ignite london 2010 b
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so, why me at ignite?
My passions:– Words: read, written and
spoken– Pictures: capture
imagination and make memories timeless
– The world: our role in, & responsibility to, it
context
Fortunate to have my employer’s support (time & money) to pursue international volunteer efforts
Pitched these opportunities as strategic personal development initiatives, with value added for Western
context
Employers increasingly see value in, and support, international experiences
Stories cover philosophies/lessons learned from four trips to six countries, and what I did to ‘bring them home’
malaysia, 2006
Recently developed nation status
One of worst for GINI index (gap between rich and poor)
Restricted media freedoms and freedom of assembly
Vowed to not censor the Internet as government is reliant on technology for development
malaysia, 2006
Opportunities for new media to express political dissent
Participated in Aliran National Roundtable on Internet Media
Is technology really a panacea for all that ails the world?
bringing it home
Gave me a taste for global political, economic and social issues
Paper published in Canadian Journal of Development Studies, June 2010
Role of new media in development and political engagement
kenya/tanzania, 2007
Nearly three weeks with Western Heads East probiotic yogurt, HIV/AIDS project
17-25 per cent HIV/AIDS infection rate
Coke - seven times cheaper than water
36 per cent live below basic needs poverty line, on .79 cents/day
kenya/tanzania, 2007
$5 covers all medical examinations – but many hospitals don’t even have generators and power is often out
Hospitals cannot afford surgical gloves
Our society is often numbed to statistics, and they don’t tell the whole story
bringing it home
Biggest difference is lack of opportunity; at the core, we share many common values and interests
Despite very real challenges, Tanzania is one of the happiest societies I’ve seen
Does our pursuit of ‘things’ make us ‘unhappy’?
rwanda/dr congo, 2009
Seven weeks helping establish the Kitabi College of Conservation and Environmental Management
Most densely populated country in Africa (more than 250/sq. km)
Teaches nature conservation for tourism & development, creates jobs
rwanda/dr congo, 2009
Can’t seem to move past images of 800,000 dead in 100 days.
That was 16 years ago
And yet, general apathy about ongoing war in DR Congo (the world’s second-poorest), killing more than five million. Why?
bringing it home
Umuganda – mandatory community work day each month
If Rwanda can move toward conciliation, how can we not?
How can we allow “Never Again” to happen? Again…and again?
peru, 2010
Alternative Spring Break program, which teaches service learning to students
Team of 20 to Urubamba, Peru, where we helped build the second floor of a school
First time off the continent for many, and to the developing world for most
peru, 2010
Overcoming language and cultural differences through commonalities, like sport, games and crafts
Importance of reflection Week timeframe may be too
short, but opens eyes to develop interest at an impressionable age
bringing it home
Many were surprised at what they had been able to accomplish
A changed impression of what the trip was all about (no longer just about getting away/résumé building)
Ongoing communication through pictures, partnership with local elementary school
the big finish
We can make change, even if it’s in one person’s life, in our community or around the world
James Brooks from London created 1,000 Classrooms initiative to save apes, environment and people in Central Africa. He was 11
the big finish
Regardless of life’s challenges, we are extremely fortunate
The world is bigger than us –and we owe a responsibility to it
Lessons from the greater world can change who we are at home. And vice versa
the big finish
Change begins within our communities, but at the individual, then communal level
How can we motivate others to see the importance of effectuating change - in our personal lives, our communities and globally?
final thought
I have come to believe that if everyone has the opportunity to see the greater world firsthand, we can potentially begin to live in a more peaceful, tolerant, understanding and empathetic society
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