Don't have time to attend a workshop? Check out notes from this session: 1. There are four different futures scenarios: The Ostrich, the Lame Duck, the Flamingo, and the Icarus. The Ostrich is a type of project which has high financial aims but does not notice wider context. The Lame Duck is a type of project which stays in the idea phase and does not move into implementation. The Flamingo is a type of project which has a good balance between ...

Don’t have time to attend a workshop? Check out notes from this session: What is Health Equity? Generate a definition of global health equity: equal access, equality of treatment, paying attention to vulnerable, marginalized populations, subsidized drug costs, basic health insurance, necessary infrastructure (water, sanitation, transport and equipment), health education, providing health in a culturally sensitive way, focus on both treatment and prevention Why do we care? Basic human right, impact of health on life is huge, economic & societal good, critical about outcomes, ...

Don’t have time to attend a workshop? Check out notes from this session: Case Study 1: Sudanese- not just the Lost boys who were settled in American-went to closer places such as Egypt o Tried to protest their conditions in 2005 and many of them were shot o Nothing changed in their condition, many people are dying o Not given opportunities to be resettled anywhere o Paid traffickers to get them of Israel – severe abuse and now Israel is not letting people in any more- ...

Don't have time to attend a workshop? Check out notes from this session: Phillip Williams, the facilitator for the workshop Sustaining the Environment, Sustaining the Future, works with the Nollen Group which is a financial firm that invests in natural capital and creates sustainable, environmentally-friendly projects all across the world. Over $100 million are invested in projects in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas. He talked about his work and different projects, successful and not so successful. Lessons from the field Patience >> Your first ...

Don't have time to attend a workshop? Check out notes from this session: 1) When confronting culture shock, language barriers are not completely inhibiting. Understanding unspoken communicative norms and cultural body language will bring individuals closer to community members 2) Culture shock is an inherently stressful experience, and removing oneself from the culture is an unhelpful response. Adapt to the situation by "becoming part of the process." Constantly integrate new information about the community and its members. 3) Culture shock is not ...

Faith is a powerful asset. Lauren Marino’s workshop entitled “Channelling Change through Faith and Community” explored answers to questions about working with interfaith groups, the role of faith in development work and the connotations of faith and social justice. “I went to bed crying several nights in a row because I felt like people were disrespecting me and disrespecting each other,” said Marino, describing her experience working in an interfaith fair trade delegation to South Africa in college. That experience ...

It’s the first full day of GES, and after the first panels and first of the Short Talks, it was time for the first of block of the summit’s workshops. I attended “Utilizing Resources for Effective Community Outreach”, led by GES alums and Triple Thread Apparel founders Kyle McCollom and Chris Cole. As this dapper duo—Kyle was sporting a sharp blue bow-tie—led the group with their framework of creating and taking value at six different levels of shareholders, I could ...

STORY: This picture was taken in Mumbai, India over the summer of 2010 while I doing non-profit work.  This image shows the face of poverty and child beggars in India, as well as the stark divide between removed foreigners being shuttled around in taxis and the mass poverty that dominates the city.  The stereotype follows that this beautiful and wide-eyed child has probably never ridden in a car, likely speaks no English, and perhaps only encounters foreigners in this context: begging. The way ...

STORY: In light of the wave of revolution and democracy that is passing over the Middle East, these photos are particularly telling. They reflect the connections that we as American citizens have with the rest of the world, and our duty toward our fellow human beings to stand against the injustices they face. Being an Egyptian American, I wanted to capture the spirit of the Egyptian revolution that extended far beyond the nation's borders to make a global impact; I wanted to share ...

STORY: This boy, Ishmael, drew a picture of "home". Many of these kids are HIV positive or came from parents without the means to take care of them and do not remember life before the orphanage. Ishmael was new to Beacon House and this picture was the most I heard from him the whole time I was there. He never spoke, but this image of "home" communicated a great deal to me. Whether this was ...