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13-15 February 2009
Unleashing Youth Power at the Clinton Global Initiative University
By Idowu Ajibade (Sauvé Scholar 2008-2009)
Today's generation of young people holds more power than generation before it to make a positive impact on the world, stated Former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
These words resonate so truly among the thousands of young people that participated in the second Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), held 13 – 15 February 2009 at University of Texas at Austin. With more than 100 universities and 60 countries represented, students from around the world - graduates and undergraduates - showed through their Commitment to Action that a better world is not only possible but already in motion.
The three-day meeting which commenced on Friday, February 13th, was arranged around plenary sessions, working sessions, skill sessions, and meet-ups which allowed participants to interact with one another and forge stronger and productive partnerships. Notable people at the plenary and skill building sessions included; Paul Bell, president, Dell Global Public Inc; Blake Mycoksie, founder, TOMS Shoes; Roy Steiner, Deputy Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Margaret Mckenna, President, Wal-Mart Foundation; Zainab Saibi, President, Women for Women International; Jessica Bailey, Program officer, Rockefeller Brothers Fund; Cheryl Dorsey, President, Echoing Green; documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, and many others.
The workshop session on Saturday was followed by an exhibition forum, which gave participants and organizations the opportunity to showcase their projects. On Sunday, attendees were encouraged to take part in a service project at the Rosewood Park and Community Center in East Austin, as a way of giving back to the community of Austin.
To attend the Clinton Global Initiative University, prospective participants have to develop a Commitment to Action. Key elements in CGI commitments are that the project proposed should be generally something 'new' or involving a new approach, or something that draws on a promising solution that can be scaled up or replicated. Also, the commitment must articulate a desired outcome to a specific problem that is achievable within a defined period of time, and it must incorporate an effective plan for implementation. The last criterion is measurability. The commitment must have specific quantitative and / or qualitative goals that can be used to evaluate its progress over time.
More than 1,300 commitments have been made by young people since CGI U's inception in 2008. Commitments made by CGI U participants are often designed to harness the expertise, interests, and resources of students, universities, and youth organizations to address pressing local, regional or global concerns. This year focused on five key issues: Education, Energy and Climate Change, Global Health, Peace and Human Rights, and Poverty Alleviation.
It was a pleasantly revealing experience to attend CGI U 2009. The meeting opened my eye to the creative contributions that young people can make in helping to resolve some of the world's most pressing concerns, whether poverty eradication, sustainability of the environment, equal education opportunities, protection of human rights, provision of health support systems, … You name it.
Some of the unfolding Commitments to Action that illustrate the vibrancy and dedication of young people in finding solutions to global challenges include; the creation of the Genocide Intervention Network by Mark Hanis; The 'One Million Cell Phones Challenge' by Brian Weinberg; the Child Leader Project, Inc. by Samantha Wilson, and the Will Work for Food project.
Mark Hanis founded the Genocide Intervention Network (GI- NET) as a response to the lack of political will on the part of the United States and the international community to prevent and stop one of the worst humanitarian crises in human history - the Darfur Genocide. Then, a final year student at Swarthmore College, Mark established GI-NET to increase protection for the civilian population in Darfur, Sudan. Through the network, youths in America were able to mobilize and pressure their government and other influential dignitaries to take concrete action against the genocide in Darfur by supporting legislative bills aimed at increasing protection and providing money for the supply of basic needs of the civilian population endangered by the conflict. Today, the organization has expanded its program to protect civilians in other mass atrocity zones, including Burma.
The One Million Cell Phone project is a classic blend of social entrepreneurship and responsible global citizenship. Founded by a group of students from the University of North Texas, the organization builds on the last two Nobel Peace winning initiatives: (2006) microfinance and the (2007) environment, by recycling used cell phones to fund microfinance loans for women in Latin America. A million cell phones recycled save 350 trillion gallons of water and change 100,000 lives through microfinance.
Another project recognized at CGI U was the Child Leader Project, the brain child of Samantha Wilson, an undergraduate student at the University of California. It seeks to expand leadership space and higher education opportunities for less privileged children in South India and Southern California.
Will Work for Food is another innovative project demonstrating young peoples' dedication to making positive impacts and realizing the goal of a better world. This non-profit initiative combines the goal of local community service with international relief. The organization encourages its participants to fulfill a "work effort" in their own community such as serving meal, cleaning up local parks or volunteering at hospitals, and get family or friends to sponsor their service with a suggested donation of $10 per work to Will Work for Food project. The donation raised is in turn sent to Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontières ) for the purchase and distribution of nutritional supplements to malnourished children in Darfur.
My Commitment - Youth Environmental Activists Network for Africa (YEANA), - in keeping with the spirit of CGI U commitments, offers a practical solution to the knowledge gap on climate change between Africa and the West, and also between climate change experts and non experts in the African context. The network, by partnering with environmental organizations in Nigeria, will train high school and college students on climate change and establish Green Clubs across universities in Nigeria. Ultimately this project will be replicated in other parts of Africa.
In big and little ways, young people across the globe are making positive impacts in their own communities and in others.
So far, the CGI University demonstrates in a disarming way the words of Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has." To all young people out there, I dare say, YES WE CAN DO MORE. YES WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD.
