The conference started with a keynote address by Nathaniel Whittemore of change.org. He is a senior at Northwestern University who has traveled all over the world working on international development projects and is the founder of GES. When I heard a senior was giving the keynote I was politely unimpressed. His introduction made me realize that this was no mere senior and his speech... well, eloquent was not the word. The passion and conviction with which he delivered his view of students of today made me proud and inspired.
With nods to a few forgotten heroes, including Jane Addams, the founder of the first homelessness shelter - Hull House, and Thomas Clarkson, who won the Nobel Peace prize for his essay about the injustice of enslaving fellow humans and subsequently organized the movement that turned the British Empire from the largest human trafficking nation to the most passionate antislavery task force in the world - all in one lifetime.
Going through the conference today, I had the opportunity to speak closely with an Australian delegate and one from Tanzania. Meeting other students interested in social change is an entirely unique opportunity. We have so much to learn from each other. It is amazing to see how not only are Americans interested in the development of nations (and I say not only because only in America is there such a "volunteering" spirit), but also students from the very countries we might go to aid are actively involved and trying to solve the problems as they see them.
As much as I would love to copy the full text of his speech into here, in the name of space, here is a part. Right before this excerpt, Nathaniel described how he and twelve friends went on a global expedition looking for the natural leaders in communities, the change makers. He simultaneously felt inspired and humbled.
This was the context in which the Global Engagement Summit was born. What had started as a training event quickly took on a much bigger meaning. I wanted to believe in my generation. I wanted to believe that we were smart enough, self-critical enough, committed enough, pragmatic enough, innovative enough to change the world.
But I still remember feeling so nervous the night before the very first event. My team had poured themselves into building an incredible program, but still I worried. My great fear was not about capacity but about flippancy. I was terrified that these students that we had brought from all over the world would take this as a chance simply to see the city, drink a bit, and congratulate themselves for their wonderful intentions. I worried what this would suggest about my own commitment.
What I found instead was the generation that I had been looking for. That first group of delegates and indeed, each since, were, as I had been, humbled by the magnitude of the poverty, injustice, and inequality in the world. They were clear-eyed about their own limitations, indeed, the limitations of the nonprofit sector on it's own to truly change the structures of oppression that deny talented, passionate people around the world the opportunity to thrive and create meaning.
But from the very bottom of their being, they were unwilling to accept the world as it is as the natural state of things. They were unwilling to accept that injustice should be anything other than aberrational. They were unwilling to accept incapacitation and were hell-bent on discovering the power in themselves and in others to make the world a place where all could thrive. They understood, as Jane Addams did, that in today's world, "Action...is the sole medium of expression for ethics."
In all of my interactions with other delegates, I have been extremely impressed by their passion and dedication no matter what stage their project is in. I have learned so much about other countries problems and social stigmas by talking to the delegates from Australia and Tanzania. It's an amazing opportunity to give an receive feedback from students focused on amazing projects who have thought extensively about social change. In the small group discussions today after the workshops, I was completely blown away by our discussion. Everyone was respectful of each other's views, even when sometimes they had very different viewpoints.
We discussed Ian Illich's 1968 speech "To Hell With Good Intentions" in which he (summarizing) says that well intentioned people in foreign countries with the intent to help should get the hell out. We live in a different world in 2009, but the idea of needing to be absolutely sure you are doing the good you intend is just as poignant now. My friend Kristen once talked about one of the most memorable moments in her life. She was helping out in a soup kitchen where the helpers also eat dinner with the people who come through. She sat down with a homeless man and talked about an international project she was working on. He said, "what about us?" She said that moment hit her hard, and I understand why. The other sentiment that popped into my head was a story another friend told me. She was helping out with a habitat for humanity organization in an area that had been devastated by a horrible natural disaster several years prior. It was a week long trip and on Wednesday, nothing had been done. The people of the region were uninterested and the volunteers didn't know how to best help. On Thursday, the group leader called a town meeting and gathered all the people of the region together, possibly for the first time. He asked simply, "What needs to be done?" and "What can you do?" The next two hours were filled with people weighing in on important projects and the following three days were incredible. With the community empowered, more work got done in a few days than had dragged on for months.
Self ownership of a solution is the difference between success and failure.
A few other interesting ideas came out of our discussions. One student believed that the goal of any non-profit organization should be "always work to make yourself obsolete." When a community has become self sufficient in the way of social change, they have fully taken charge of their situation. It's a nice soundbite, and an issue I will thoughtfully consider as I work for the international community. Today was very much about how to consider all the people being affected by the work you do. The women, the children, the men, and the natural leaders all have to be part of the change. Even with the increasing awareness and thought of people as global citizens, it is important to pause before blindly charging through the "best" solution.
Despite a desire to "save the world," it's good to step back and ask how to empower people to save their own community themselves.
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