0 commentsLooking back on the CGI U!
Last week I, along with four other Global Changemakers, attended the third annual Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), held at the University of Miami in the somewhat sunny state of Florida (although we didn’t really see much of that sun what with the rain). We started our trip with training delivered by Katherine and Louise preparing us for the long days ahead at the CGI U.
The conference itself started on Friday and brought together over 1,200 students from across America and 84 other nations around the world. It opened in the afternoon with a plenary session moderated by former American President Bill Clinton, with opening remarks from Donna Shalala President of the University of Miami. The session explored how creative ideas with a little social imagination can be made into big ideas impacting the lives of thousands around the globe.
The session was immensely motivating and engaging, allowing you to think and hear the challenges they too faced in the start up phase of their ideas and projects (which are now thriving international organisations), which we five Global Changemakers could very much relate to, with our own work and projects impacting change on the ground – as Clinton stated ‘the key to success is PASSION’ and that is something we certainly have and will continue to possess as Changemakers.
At the end of the session we met Bill Clinton, presented him with one of our T-shirts (after all he is a Global Changemaker) and we had an interesting conversation about climate change. This was a prelude to a future conversation we had later on in the conference. We also met Heather Graham (the Hollywood Actress), Pharrell Williams (Musician and Activist), Dr Regina Benjamin (Surgeon General of the United States), Senator Bill Nelson of Florida and Kalpen Modi (Associate Director, White House Office of Public Engagement).
As the next day approached the excitement began as we headed back to the conference centre, we knew we were in for a great day with some very interesting working sessions. The day started out with a plenary on ‘The American Home Front: Creating Change in our own Communities’ in which the panelists shared creative ways in which we, as students, can make a tangible change, whether within our community or university campus. One comment from this plenary that will stick with all of us was something that Dolores Huerta (my new found inspiration) said which was; ‘remember at the end of the day we are all African’, when describing how important it is that we as a human race work with one another to tackle the global issues head on.
CGI U wasn’t just built on plenary sessions, it also had a number of working sessions in topic groups and skill sessions I attended two working sessions, one on Education and the other on Public Health. They were very different to one another but took the same format; in the morning education session we were discussing ways in which digital technology can be implemented with traditional teaching methods, bringing some very conflicting views from the panel, but it was also very interesting to hear the successes it is having in classrooms across America, where students stated that those lessons with a digital technological substance enhance their overall performance.
In the Public Health working session we explored ways to mobilise communities to take action on their health, with a focus on Haiti and other developing countries around the world. The panelists discussed new and innovative methods that we as young people working in this sector could implement to empower those involved in our projects to take more care over their health. The session was very motivating and inspiring, I definitely took a lot of knowledge away and I’m now working on how I can implement these tools. It was also great to connect with other young people who are working in the field of HIV/AIDS whom I shall be staying in touch with and continuing to share best practices and ideas.
The British Council’s Global Changemakers were offered a stall, as part of the CGI U exchange alongside a number of other organisations around the world and some of the States’ top universities. This for us was a great success and allowed us to speak with lots of young people and get them interested about the work we and the other 600 young Global Changemakers are doing around the globe – handed out just over 200 leaflets, alongside mouse mats, pens, pencils and other brochures so hopefully we’ll see a number of new Changemakers coming through the ranks.
The conference ended on Sunday at the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, home to just over 658 homeless people and families from across Miami. As part of the CGI U it’s now an annual tradition for participants to be able to give back to the host community. So just over 855 students embarked on this organisation to do just that. Joined by President Bill Clinton, the Miami Dolphins, Heather Graham and many more we got stuck into the task at hand. We were divided into groups ranging from creating a soccer field, clearing land for the community garden, painting a mural, installing a playground and much more.
I and my group were tasked with cleaning the male dorms of over 122 beds which we stripped and replaced with clean fresh bedding, as well as tidied the dorms making them more comfortable and giving them a homely touch for those residents living within the block. It was a rewarding experience but also a real eye opener to America’s ongoing problem of those living rough on the street, something that Obama has promised to deal with under his leadership, but only time will tell whether the situation will get better or worse.
As we were leaving this organisation President Bill Clinton (as promised in the opening plenary) came over to us, thanked us for our participation within his event and wished us well and told us to continue to do what we do best, creating change on the ground.
CGI U was an unforgettable experience one that will stay with me and the other four Changemakers for a long time to come. We’re thankful to have been given this opportunity by the British Council. As we return home to our respective countries we will continue to do what we know – creating CHANGE!
