as well as a few others who snuck in for curiosity. We were given a series of questions to get the dialogue going, but it became very organic and we were able to explore a lot of different ideas. Just to share the questions we were given here they are:

1. How can student's, professors, and university administrators work together to make their projects sustainable - and their commitments a reality - despite high annual turnover on campus?

2. How can we support one another's projects in our home countries and learn and partner with one another across all of these international projects?

3. As international students, how would you recommend CGI U develop a greater international presence in the future?

While these questions framed the ensuing discussions, as a group I found we had so much to say and the questions were really just a starter. The idea of a mentorship project that I have previously discussed in brief was one of the things that arose from the conversation. I am continuing to speak with people about it and with any luck I myself will find a mentor! My real hope is that a partnership between CGI U and CGI can be formed to provide a mutually beneficial relationship. There is huge potential there for fantastic things to happen, and without knowing with any detail what might be a potential snag, I have to believe it is a distinct possibility. It could very well be my propensity to believe anything is possible however.

Further discussion centered around what could happen when we all got home to our corners of the world, and how we could keep in contact with one another, and keep in contact with CGI U. As the people in my group were from B.C. Canada, Singapore, the UK, Nigeria, Arkansas, and a few other places in between, we all felt that while there are barriers, that by both keeping in touch through email, and also participating on the online CGI U community, that it would be a real advantage to put forth the effort. The varying perspectives, not just geographically, but in every other respect, was of real interest and something I have come to really cherish.

The lunch at conferences tends to be the most overlooked part of a weekend. At CGI U they took advantage of the time and we made real use of it. The funny thing is that any lunch has the possibility of ending up like that. Think about that the next time you sit down alone for a meal - you could be learning from and enjoying the company of a complete stranger with some hidden insights.

CGI U: Working Session #1

Key Facts From Session:
* The internet is finding ways for people to fight poverty. Using pay-per-click advertising, organizations can generate profits that fund innovative yet simple programs. For example, one program enables students to donate gradually to microfinance recipients through repeated use of their website.

Another program donates 20 grains of rice each time a person clicks on the website. To encourage people to continue clicking, the site provides a vocabulary-building quiz. Since this program went live in October 2007, over 21 billion grains of rice have been donated to and distributed by the UN World Food Program (which currently aids 78 countries). This is enough to feed 1 million people per day.

At the same time, hunger and poverty claim 25, 000 lives every day.

* America is the richest in the world, yet 37 million American live below the official poverty line. For comparison, the population of California is 36.5 million.

* America is ranked 24 out of 25 developed nations when measuring how well countries combat poverty (what share of a country's population has income below 50% of the nation's median income). Only Mexico has a higher poverty rate than in the United States among rich nations.

* The number of people in developing countries living on less than US$1 a day fell to 980 million in 2004; down from 1.25 billion in 1990

* As of December 31, 2006, 3,316 microcredit institutions reported reaching 133,030,913 clients. Microfinance can help the poor to generate income, build viable businesses, and increase domestic savings. It can also be a powerful instrument for self-empowerment by enabling the poor, especially women, to become economic agents of change. However, we need to find ways to ensure that even more people have access to capital.

The title of this session was "Students Ending Poverty: Start from Where you Are". The speakers were Lawrence S. Bacow, President of Tufts University; Anat Binur, Co-Founder and Executive Board Member, Middle East Education Through Technology (MEET); Dave Eggers, Founder McSweeney's and TED 2008 Award Recipient; Jacqueline Marrie Rupert, President, Edun Live on Campus; and Premal Shah, President, Kiva.org

The session was extremely interesting. Dave Eggers was the panel moderator and he was extremely gifted at the role. Each member of the panel spoke about their experience with their particular organization and what they were doing.

Perhaps the closest to my age was Ms. Rupert. She started the program at Miami University. In 2005 Bono and his wife Ali Hewson started the fashion brand Edun to show that a brand could be profitable and do good (a social enterprise by definition). Not long after, Edun Live on Campus was launched to provide clothing for screen printing for college campuses and start spreading the word that clothing was about more than the product. When Jacqueline Marie graduates in the coming year she will be leaving behind a true legacy on her campus and throughout the world as the brand continues to grow. Her tireless work will have a lasting impact. It was a simple concept, one that can be replicated on any campus around the world, but one that has the potential to make some very big changes. Check out Edun Live on Campus.

Perhaps the most widely known story was that of Premal Shah, the President of Kiva.org. Kiva has grown to be one of the biggest stories of the philanthropic world over the past couple of years. A simple concept of combining the power of the internet with microcredit, Kiva allows people from all over the world to provide small loans to people in the developing world to help start or grow their small businesses. At the mere age of 32 Premal is the oldest employee of the organization. When they first created the organization he remembers wondering whether the idea was even legal. As they plan to expand the website to include people in the US on the list of loanees, he still isn't sure whether it is legal, but they aren't going to let that stop them. The idea was simple but has sent some serious waves throughout the world in the fight against poverty. I am very excited to see this organization grow.

The other two were also extremely interesting. While I didn't relate to them nearly as well, Lawrence Bracow, the President of Tufts University and Anat Binur had very interesting stories to tell as well. Mr. Bracow and Tufts University had created an endowment fund of $112 million that provided microcredit institutions with capital to make loans as well as to do poverty reduction projects all over the world. It is the only current university with such an endowment in place, or at least to the knowledge of anyone in attendance.

The message that the panel was parlaying was that small ideas, with hard work, can become large agents of change. Each of the panelists started their ideas in the environment of their respective universities and have continued to grow well beyond the borders of the campus. Schools can be the perfect breeding grounds for passionate people with an idea. Think about that if you happen to be on a campus, and if you are not then don't fret because your ideas will find a home if you want them to. These panelists had done things few would have thought possible. They would have dreamed about them but they would never have thought to take the next step. Ideas without action are failed dreams. But the combination of ideas and action can change the world. Combine the two and you have one powerful recipe for change. That is a lesson we all need to assimilate.

CGI U: Opening Plenary

The opening plenary was a panel discussion which included Lance Armstrong, President Clinton, Brittany Cochran (a graduate student from Xavier), and the president of Cornell University - David Skorton. The title of the session was: Working Together - Students and Universities Take the Lead on Global Challenges. It was an interesting session targeted to getting students and school administrations to understand some of the processes and nuances of getting an organization or idea into action.

Lance spoke about his experience of getting Livestrong started and how it has grown into what it is today. Brittany talked about her experience of getting her environmental group started at her school of around 2000 people and the challenges that occurred along the way. Finally, David spoke about the support his college gives its students and the what his school has done for starting some new and interesting programs on its campus.

Each speaker brought something interesting and unique to the table. It was an interesting dynamic and I could see the value of what each was speaking about. President Clinton tried to urge everyone in attendance to think about the possibility of each school creating its own branded NGO to help combat global issues. An organization where students and faculty worked together to come up with new and interesting solutions to some of the worlds most pressing matters. While I see some value in such a situation, I also see it being difficult to sell to the student population. I know on the Laurier campus that hundreds of general interest groups are present on the campus and if the administration were to create its own and aim its support for that particular cause, it might create some conflict with these other groups. It makes sense in terms of set up and having the blend of student and professor working on the same cause and solution, but I also see the issue with just such a set up.

In terms of setting up a campus NGO, if this is something of interest to any of you readers, I urge you to look for an already established organization either already working on your campus, or not yet there, and help them to either grow or establish themselves on the campus. The sheer amount of worthy causes out there makes it easy to find something that matches your unique values, and which can use your support. If you are more ambitious and want to start your own organization then all the power to you. If you feel passionate about doing such a thing then do your research. There are plenty of valuable resources available. Each campus is different for setting up a club or group, so consult your student affairs or union group and make sure you understand the process. It is easy to have an idea and think about making it a reality. It is far more difficult to make it a reality, to come up with the time and energy required. I urge anyone to pour their hearts into a cause, to provide their skills and energy to something bigger than themselves. It will show you things about yourself you never knew existed. You will learn things about yourself that you never thought you could do, that you never thought you could accomplish.

A funny thing will happen when you wear your passion on your sleeve: people will join in. Everyone is looking for passion and when you have it people instantly want to be apart of it in hopes that it somehow rubs off on them. When you show your passion for a cause, and go through the work to do something about it, you instantly become a light tower for others. Your efforts will cause other people to put in effort. That is what leadership is about. It isn't about being in a position of power, it is about allowing other people to show the best parts of themselves, to allow them to rise out of the depths of apathy and make a difference. Lance, Brittany, and David are leaders in every sense of the word. Be a leader and let others see your passion.

CGI U

Amazing! CGI U was an incredible experience and charged my batteries. I got there a little late on Friday night for the reception, but I was able to register and get my weekend package. I first checked into the hotel to drop my stuff off and quickly freshen up. Out of sheer coincidence I was able to catch a ride with one of the bus drivers over to the reception. I say that because just at the time I was leaving the hotel he was pulling up to drop off his last airport passengers and then make his way over to the reception. I hopped aboard and started asking questions. Turns out where I was staying was one of the only hotels open just after the flooding as the water stopped about 2 blocks away from it. The bus driver lost his house in the flooding and it was scheduled to be knocked down in a matter of days. It was the house he grew up in, and was in his family for a couple of generations. He told me he was lucky because he was able to afford another home but most weren't so lucky. I heard this sentiment once before when I was in Biloxi, Mississippi after the hurricane. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes such a horrible experience to help people realize the value of life. I am not saying that this man didn't but he did appear to have a stronger sense of life as a result of it nonetheless.

On the bus ride home from registering I met a few people who were also headed back to the hotels. We exchanged business cards and talked about our commitments that all of us were required to make in order to attend. I heard some really interesting ideas over the course of the weekend, and I am looking forward to hearing the progress many people will make towards their commitments over the coming months. One person I met, Ryan, was a masters student at Rutgers in Clinical Psychology. His particular interest was on the new area of Community Psychology, which out of sheer luck I knew a tiny bit about from my studies. He was creating a scholarship for a student from a conflict region to come over and take the program he is in. A number of students I met over the weekend wanted to do something similar.

On the Saturday morning I got up bright and early to partake in the core part of the weekend. I could and will write several posts on the different sessions I was in, because they each deserve special consideration. Each session I learned a bundle from and met interesting people throughout.

During the lunch we were separated into regions, with all the international students attending the same lunch, in order to discuss how best CGI U could continue to build upon the experience and how to facilitate keeping all of us in touch afterwards. We talked about several questions to get to these core questions. During the discussion many of the people in my group were talking about the value of integrating some of the experience of the staff of CGI as well as our 'adult' or global leader counterparts from the annual CGI event. After having Kevin, a friend of mine and the man behind the Kev Blog, in to speak to my classmates, (he spoke about the power of young peoples inexperience) I felt it was pertinent for any mentor relationship between us to be mutual in benefit. I feel very strongly that both our roles could be enhanced by combining forces and using our new ideas and willing to fail attitude with their resources and experience, we could see some ground breaking work occur. I will keep you updated as I continue the dialogue on this subject with CGI in the coming months ahead.

After 2 more afternoon sessions, a traditional crawl fish broil, and a bout of comedy, the day was over and I was asleep on my feet. When all was said and done I was there for 14 and a half hours straight. A lot to take in and absorb, and I am still going over my notes and thoughts to make sure I got what I could out of it.

On the Sunday we were all taken to the lower ninth ward to do a service project. We worked on the Make It Right housing development project spearheaded by Brad Pitt. The approximately 10 block development is based around cradle to cradle design which brings in products that have as little as possible environmental impact, often requiring the manufacturing of all new products, to create houses with as little to no environmental impact or carbon footprint. We went around and cleaned up the sidewalks, cleaned the grime and soot out of the gutters and unclogged the sewer grates and installed some natural filters so that when they start digging things up any run off will find its way into the sewers and not fill them up with mud. The morning was a lot of work but I managed to snap a few photos of President Clinton and Brad as they made their rounds through the development and meet a few more people I had not yet met over the weekend.

While this is a really brief overview of the weekend I will in the near future speak in more detail about each of the sessions I attended. If you are particularly curious though, there is a webcast of all the sessions available here. From the sounds of it it will become an annual event, and if so I encourage everyone to apply to attend. There is a lot to learn by participating in such experiences and I came away with an even greater belief in what I am trying to do. If I didn't think the Ideal World Book was a great idea before I certainly do now. When you surround yourself with people who have a sense of passion and that unique blend of realism and idealism, you can really absorb energy beyond that which you ever thought you could. It is like reaching the highest of highs and having the increased capacity and desire to stay there. Some times you find yourself in a place that brings out the best in you, and you bring out the best in other people. This was one of those places.

This Just In...

I just got word that I have been accepted to attend the CGI U (Clinton Global Initiative University) conference in mid-March. I have been eagerly anticipating this event since it was announced, and my anxiety about hearing if I would be accepted was fairly high. I am very excited to get this opportunity and hopefully some really interesting things will come of it. With any luck I will make some great connections and learn some new things to share with everyone. I will be sure to keep everyone up to date as I hear more about it in the coming weeks. Now I just have to find some money to get down there!

If you are interested in the event and even attending yourself check out the website here.

Giving

I started reading Bill Clinton's new book entitled Giving: How each of us can change the world. Although I am only 3 chapters in it really gets my mind wandering. I mean this in nothing but the best of ways. Every story, anecdote, and tid bit of information gets me thinking of the possibilities and ideas that I have for creating some good. I particularly liked the idea that Bill and his wife Hillary decided to do within their family. They gave a book about how to donate to younger members of their family along with a bit of money under the idea that at least 25% of it had to be donated and that at the end of each month they would check in and expect a report on how they had done. They did this to breed a culture of giving in their family in hopes that it would become a life-long commitment. I think this is a great gift for any family member not just those of a younger age. If you want to check out the book - which I highly recommend you do the link is
Bill Clinton - Giving: How Each of Us Can Change The World