In this workshop we defined sustainable development and discussed how success in it can be measured. Are we measuring it in terms of quality of life, economic success, or something else? Sustainable development was very generally defined as “development that satisfies the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations.” There are many different applications of sustainability depending on your viewpoint (for example, sustainable transportation vs. a sustainable curriculum from ...

Saul Garlick explained his experiences with Think Impact and what he has learned about development in rural communities through this work. The most important lesson is to not judge, and to assume that you know nothing. There must be a prolonged time of exposure before you can hope to have impact and you must let the people take the credit for their own future. Also, in order to truly understand a community you must come to understand ...

When you’re working with a community to create a project, how do you benefit all members and not just the economic/ social elite?  During this workshop we looked at a case study of community run tourism that took place in the village of Hodka, India.  The UN National Development Program and Government of India joined together to pilot a community-owned rural tourism venture in 36 villages throughout India, creating Endogenous Tourism Projects with ...

This workshop focused on communication and dissemination of your message. It aimed to help delegates figure out what is the best way to convey the message of their project. Rachel, the facilitator, began with an exercise asking delegates to compare the way that they introduce themselves to each other. Next, she showed participants two different types of campaigns. The first was a global social marketing campaign, which aimed to spread awareness on the ...

Diana began her discussion about fundraising by outlining the three stages of fundraising: Approaching from the Inside Out, Going Out into The World, and the 3 Vs (value, values, and voice). Approaching fundraising from the inside out involves not just asking a potential funder for money, but to first evaluate what you yourself need from the funder. Going out into the world involves approaching the funder and understanding what his values and ...

Read the full article, by Saul Garlick from the Huffington Post. As leaders of the world gather in Washington, D.C. to discuss the future of nuclear weapons and the need for aggressive action to ensure that nuclear materials don't fall into the hands of terrorists, young leaders from across the globe will gather in Chicago, and later in Miami, to address the pressing issues of poverty and the future of youth leadership. The Chicago conference, called the Global Engagement Summit hosted at Northwestern ...

Our GES 2010 closing keynote will be LEILA CHIRAYATH JANAH, Founder and CEO of Samasource, a non-profit Social Enterprise based in San Francisco that brings dignified work to women, youth and refugees living in poverty. Leila and  her organization believe that “work is fundamental to human dignity” and have provided dignified jobs to more than 500 marginalized individuals in Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, and Pakistan by working with 18 small businesses, non profit training centers and rural data centers.

All Northwestern students are welcome to attend a GES workshop. If you are interested in attending a workshop, look through the tentative list of workshops below, then email your top 3 choices to content@theges.org by Sunday April 11th. Workshop passes are distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis.

By now you've already read about NU Stands with Haiti campaign.  Now, as Northwestern's winter quarter draws to a close, we wanted to update you regarding the results of the effort.  Below is a letter written to the Northwestern community from NU Stands with Haiti Coordinators. To the Northwestern Community: On January 12, 2010, the world watched as a massive earthquake struck the island nation of Haiti, resulting in unimaginable destruction. As a community of Northwestern students, we felt an urgent duty ...

A few months ago, we told you about the Unreasonable Institute, which will bring 25 social entrepreneurs from around the world for a 10-week summer institute where they'll receive the training, mentorship, and seed capital they need to get their ventures off the ground. Now, our friends are one step closer to choosing their first crop of social entrepreneurs. 34 finalists are in a race to raise $6,500. The first 25 to cross the finish line will attend the Unreasonable Institute. And the ...