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 University is a five-day training conference for students committed to global change. Delegates come together to understand the challenges of and opportunities for their engagement; to hone the skills and mindsets that will enable them to better plan, execute, and participate in change-based projects; and to connect with like-minded peers from around the world.

The Miami Conference is Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU); there, participants will discuss how student activists can make a difference around the world. Over the three-day meeting, attendees will participate in forums and working sessions to brainstorm ways to make a difference.

I have a background in American foreign policy and I now work to make global impact through a social enterprise that depends on the ingenuity of young leaders, so having these three events land in the same week is sends a powerful message: these are the issues of our time. We must expect that the leaders in our community of nations reduce nuclear weapons while we must facilitate extensive, constructive dialogue among youth to ensure that the world moves forward at this critical time.

I want to highlight the power of the Global Engagement Summit (GES) because it has been a significant contributor to ThinkImpact’s work for years. In 2007, GES hosted a young woman named Emily Karechio from Nairobi, Kenya. It was her first time on American soil, and while she was at the conference representing her nascent nonprofit, the Muthaa Community Development Foundation, she met a chapter leader from ThinkImpact (then known as Student Movement for Real Change). Emily connected with me and before long, a multi-year partnership developed. Today, ThinkImpact’s health trainings for hundreds of people in Kayafungo, Kenya have been successfully implemented due to in large part to her hard work. Her partner on that initiative, Abdallah Mohamed, is now even an employee of ThinkImpact’s!

At GES this year, over 60 delegates from 14 countries will gather from April 14-18 at Northwestern University. This year’s GES includes opening keynote speaker Brian Bordainick, founder of the 9th Ward Field of Dreams, and closing keynote speaker Leila Chirayath Janah, founder and CEO of Samasource. Workshops will be presented on topics including Community Organizing, Social Media Marketing, and Bottom of the Pyramid Business Models. Keynotes and selected workshops will be streamed live on the GES website throughout the weekend. For more information, visit www.theges.org.

As President Obama said during the campaign: “This is our moment, this is our time!”

Although most famous for their innovative ice cream flavors (Rocky Road, Phish Food, and Cherry Garcia to name a few), Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, founders of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, are equally as concerned about fulfilling their commitment to social change.

In a speech hosted by College Democrats at Northwestern University on November 17, 2009, the ice-cream super couple spoke about their business and lifelong commitment to giving back to the community.

The international company began its journey in Burlington, Vermont in 1978.  Socially conscious from the start, Ben and Jerry, opened their first scoop shop in a renovated gas station.  As they began to expand their business, Ben and Jerry struggled to face the fact that they were becoming “business people,” and they feared that by undergoing this transformation into a larger company they would end up embodying negative business practices such as pollution and unfair treatment of employees.   For a brief period, the two considered shutting down.  But in the end the pair took a different and more innovative approach.  They decided to pursue business growth based on a redefined goal of business.  In contrast to the traditional business model of profit maximization, Ben and Jerry decided to adopt a 2-part bottom line based on both profit and giving back to the community.

In 1985 they established Ben and Jerry’s Foundation, which awards grants to grassroots nonprofit organizations through the US “which facilitate progressive social change by addressing the underlying conditions of societal and environmental problems.” In addition to this, Ben and Jerry believe in using the voice of business to promote social change, so Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream uses their popularity to raise awareness about social issues.  Past collaborations have included the World Wildlife Fund and Rock the Vote and they have named ice creams to promote such social issue causes as fair trade and sustainability.

The story of Ben and Jerry raises many questions related GES.  The company is an example of a for profit company that at the same time seriously pursues social change, and whose ideals are closely aligned with those of GES, even though it is very different from the typical non profit organizations that we associate with engagement.

Please join us on Friday, November 20, 8pm at the Portage Theatre for the Chicago Premiere of ’Rebuilding Hope‘ a documentary about the Sudanese ‘Lost Boys’ and their quest to find surviving family-members and rediscover and contribute to their homeland; it also sheds light on what the future holds for South Sudan in its precarious struggle for peace, development and stability.

GES’s Sarah Freeman, a sophomore at Northwestern University and Co-Chair of the Media and Marketing team for the Summit, worked as a student producer on the film.  Freeman spoke to GES about the film.  Excepts:

How did you get involved with the film?

My involvement with the film initially stemmed from my genocide activist work, as a way to experiment with new media as a tool for education and advocacy for students. I attended a screening of Jen Marlowe’s prior film, Darfur Diaries, and after hearing her speak about her work abroad and her goals as a filmmaker I wanted to see how I could get more involved in the process of raising awareness through film.

What was your role on the film?

I served as a student producer for the documentary.  I transcribed some of her raw footage from Sudan, raised money for the film, helped organize its content, and am now trying to spread the word about the premiere as widely as possible.

How does the film relate to your studies and other interests?

The film aligns nicely with my study of the genocide in Darfur, a topic that I have researched independently for many years. What I love about the film, though, is that it focuses on the North-South Peace Conflict in Sudan; most people don’t realize that this conflict is completely separate from Darfur, so I’m glad it’s being brought to people’s attention.

How is film more effective over other mediums?

Film is one of the most effective ways to convey a message, especially to an audience that is not necessarily well versed in the lofty lingo associated with activism and social change. As an activist of sorts, I personally feel as though awareness and advocacy are the necessary first steps in any social change initiative; if you want people to care, they need to know there is a problem.

Why is awareness so important to you?

Working on this project solidified the importance of awareness, and is a constant reminder of why I am involved in so many social change organizations on this campus, especially GES. We all want to raise awareness, become aware ourselves, and do so in the most effective way possible. This film is just one (very good) example of that process at work. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do.

The series profiles “visionaries with an eye on our region’s future,” but also draws connections to the international level. The people profiled run the gamut from a community developer to a cancer researcher to an architect. And, of course, the profiles are done in audio, which is fantastic.

Angela Hurlock, of Claretian Associates, develops affordable green housing in South Chicago.  Hurlock is working to turn things around in one of Chicago’s most neglected areas with an approach to development that emphasizes family. “It’s thinking about what really is affordable for all of our families,” Hurlock says to WBEZ. “It’s not just in the purchase it’s in the upkeep and the usage. And if your utility bill is too high your home is not affordable.”

Rami Nashashibi, who founded the Inner City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) “religious beliefs as a springboard for community action.” Nashashibi’s interview covers everything from the Muslim-American community to the connection of hip-hop culture to Islam.

These folks, similar to GES staffers, delegates, facilitators and alumni, are “global visionaries.”

By CHRISTIE THOMPSON

Last night, I took an impromptu trip into the city (with my lovely GES co-chair) to catch what I could of the Chicago International Film Festival. I’m kicking myself for not going earlier, because the lineup this year was truly staggering – I think I heard over 145 films from 45 countries!

We were lucky enough to catch “My Neighbor, My Killer,” a documentary on the Rwandan Genocide. The film focuses on the Gacaca tribunals, a justice system in which citizen-judges try their own neighbors for crimes committed during the 1994 genocide. The set-up alone is disarmingly casual –prosecutors and defendants sit on the grass, speaking for themselves in front of a card-table of judges. No one is cuffed or restrained, before or after their sentencing.

The entire movie brought up several questions that we continued discussing long after we left the theater. At the end of the film, you watch as a woman who’s children were slaughtered by a man who was once her neighbor, announce that she has forgiven him and the judges should as well. They accept the appeal, and a man who killed so many is allowed to return home and rebuild his life.

I don’t think I was the only one left with incredibly mixed emotions. The woman, Felicite’s, capacity for forgiveness is astonishing, and some might say, commendable. It makes me wonder if the concept of an International Criminal Court is necessarily the best option. Are we merely imposing western concepts of punishment and justice on a culture built on forgiveness? Simultaneously, it was difficult and upsetting to see someone who has caused such insurmountable pain, as seen when the victims of these crimes discuss the loss of their children, go without repercussion. But what I consider to be the necessary process of justice may shift given the extenuating circumstances of Rwanda. How do you rebuild a nation with half of your citizens incarcerated? The question remains with the Rwandan people to find the fastest path to healing. It’s a question all of us GES-ers are asking too, finding ways to use social change and entrepreneurship to help this process of rebuilding.