I headed off in the morning to the Australian Science and Math School, hosted at Flinders University. The school is only a few years old, and is built with an open concept -- no classrooms, but instead a number of large spaces with desks and chairs that reconfigured in many different ways to foster teamwork and collaboration. We had a large group - about 50 teachers and school leaders, and had a really interesting day -- when I showed the "Are you listening?" video, a whole bunch of students gathered upstairs in the area overlooking where I was speaking to watch - I think they were really curious that so many teachers were learning about their way of using technology!
After a fantastic dinner by the water with a group of curriculum developers, I headed to sleep -- because I had to catch a 6:40am flight to Canberra!
I made it to the nation's capital early in the morning, and it was freezing! 0 degrees but it warmed up as the sun rose... I had a few hours to fit the gym and have lunch before heading to Canberra University -- the group in Canberra decided to have an evening workshop (4-9pm) with dinner. Although everyone had a full day of work before showing up, we still had a lot of active participation, and after wrapping up at 9 and getting back to the hotel around 10, it was time for sleep for another 6:45am flight back to Sydney for the last workshop of the trip!
Arriving in Sydney in the morning, with my 32kg on-the-dot bag faithfully appearing on the carousel, I headed off to Parramatta right on time, and arrived 3 minutes before the workshop was to begin! We had the biggest crowd of any session -- around 60 people, and so a lot of the interactive sections took a lot longer than usual, but they had great ideas and a large group of schools approached me after and wants to deeply engage their entire district with TIGed, which is exciting! After wrapping up and chatting with a bunch of the attendees, I was off to one of my favourite hotels in the world -- the Westin Sydney, to relax, enjoy their great gym, and have dinner with Jenny, who had the whole series of workshops organized, to debrief on the experience (yum, Tasmanian lamb!). After that, I met up with Jarra and Nick, and headed to Micky's for dessert (Banana Pancakes and Ice Cream!) to catch up and for me to celebrate the completion of 10 sessions in 11 days in 5 cities!
I'm writing this now on the flight to Vancouver -- I managed to get right to sleep after lunch on the 10am flight, which will hopefully mean I can work through the North American day and head to sleep at a proper time tonight. Saturday, we head to Quebec City for the World Youth Congress to meet TIG members from all over the world. I've also agreed to head to Brisbane on the 19th to speak at the Queenland Government's e-learning summit, and after that, I'll be ready to just settle down at home and enjoy the rest of the summer in Toronto :)
Now that I've been away a full week, I forced myself to carve out some time to reflect on the intensity of the time so far before kicking off the second stretch.
As always, our summers at TakingITGlobal are quite busy -- generally for the education "industry", most conferences are held during the summer when teachers have school holidays. This summer, as a follow-up to my keynote at last October's ACEL (Australian Counsel of Educational Leaders) conference (which was apparently quite good even though I was quite sick at the time), I was invited to be a "Traveling Scholar" for ACEL, presenting 5 full-day workshops on TakingITGlobal to school leaders and teachers across Australia. In addition, I started off the trip by keynoting a leadership conference at Melbourne Grammar School, and today keynoted the International Middle Years conference in Adelaide... so I've made quite good use of two weeks!
Sunday - Wednesday: Melbourne
After the trek from Toronto to Vancouver to Sydney to Melbourne, I knew the first thing I needed to do to keep my sanity was to spend a good amount of time at the fitness center at the Westin. What a great idea - it helped me refresh, have a fantastic swim in the beautiful infinity pool, and after a brief stroll that was quickly canceled when the rain started, I got to sleep at a reasonable hour.
On Monday, I woke up nice and early and arrived at the charming greened campus of Melbourne Grammar, one of Melbourne's oldest and most respected private schools. To their enormous credit, they had invited students from a broad cross-section of Melbourne to attend the conference, in addition to a grade of their students. I was brilliantly introduced by one of their capable students, and my keynote was well-received - with more questions from students than we had time for. Following the keynote, a panel including a futurist, scientist, and Aboriginal leader Patrick Dodson, who cited my presentation several times as they discussed issues of leadership in the 21st century and challenged students to act on the issues they felt challenged by. In the afternoon, I ran several hours of hands-on workshops guiding a small group of students through the TIG site and beginning the Guide to Action as a tool for action planning.
Tuesday morning, I visited Kilsyth, a suburb of Melbourne, and ran a 3 hour workshop with a group of teachers across that region looking at TIG and especially with an interest in Health education... it was a good challenge because we didn't have Internet except for a very slow 2G connection, so I was able to get well prepared and experiment with some activities for the following days' sessions!
That evening, I traveled to Mooney Valley Racecourse (home of Australia's best race - the Cox plate, worth $3 million!) and presented our work at TIG to about 150 principals, who also had some great questions, and I enjoyed meeting a teacher who grew up in Mississauga and had spent his recent years enjoying and exploring Australia's wilderness.
On Wednesday, I spent from 9 AM to 3:30 PM with an enthusiastic group of teachers and principals learning about TIG, exploring global issues, and understanding how to fit our programs and ideas at TIG into the curriculum and everyday use in their classrooms. I also shared our Best Practices on Global Education resource with them... and then I was off to the airport, heading to my next destination: Tasmania!
Thursday - Saturday: Hobart, Tasmania
On Thursday, I woke up and did it all over again, in a beautiful setting amongst Lemon trees at Lateare Gardens in Hobart with a fire burning to keep us all warm and cozy from the cold outside! I think the goals of what we do at TakingITGlobal really connected closely with some people - one teacher was literally in tears sharing how wonderful she thought what we did was... it's really a special opportunity (as exhausting as it is) to be able to share our work with people that are also dedicating their lives to helping young people develop. I think sometimes we all forget the power and opportunity we have to impact the lives of others - and I feel like a few people really felt reconnected to that opportunity, which is really an amazing opportunity to be able to stimulate.
After a short 2 hour break to refresh and do some e-mail, I headed off to the Hobart Yacht club, where I addressed about 50 high school principals, who weren't able to attend the day's workshop because they were having a leadership retreat. I had to pack 90 minutes into a 30 minute before dinner speech, so I think it was overwhelming, but many of them were quite excited by what we do... and I had delicious local Salmon which was a bonus!
The next day was my main day off. I decided not to head off to my next destination right away, but to stick around in Hobart and see some of the beautiful wildlife Tasmania has to offer. So I signed up for a Tasman Island Eco Cruise - having no idea how much of an adventure it would be! After a scenic bus ride to Port Arthur, one of the main convict colonies from the 1800s, we boarded a powerful boat (675 HP) that they describe as a 4x4 of the sea. Initially the ride was quite smooth - and we discovered some caves and amazing rock formations on the coast. The "swells" were only about 1 meter, and so it was just like jumping waves on a boat at home.
However, once we got out to the Tasman Sea, things got a lot more interesting. The waves and the winds were coming strongly from an unusual direction, and 2-3 meter waves and swells gave us quite a ride! I had chosen to sit in the 4th row (moved from the 2nd) and for close to an hour, we jumped waves and it felt like we were on a roller coaster as we plunged down after riding a wave.... but I stuck with my seat - a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
We arrived at two areas with Australian and New Zealand seals, and at a cove where dolphins chased our boat around until we had to leave - amazing to lean over and watch them at the water and bow of the boat jumping up playfully! A number of albatross with their huge wingspans also provided us with an amazing show - watching them fish and gracefully glide across the sky with nothing around us but huge rock and menacing water... or what looked menacing in my book. In 1998, however, the water was so rough that in the annual Sydney-Hobart race, five boats sank and six sailors were killed.
On Saturday morning, before heading to the airport, I spent a few hours enjoying the Salamanca Market, with hundreds of stalls offering delicious local treats and art and coffee and everything needed to pass a few hours and take in the culture of a place!
Sunday - Monday: Adelaide, South Australia
Now I'm here in Adelaide, where this morning I keynoted the International Middle Years of Schooling conference, and was again introduced by a fantastic student duo! I gave out dozens of bookmarks afterwards, with many many people promising to check out the site and connect their students into TIG. I was also followed by an excellent presentation by Professor Erica, who gave a talk on creativity that linked really perfectly and built on top of many of the themes I covered.
Tomorrow I'm off to the Australian Science and Mathematics School to do another day-long workshop, and then heading to Canberra the next morning... I'll be sure to check in soon with more! And I'll be editing this entry in about 2 hours with photos once they upload.
I am honoured to share a reflection on my experience at the 2008 Silver Bay Leadership Forum in Silver Bay, New York where they are celebrating their 90th Anniversary of a conference that explores the current and emerging state of leadership.
Last night I was one of three recipients of the Inaugural Leadership Forum Awards. As stated in the program “each of this year’s honoured recipients has been selected for his/her demonstrated ability to take bold action, provide solutions to complex leadership dilemmas, and generate tremendous followership. These leaders have also exhibited the rare ability to cross streams and address issues through commercial, governmental, social and economic channels”. We were recognized for our work in solving ‘wicked’ problems and as you might imagine, it was a very humbling and uplifting experience for me.
In accepting the award, we were each asked to make a few remarks and share our perspectives on leadership. I kicked off my comments on how leadership emerges based on your state of mind. I asked the room two questions. The first – ‘how many of you believe that every problem has a solution’? A collection of people put up their hands. I then asked ‘how many of you believe that NOT every problem has a solution’. An even larger group of people raised their hands. I then went on to share a visual diagram that came to mind while travelling to Silver Bay and reflecting on my perspective of leadership.
In the past, my perspective on leadership was somewhat simplistic and singular. Today, I see leadership in the context of trying to solve some of the world’s most complex and interconnected challenges. It is a moving and evolving target that requires constant re-alignment and mobility. In response to my questions that I posed to the room, I shared my realization that problems are interconnected – and YES – there are solutions, though we often need to invent and co-create them.
While preparing for my remarks on leadership on the plane, in addition to my diagram, I also prepared a series of reflections on what I have learned about leadership over the years:
For me, leadership has been about...
- Being aware of problems and taking an active role in being part of creating solutions
- Being called upon to reflect and represent collective and shared experiences
- Asking critical questions in order to better understand realties
- Energizing processes through taking interest, showing appreciation and participating
- Making connections between diverging ideas and different people with diverse backgrounds
- Reflecting on lessons of the past and making decisions that move towards a brighter future
- Having perspective with the ability to both focus in on a situation as well as see a bigger picture
- Taking responsibility for my actions and intentions
- Believing in ideas and possibilities
- Convening conversations across differences and differences
- Resolving conflict through deep listening, understanding and building trust
- Transforming ideas into actions and new realities
- Dancing with life and celebrating beauty in the midst of it all
While at Silver Bay, in addition to connecting with official conference delegates from various corporations and non-profit organizations, I also enjoyed spending time with the children of the delegates. They were truly delightful and took great interest in TakingITGlobal and my experiences with leadership. I enjoyed responding to their questions and learning from their own experiences. A highlight was also being able to go Kayaking & make a necklace at the Craft Shop!
It was so exciting for the TakingITGlobal team to be part of our sixth year at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) these past few days here in San Antonio, Texas! TakingITGlobal had a great presence across the conference, and I am proud to share the ways in which we were able to reach out and connect with so many educators. To start with, I’ve personally just renewed my commitment to serve on the NECC conference committee for the next two years. I see my role as helping to think about the ways in which we can best engage the next generation of educators.
Before the NECC conference kicks off on opening day (Sunday, June 29th this year), an International Reception is held at the Global Connections Lounge, to welcome attendees from around the world (over 30 countries this year!) and to provide a space to share and discuss opportunities for global connections.
This year, TakingITGlobal was an organizing sponsor of the International Reception, and my co-founder Michael Furdyk along with our US Education Program Manager Emily Kornblut, presented an overview of TakingITGlobal’s recent work and invited the attendees to collaborate with us for greater global awareness. Following the International Reception, the conference’s Opening Reception was held, and provided about a dozen poster sessions for presenters to share their work. TakingITGlobal was one of the organizations provided with this opportunity. We spoke with hundreds of attendees and were able to share our programs with many enthusiastic educators.
On the following afternoon, we had a Spotlight Session, Social Networking for Social Good, held in the Lila Cochrell Auditorium, where we discussed the opportunity for educators to incorporate TakingITGlobal programs into the classroom, and shared many stories of how young people’s use of social web tools have provided them with life-changing opportunities to engage with the issues facing our planet. For the rest of the afternoon, our booth was abuzz with discussions of classroom collaboration and opportunities for partnership with dozens of school districts and organizations.
TakingITGlobal was also featured as an example of positive youth engagement by Education Technology consultant Sara Armstrong in her session Educating Students about Online Safety. The following morning was an exciting one – two educators who have been using our TIGed tools, Mali Bickley and Jim Carleton, were invited by ISTE to give a keynote speech about the collaborations they developed with schools around the world. During their talk, they highlighted TakingITGlobal.org as a social network for social good, and also showed screenshots of the TIG homepage and their TIGed classroom space.
On the final afternoon, Steve Dembo from Discovery Education featured TakingITGlobal as a resource in his session Policies, Safety and Socialm, where he provided our website as an example of well moderated, classroom friendly, safe social networking website. The conference was closed by TakingITGlobal US Advisor Idit Caperton, who provided the conference’s closing keynote, and highlighted TakingITGlobal as a resource for positive student engagement.
We have been so pleased to work with ISTE and engage with the NECC conference on so many fronts! Our partnership with ISTE has also lead to a recent presentation in Dubai and a future event in Singapore, and we were honoured to be mentioned in ISTE’s 2008 Annual Report as one of their key institutional partners!
Special Thanks to our TakingITGlobal staff at NECC !
(below photo: from left to right)
Michael Furdyk
Jennifer Corriero
Emily Kornblut
Kirsten Jordan
Luke Walker
I'm speaking tomorrow at PUSH, an interesting conference here in Minneapolis, MN
The first session that just wrapped up was quite interesting - Chandran Nair took us through a look at the world's problems and how many misconceptions there are about what can solve them. What I found striking was the comparison of world problems to spending on trivial/much less meaningful things:
Health & Nutrition ($13B) : Petfood Spending in the USA ($17B)
Water and Sanitation ($9B) : Ice Cream in Europe ($11B)
Education ($6B) : Cosmetics in the USA ($8B)
Jonathan Greenblatt, one of the co-founders of Ethos Water, also gave us a compelling look into the world of Water and how simple and cheap ($25/person) it is to solve. The one thing I don't get - on a $1.79 bottle of water, Starbucks (which acquired Ethos) donates 5 cents (10 cents in Canada oddly). They were founded on the basis of donating 50% of profits... I can't believe profit on that bottle of water is only 10 cents! (considering how much cheaper other bottled water is). Anyway, he now works with a new magazine - GOOD - which has a unique subscription model of giving away the $20 subscription fee to a charity of your choice.
How can this not inspire you with hope that the messages that captivate our friends in the U.S. voting this fall can be positive and not just negative? Messages that excite with the possibility of a positive future, not try to cast fear and uncertainty as the reason to select a person.
I'm very proud of them for ending the video with the simple message of "vote" - resisting the urge to squeeze it beyond need towards the candidate.
My apologies for this very geek-specific post. If you don't have a Dell m1330 laptop, you can ignore it!
My Dell XPS m1330 is my favorite laptop yet (I think it's my 10th in 10 years!), but Dell and Microsoft have made it far too hard to re-format it cleanly without Windows Vista Blue-screening on every second boot (caused by the AHCI setting in BIOS, but not providing AHCI drivers during install). It took me awhile to figure out how to do this properly, so I thought I'd share to help the rest of the Internet figure it out.
2) Run the file with a "-a" from the Windows commandline, which will put those files into the "C:Program FilesIntelIntel Matrix Storage Manager" directory
3) Copy the files from the "Drivers" or "Drivers64" (64-bit Vista) directory onto a USB Key
4) When you install Vista from the DVD, pick the "Custom" option, then click "Load Drivers"
5) Click "Browse", and point to your USB stick. Load the drivers from it.
I'd like to invite TakingITGlobal members to engage in a discussion with Queen Rania from Jordan about stereotypes about the Arab World and the Middle East from now until August 12 (International Youth Day)! This initiative is a catalyst for youth to reflect on misconceptions they may hold in their own minds and to participate in an exchange of combating misunderstandings.
In my personal experience working with many Arab youth throughout the TIG community and traveling to countries such as Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, I have been able to challenge pre-existing stereotypes of my own through the kindness and open hearts of the many people I have connected with. It is sad that negative perceptions are so heavily influenced and shaped by the many images portrayed in the media.
Utilizing online social networking tools can provide avenues for people to challenge perceptions and engage in a meaningful exchange. That said, we still need to be open minded and willing to be wrong. We need to be willing to both accept and embrace what we do not understand - and perhaps even fear. We must be curious and willing to ask questions with the ability to question our own assumptions.
Learn more about Queen Rania's efforts to combat stereotypes on YouTube.
I'd like to share some of the outcomes from my participation at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Latin America in Cancun, Mexico. I was invited to attend as part of the Young Global Leaders (YGLs) which is a group honoured and designated World Economic Forum who are identified as part of the top young leaders (under 40) from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.
Our program started off with a field visit to the offices of Compartamos - the largest microfinance institution in Latin America serving 835,000 low-income micro entrepreneurs. I was fascinated to learn that 98% of their client base are women who were previously un-banked. During our visit we attended a presentation and then went into the community and learned about the economic and social benefits of the services from a group of women who have each received loans. Each week they meet and make payments.
After our field visit we had a session with Young Global Leaders to talk about leadership trends. I joined the break-out group that focused on generational leadership differences. Some of the themes identified among generation Y include: questioning ‘why’ a lot, action and authorship, education focus, seek inspiration, concept of leadership has shifted from authority figure to facilitator, power is less concentrated in organizations, authority is earned based on respect and trust.
I then joined called 'Is Latin America ready to be a winner in the Digital Ecosystem?' as a discussion leader and group facilitator. During our group discussion, we prepared the following inputs:
Recommendations for Government:
1) Make universal access (broadband connectivity and devices/hardware) a priority on the agenda
2) Increase education and skills training to help people see the value of applications
3) Invest in entrepreneurs as content and platform creators (currently websites used in LAC did not originate from LAC)
Recommendations for Business:
1) Lobby government to prioritize the above recommendations
2) Utilize the web as a key investment strategy of the business
3) Invest in specialized training in educational institutions
Another critically important session for me was joining as the founding member of the Latin America Gender Parity Group in our session on Applying Womenomics. In our break-out group we highlighted the importance of investing in leadership skills training for women, transformation of educational systems to participatory learning environments in order to overcome cultural barriers and developing an awareness campaign to promote the understanding and value of investing in gender parity.
In our session entitled 'Addressing Economic Insecurity in Latin America' the following recommendations were highlighted in my break-out group on addressing inequitable income distribution:
1) The importance of investing in a multi-year approach in order to ensure continual monitoring of impact and retaining of institutional memory
2) Adoption of business practices related to managerial structures and processes (i.e. succession planning, development plans)
3) Working to ensure greater collaboration across sectors (government, business, civil society)
4) Educational systems require improvements and sometimes financial resources are not enough
5) It is important for businesses to have a social responsibility budget in addition to principles
6) The need to incent entrepreneurs to help society and encourage collaboration
Policy Roundtable: Mexico's Successes and Challenges with Felipe Calderón, President of Mexico
A major highlight in attending this forum was having the opportunity to ask a question to President Calderón. I asked about how to address issues of cynicism that exists in the political system and increase interest among young people in politics. I was impressed with the passion he demonstrated in response and the statement that politics is too important to leave to the politicians.
At the end of the session I had the pleasure of meeting the First Lady of Mexico, Mrs. Marganta Zavala!
I enjoyed attending the session on New Leadership in the Americas.
During our break-out discussion we talked about leadership trends in the workplace and the theme of genY and the impact on workplace culture was common among all those in the discussion. There was talk of changing lifestyle expectations, higher levels of education, values-driven culture vs. deception, inspiration vs. command and control, contribution to workplace not being limited to years of experience.
I was selected by the group to report back and comment on actions that leaders should prioritize. I suggested that leaders of organizations should:
1) Pay greater attention to Gen Y and various generational differences
2) Foster inclusive and participatory approaches to strategic planning and decision-making
3) Address generational gaps
4) Reward social benefit approaches to solving business problems
I am mesmerised by the colour of the ocean water in Cancun and the touch of the sand that tickles my toes when standing on the beach. The shades of blue, green and turquoise are enchanting and inviting. The rays of sun glistening through the clouds that pass by moves me to connect with my own inner joyful radiance.
The power of the beauty attracts me, as does the sounds and sensations of the waves that continue to flow and greet the shoreline. I am drawn to connect with my surroundings though I am not prepared to be reminded of my own vulnerabilities and powerlessness to the forces of nature.
While standing at the edge of the sand facing the ocean walking towards the waves, I feel excitement and anticipation at the thrill of contact. I move forward step by step and once the water was up to my knees I am hit by a wave crashing down towards the shore. Swept up and flowing forward I grasp for air.
Gulp.
I have accidentally swallowed a part of the salt water. My system in is in shock. Being close enough to the shore I am able to recover and regain control over myself. I am grateful for my ability to recover.
Such a simple encounter can bring up many fears and hesitations. With that one gulp, I realized that my serene scene of peace and beauty was also filled with danger, vulnerability, powerlessness and risk.
And so, I move forward with balance. I am reminded of my power and powerlessness and the harmony that is offered by our gracious earth, sky, wind and water.
Spain is still the preferred route to Europe for many Africans seeking a better life through illegal immigration, but the number of those making the dangerous ocean crossing in flimsy boats has been sharply reduced this year.
Fassara Keita, 26, considers himself among the fortunate. He says he was working as a security guard in his native Mali, but fled a death threat. He walked and rode buses to reach Morocco.
From there, he paid 750 euros ($1,050) last July for a ride in a small boat with 34 other immigrants, which took three days to reach Fuerteventura, one of Spain's Canary Islands.
Arriving without documentation, he was held for 39 days on Fuerteventura, received aid from the Red Cross, and then was flown to Madrid.
"I am asking for asylum. I don't know when I'll get my papers," Keita told CNN. "But I'm better off here than in Mali."
Not all are so lucky. Just this week, six Africans died trying to reach Spain. The boats are flimsy, overcrowded, the crossing perilous. Some flee danger; many others seek jobs.
The Spanish government says illegal crossings by boat reaching all Spanish shores have declined by 60 percent this year, compared with last. The decline is 67 percent for the boats specifically reaching Spain's Canary Islands this year. About 31,000 illegal immigrants arrived by boat last year to the Canaries, which lie a mere 67 miles (110 km) off the coast of northwest Africa.
Officials say the decline is due to increased patrols off the west African coast, in cooperation with the European Union and some African countries. Another factor, they say, is the planeloads of immigrants - more than 6,500 this year alone - who have been sent back to Africa.
Spanish authorities say there's still much work to do.
"As long as the boats keep coming and as long as there's even one death in the Atlantic, we must work forcefully to end clandestine immigration," said Consuelo Rumi, Spain's Secretary of State for Immigration.
Rumi said "the only ones who can be blamed" are the mafias which traffic in humans, and "trick, defraud and extort" the immigrants when offering the clandestine boat rides.
In Madrid, the Roman Catholic Church supports a center catering to African immigrants. It is called Karibu, which means "welcome" in Swahili, said Karibu director Antonio Diaz de Freijo. Diaz de Freijo worked for 12 years as missionary in Africa before helping to start Karibu 20 years ago.
As many as 4,000 African immigrants a year get clothing, food, medical attention and advice at Karibu. But the director says what they really need are working papers.
"The people we serve can't work and fully integrate into society," Diaz de Freijo said. "That's what separates sub-Saharan Africans here from other immigrants."
A Spanish government amnesty two years ago allowed 600,000 illegal immigrants to become legal. But some experts say many sub-Saharan Africans were left out, because they didn't have even the basic documentation to present to authorities.
Immigrants from Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa now make up nine percent of Spain's population of 45 million. Morocco and Romania are the leading sources, with more than 500,000 immigrants from each nation, while Ecuador has sent more than 400,000.
The total number of immigrants from the combined, numerous sub-Saharan African countries is far less, but their plight on the boats has sparked a great deal of media attention, some experts say.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is due to speak about immigration at a summit meeting of European Union and Africa nations this weekend in Lisbon, his office said in a statement.
Zapatero is expected to propose a European-African pact based on three principals: developing employment and opportunities for young Africans to help them remain at home; a policy of managing legal migration that includes developing infrastructure as a key to growth, and a firm policy against the clandestine trafficking of illegal immigrants.
In Madrid at the Karibu center, a motorcycle mechanic from Liberia, who gave his name only as Charles, told CNN he'd rather try to get official paperwork to remain in Spain than return home.
"Going back to my country, that is going to be the most difficult," Charles said. "I prefer to live this kind of life in Spain."
The United Nations hosted a conference called UN Meets Web 2.0 at their headquarters in New York. http://www.un-gaid.org/en/node/1347
I was invited to speak on a panel session titled ‘Networking youth: How ICT can help to connect’.
- I was pleased that our session was highlighted as one of the most dynamic and engaging at the conference by Mr. Sarbuland Khan, Executive Coordinator, UNDESA-GAID.
- I very much enjoyed connecting with each of my fellow panel members including: Ms. Patience Stephens (Focal Point on Youth, UN Programme on Youth, UNDESA), Mr. Armen Orujyan (Chairman and President, ATHGO), Mr. Johan Khairuddin (ASTROplc, Malaysia) Ms. Manar Al-Hashash, (DOT Design, Kuwait)
- Our session Moderator (Ms. Erica Hill, CNN Anchor) asked great questions and allowed for each panel participant to build upon ideas and points raised.
- Themes discussed during our session: importance of localization and multilingualism (role of English vs. Local languages online), discussion about the empowerment of women (and access to ICTs in certain regions), issue of freedom of expression and filtering/censorship online, concept of integration (example of TIG pulling in blogs via RSS, twitter posts, flickr photos, google maps etc), need for greater involvement of youth in decision-making processes (highlighted WSIS process and power of youth networks online helping to strengthen policy influence)
- The absolute BEST part of the session was when a women from the audience talked about how she is a member of TakingITGlobal and sees herself as a mentor in the community for youth. She works in the non-profit sector and receives many messages from our members asking for help on their projects. She talked about how TakingITGlobal is very different than other online social networks because we attract youth who trying to create change and that we are the best platform for those who want to offer mentorship and support in a global context. It was really REALLY wonderful to have this shared with the room - and on a personal level it is moments like this that remind me of why I do what I do - and how beautiful it is to reach people and attract people in this way.
Here is a photo with all of us who attended the aids2031 Young Leaders Summit in San Francisco at the Google Campus. The event is an initiative of UNAIDS and described as a unique gathering is bringing together approximately 40 young leaders in politics, business, media, the arts and civil society, including but not limited to those who have worked on AIDS. A main goal of the meeting is to understand how AIDS will affect each of us in profound, even unexpected ways.
Increasingly, breakthroughs will require new perspectives, approaches, and leadership that cut across sector and geographic boundaries and are rooted in social justice.
Some of the comments/themes highlighted at the meeting:
- No one deserves HIV
- Drivers: inequality, racism, poverty, homophobia, women's rights, unemployment, fragmentation, discrimination, stigma, culture, lack of ownership around AIDS by elected officials, individuals and communities, there is a perception that the risk of infection is low ('I am not the face of AIDS'), commercial sex, abuse, dependency, power disparities, lack of access to resources, lack of awareness/knowledge/education, religious fundamentalism, denial
- Blame and shame hinders acceptance (you have too much to lose if you say you're infected)
- To speak out openly about your status allows the weight to unload and increases ability to move forward
- Stories of many marginalized communities are excluded - for example indigenous communities
- Sometimes short-term views prohibit achieving longer-term objectives
- Without hope for your future - you don't plan your life and you are exposed to many risks
After the trek from Toronto to Vancouver to Sydney to Melbourne, I knew the first thing I needed to do to keep my sanity was to spend a good amount of time at the fitness center at the Westin. What a great idea - it helped me refresh, have a fantastic swim in the beautiful infinity pool, and after a brief stroll that was quickly canceled when the rain started, I got to sleep at a reasonable hour.
On Thursday, I woke up and did it all over again, in a beautiful setting amongst Lemon trees at Lateare Gardens in Hobart with a fire burning to keep us all warm and cozy from the cold outside! I think the goals of what we do at TakingITGlobal really connected closely with some people - one teacher was literally in tears sharing how wonderful she thought what we did was... it's really a special opportunity (as exhausting as it is) to be able to share our work with people that are also dedicating their lives to helping young people develop. I think sometimes we all forget the power and opportunity we have to impact the lives of others - and I feel like a few people really felt reconnected to that opportunity, which is really an amazing opportunity to be able to stimulate.
