Anything is Possible from The Canary Collective on Vimeo.

There are no words to describe how thrilled we are: Brian Bordainick will be the opening keynote to GES. He will speak at the opening banquet, in front of GES staff, delegates and everyone who has collaborated with the realization of the Summit, including Northwestern’s President Morton Schapiro.

Why Brian?

The opening keynote should give delegates a taste of what GES is about, what they should expect from the Summit and above all, it should give them a clear sense of WHY they are here. They are here to form a learning community of individuals that care to see beyond the end of their nose, and dare to act upon what they see.

Brian is one of us. When he graduated, he went with Teach for America to New Orleans. He found a community devastated by hurricane Katrina. Right now, kids at George Washington Carver High School receive classes in prefabricated trailers and of course there is no proper sports infrastructure.

New Orleans’ 9^th Ward suffers from many illnesses related to lack of infrastructure and places for the community to gather and enjoy. The aspect of a place can affect a community in very bad ways.  Brian saw that obvious connection between low graduation rates, high crime and drug use with the fact that students were not motivated by their surroundings.

Due to these harsh realities and after being promoted to Athletic Director after only 3 months in Teach for America, Brian founded the 9^th Ward Field of Dreams, a non profit organization that has already raised more than a million dollars for a project that will bring a football field, track, lighting system, and stadium seating to New Orleans. This will not only benefit Carver High School, but also the rest of New Orleans.

This project builds community by creating a space for young people to practice sports and for the whole community to enjoy themselves, get to know each other and this way realize all the potential they have to further improve their surroundings. When they accomplish their goal, the 9^th Ward will be completely conscious of the inherent ability all communities have to come together and fight for the same cause.

The lesson:

After hearing Brian’s story, delegates will realize that it is never too early to take upon projects that seem “too big” for young people like us. At GES, delegates will make life long connections and learn skills that will enable them to take over projects that improve communities in the same way – and through a million different methods-that Brian is doing with New Orlean’s 9^th Ward. He inspired us, we hope he inspires you too!!