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Jen's Journal

Youth Voices on the Global Agenda at the World Economic Forum in Davos



The magnitude of ideas, high-level interactions, intellectual stimulation and scope of opportunities generated in less than a week at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland is more than what some may encounter in a lifetime. It was a great privilege for me to be able to participate this year and be part of the dynamic exchange where I attended private sessions to hear from leaders such as Bill Gates and President Bill Clinton while also having a chance to shake hands with Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, my favourite author Paulo Cohelo and one of my role models, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank.

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A series of back-to-back 18 hour days with at least a dozen compelling sessions and meetings to choose from in any given time slot and knowing that conversations with any participant will lead to new perspectives on the world can leave any person with big hopes for the future in a state of awe. Having been to Davos before, I set out to be better prepared this time, with a daily dose of vitamins, morning and evening stretches, carefully planned outfits and stacks of business cards in hand. It is easy to feel lost in the midst of such high-powered leaders of countries and multi-national corporations with delegations of support staff on site. In my case, I felt rooted as part of the Young Global Leaders (YGL) community, with a clear mission this time around; bringing youth voices to the forefront of the global agenda.

The adventure started with a lost bag. After arriving in Zurich, I watched the baggage carousel grind to a halt and my bags were nowhere to be found. I knew I couldn’t attend meetings with my track suit, so I spent time before the shuttle whisked me away to the mountain town of Klosters on a shopping spree funded by my baggage delay insurance!
Our first day in Davos was a private program specially designed for the Young Global Leaders.

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Since learning about the Global Redesign Initiative at the Young Global Leaders (YGL) Annual Meeting in Jordan that took place in May 2009, I have been working tirelessly alongside a team of TaskForce members of 30 other YGLs in order to reach out and engage the voices of youth in the process. We ran over 30 Town Hall meetings in 20 countries and conducted online consultations, involving over 2000 youth. Key recommendations in each of the six areas of the Global Redesign were highlighted in a report launched just in time for Davos!

Report Link: http://store.tigweb.org/files/YGLYouthReport.pdf

Press Release announcing official launch: http://www.weforum.org/pdf/YGL/YGLredesign.pdf

As the lead for Education and Youth cluster initiatives led by the YGLs, I helped to facilitate a series of pitch presentations for the Youth Task Force along with other initiatives including Learn Money, Global Curriculum on Conflict Management and the Missing Middle. Each initiative had about five minutes to present their idea and key accomplishments to date, followed by feedback and questions with a group of Young Global Leaders. Insightful ideas and recommendations were provided by the group!

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We then had more time for in-depth working group meetings in order to discuss our ‘One Wish’ for Davos. For the Youth Task Force, we talked about the importance of ensuring that our final report was not only strategically distributed, but also reviewed and responded to. After brainstorm the various ways that we might capture the interest of leaders from various Global Agenda Councils, we decided that the best way to generate both interest and response would be to conduct short video interviews. After reporting back to the rest of the YGLs on the idea, my entire agenda for the week became re-focused towards this task. The very first video was with TakingITGlobal Advisor Don Tapscott, author of Growing Up Digital and a member of the Global Agenda Council on the Future of Government.



My aim was to capture responses from as many Global Agenda Councils as possible, while also inspiring an interest among institutions to meaningfully work with youth. Various YGLs pitched in to help facilitate introductions with Global Agenda Councils and Peter Bisanz from Entropy Films donated 30mins of time from his film crew in order to allow me to schedule interviews with high-profile individuals with high-quality footage. I’m pleased to say that from Davos alone, 14 videos have been posted online, representing 9 Global Agenda Councils.

To check them out, go to: http://taskforce.tigweb.org/ygl_youth/wiki/?wiki=1443

The darker side to the story is that I actually captured 5 more video clips and on my way from one place to another, I misplaced the camera and it was lost but never found. After spending an entire day running around and scheduling interviews, you can imagine my disappointment when it was not returned and when I had to reschedule further interviews. Thankfully I actually had two small cameras on hand, one Kodak and one Cannon…so while I almost felt like giving up, I was able to continue on with other scheduled interviews after having picking myself back up from the loss. I am following up with people to try and re-capture video footage, but it requires a lot more of a time commitment.

As they say, it is best to stay positive and when you have setbacks, it is important to keep moving forward and so this was an important and difficult lesson for me. The other lesson was to avoid rushing, as you could misplace something important and rushing may mean that you have to re-do your work, taking more time at the end of it all.

On a more uplifting note, there was a special moment that was both uplifting and also funny. A private event with Former US President Bill Clinton was organized and a group of 150 Young Global Leaders were waiting for over 40 minutes with anxiety in the room starting to build given everyone’s busy schedules. There was a moment that I felt compelled to do a cheer with the room. I didn’t think very long or hard about the idea – I just felt like I had to do the cheer. I asked two of my fellow YGLs what they thought about me doing a cheer, and they said ‘sure, why not’…moments later I was up on stage with the microphone and inviting the entire room to stand up and join me in my cheer! If you’ve been with me before and seen it, the cheer is the one I wrote back when I was 18 and it is sometimes what I like to invite people to join me in singing a long…the words (repeat after me):

I have a dream
That all the world could join and see
I wish they saw the sky
I wish they knew that they could fly

We have the power
To change the world this very hour
Let’s join as one
We are one world under the sun

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Can you imagine a room filled with high-powered business executives, political leaders, journalists and others in suits standing up and joining in an unexpected cheer?! I can tell you that most people had shocked looks on their faces, combined with smiles. It was unexpected, spontaneous, fun and most of all, it got people laughing and easing up the tension from all that waiting.
My other moment on stage was when I gave an IdeasLab presentation following the pecha kucha format of 15 slides with 20 seconds per slide. My focus was to present the findings of the Youth Task Force town hall meetings and online consultations. It was a special experience for me because one of our TIG Advisors Kim Samuel-Johnson was in the room to show her support of our work.

Here’s the presentation!



You can imagine my delight when the presentation generated high-levels of enthusiasm from several senior leaders including the Director General for Health and Consumers at the European Commission and the Secretary-General of the International Organization for Standardization among others. Our break-out group discussion was facilitated by François-Philippe Champagne, another Young Global Leader who has recently joined TakingITGlobal’s Board of Directors. One of the key ideas discussed in the group, was the need for international organizations to reserve a position for youth on their board of directors as well as to establish youth advisory councils.

IdeasLab with Young Global Leaders: Participants

One of the other sessions where I was able to share insights on working with youth was in my role as a Discussion Leader for a lunch session titled ‘Lessons from the Next Generation’. I shared a few opening remarks along with other discussion leaders moderated by Nancy Lublin from Do Something and then we had a chance to chat with participants at our table about youth trends. The theme of social networks and the impact on how youth learn, work and communicate was the topic in focus. Most people shared their concerns about their own children and how to provide the appropriate guidance when it comes to their online profiles and involvements. Some parents seem to enjoy using social networks like facebook to keep in touch with their kids while others feel out of touch. One mother said that her daughter does not want a facebook account as she is afraid of potential consequences. I shared my suggestions on the importance of having open communication across generations. I talked about how my mom is one of friends on facebook and how we’ve had active family discussions about what is appropriate or inappropriate to discuss with our online networks. I also emphasized how important it is for kids to grow up having opportunities to develop awareness and critical thinking skills at an early age. Once the exposure hits, it is important to be able to make healthy choices.

I am starting to see my role as a bit of an intergenerational bridge and one thing I was really inspired by was the participation of youth under 25 who are part of the Global Changemakers program. There were six youth participants who joined us in Davos and took an active role in asking questions, articulating opinions and sharing experiences with the established leaders of the world. What was most impressive to me was when Bill Gates was referring to a question asked by one of the youth in an earlier plenary session. You know you’ve had an impact when you ask an unforgettable question – especially to a smart person who will hopefully reflect and act upon it.

Another way that I have been working to support the initiatives of the Young Global Leaders is in my capacity as the Cluster Lead for Education and Youth as part of our YGL Global Redesign Steering Committee. We have weekly calls chaired by HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway where we share updates and discuss strategies on how to engage the community, foster connections and strengthen initiatives. Here’s a team photo of our group!

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Beyond my role in promoting youth voices and directly engaging leaders in trying to secure greater commitments to working with youth, I also found the content of the sessions to be fascinating. Since I had very little time to sit through sessions with my schedule, I took copies of session summaries and have been reading through them over the past week to try and pull out interesting statistics and comments that are relevant to my interests and concerns.

Here are a few highlights of points that stood out to me in no particular order (taken from summaries provided by the World Economic Forum):
- The latest research in the field of developmental psychology suggests that young children, roughly from the ages of 18 months to five years, spend their time in worlds of their own creation and any average three-year old possesses greater powers of pure imagination than the most fertile adult mind in an artist colony.
- Problem solving and “learnability” are the two most relevant skills for the future.
- One of the key characteristics of the human mind is its ability to see “invisible” links and interpret data. Intelligence is also collective, as seen in armies, families and corporations.
- Although unemployment rates continue to rise, there are still 2.6 million jobs unfilled in the US and 4 million in Europe because of a shortage of skilled workers.
- Over 90% of consumers say they would buy sustainable products.
- Buildings represent 40% of energy use and 70% of carbon emissions in urban environments.
- When it comes to design, the cycle of inputs and outputs needs to be fully considered in order to design for sustainability and achieve positive goals, avoiding reducing negative effects.
- At a consumption rate of about 86 million barrels a day, oil is responsible for 40% of the world’s CO2 emissions. The transportation sector, in particular, needs to reduce reliance on oil.
- The risk of global pandemics is likely to grow in the coming years, due largely to globalization, urbanization and innovations in biotechnology.
- Global defense spending is estimated to have reached US $ 1.464 trillion in 2008 which represents a 45% increase over the last 10 years.
- Asia accounted for 75% of global growth last year and forecasts suggest that it will lead the global recovery in 2010.
- Students are calling for a more behavioural approach when it comes to understanding economic complexities. There is a shift emerging in economic schools of thought.
- Social networks and blogs are now ahead of personal e-mail in terms of online activities and account for almost 10% of time spent on the internet.
- The new consumer is predominantly female – women make 85% of all purchases.
- Art and culture can play an important role in stimulating or reviving identity. Break-dancing, for example, is one way of empowering youth to combat criminality by making better use of public spaces and by providing a means of expression.
- The UN estimates that by 2050 world population will increase from 6.8 billion today to 9.2 billion.
- About 3 billion people are living on less than US $2 a day. If the world is to redesign its systems, it must also fundamentally reset its values and shape a global moral compass.
- Seventy-five percent of extreme poverty in the world occurs in rural areas.
- In thinking about how to reduce the probability of a future crisis, we must realize that we are perhaps “too interconnected to fail”

On the final evening, an informal dinner was organized for Young Global Leaders. It was nice to be able to relax and have everyone together as a group at the end of the events. The evening kicked off with 2009 YGLs having a chance to introduce themselves and sing a song. This put us all in good spirits. Throughout the evening, we had an ‘open mic’ and different people stood up to share some of their reflections on their experiences as a YGL. Near the end of the evening, I had another one of those moments where I felt compelled to share something very special to me….the poem ‘How Does Change Happen?’ that I wrote at COP15. I shared it with the group and also mentioned that as a ‘birthday project’, I would like to have YGLs share their ‘theory of change’ so that I can prepare a short book in connection to the poem. I was really encouraged by the supportive response!

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Finally, those of us in the inaugural YGL class of 2005 were invited to stand up and we all laughed together as we sang a song! We are the world…we are the children….

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Oh – and of course – a week in Davos is not complete without a little cross-country skiing on a Sunday afternoon!

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FIll the Gap!



How have information and communication technologies been utilized to connect, engage and empower youth in developing countries? What are the ways that development organizations can improve the ways that they reach out to and support youth as agents of change? On January 15th, over 200 participants from the Netherlands were convened by IICD, One World and HIVOS to discuss these very questions. I had the privilege of being invited to kick off the event as the opening keynote speaker.

Following my presentation, the Open Space Technology facilitation format was utilized and the following questions were set as the focus:

1. How can we strengthen digital natives in developing countries?

2. How can we mobilize digital natives in developing countries to contribute to development?

3. What could be the role of development aid organisations?

My objective was to inspire the imagination and scope of possibility for participants while providing context on the ways that digital natives are utilizing new media and technology to create change and implement community development projects. I provided a summary of the various six archetypes of young change makers and proposed six related approaches that development organizations can take in order to support young change makers.

Here’s the summary:

1. Showcase: create platforms to allow the Dreamers to express their hopes, concerns & ideas!

2. Amplify: help to spread the messages of the Megaphones rather than see those who are vocal as a threat.

3. Connect: expand the networks of the Spark Plugs so that they can access decision-makers with influence.

4. Co-organize: partner up with the Task Masters as you plan your campaigns, events and projects.

5. Mentor: share your leadership challenges and experiences with the Sherpas to expand their wisdom and perspective.

6. Listen: dialogue with a sense of empathy and openness with the Storytellers without imposing your views.

Overall, I had a stimulating day and loved interacting with people!

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How Does Change Happen?



How Does Change Happen?

This is perhaps one of those eternal questions
that carries both simplicity
and depths of complexity
juxtaposed in a tension
so bright and dark that
emotions explode and identities blurred.

Is your belief defined by your role
or is your role defined by your belief?

How does change happen?

POLICY says the policy maker
MARKETS says the business manager
MASS MOBILIZATION says the organizer

DIALOGUE says the convenor
SYSTEMS CHANGE says the academic
IMAGINATION says the artist

INVENTION says the scientist
INNOVATION says the technologist
INVESTMENT says the banker

DESIGN says the architect
ENLIGHTENMENT says the spiritual guide
LEGAL FRAMEWORKS says the lawyer

CONVICTION says the leader
EDUCATION says the teacher
REVOLUTION says the activist

DATA says the analyst
CRISIS says the journalist
ACTION says the entrepreneur

HOPE says the dreamer
NETWORKS says the connector
INSPIRATION says the storyteller

LOVE says the mother
ASPIRATION says the father
LAUGHTER says the child
POSSIBILITY says the youth
REFLECTION says the elder

And so we ask ourselves
Where we stand, where we shine and where we fly.
We ask whether or not
we are defined
by the roles we take
or the collective outcomes that emerge
when our efforts and beliefs collide.

Is it magic or tragic that we disagree?



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Thankfulness is Bliss



Our energy
moves us and flows through us
like the air we breathe
and water we drink.

It then propels us
forward and outward
helping us to regenerate and catalyze
within ourselves and with others.

We grow
as we discover our life force.

We can tap it, channel it, shake with it
or even play with it.

We are guided
by our own thoughts
intentions and kindness.

We attract what we are willing to share
with expressions of gratitude.

We receive what we generously offer.
Bliss is found in thankfulness.

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A tribute to Patricia Sudi, may her spirit carry on in all of us...



In this world, it is not every day that you encounter people who are so lit up and full of life that hope and beauty become your only lens to view reality. Patricia Sudi was one of those people. Her love for the world and ability to brighten a room with her smile is one of the many things we will be ever grateful for.

I first met Patricia in 2006 at the TakingITGlobal Members Meeting hosted at the One Stop Resource Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Out of the 60 youth who attended, she was one of the most vocal and motivated who spoke up to be heard and wasn’t afraid to stand out. I remember thinking about how impressive she was and how ideal it would be for us to have her as our local coordinator. We followed up and delightfully, she took on the role as our coordinator in Kenya.

With great determination and enthusiasm, Patricia led countless workshops and outreach efforts with thousands of youth across the country and then expanded across East Africa. When we received a grant from Adobe Youth Voices to lead a digital media project in 10 countries, Patricia was among our top selected coordinators reaching vulnerable and marginalized youth with skills training and an outlet for creative expression.

In 2007, Patricia represented TakingITGlobal and her work as a young social entrepreneur in Malaysia at the Global Knowledge Partnership conference where I had an opportunity to see her again in person, after working online for years! Out of sheer amazement for her inspirational presence, I captured a short informal video interview that I would like to share with you.



Words cannot express the sense of pain and sadness I feel for this loss - on both a personal level and on behalf of the many people who have been touched by Patricia over the years. The world is in desperate need of people like Patricia; people who offer compassion, generosity, authenticity and inspired leadership. My only sense of peace comes from the deep gratitude that I feel for the moments that I have shared with Patricia that have inspired hope and joy in my own life, for the incredible contributions she has made to TakingITGlobal and the many youth she has reached across Africa and around the world. Patricia, we honour you, we thank you, we love you.

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Six Archetypes of Youth Change Makers

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Since the founding of TakingITGlobal in 1999, I have been incredibly inspired by my interactions with thousands of young change makers from all around the world. Through my Masters Research on youth-led action in an international context along with exposure to other studies and international conferences examining the role of today's generation of youth as change agents, I have gained an important observation. My observation is that I have seen the emergence of Six Archetypes of Youth Change Makers, which provide a glance at the roles young people are taking on in the process of creating change.


The Dreamer

The Dreamer is the driver behind new ideas. Dreamers are often the first to articulate a long-term vision for the future and think big. It is the sense of aspiration, optimism and imagination of dreamers that drive progress, innovation and change.

The Megaphone

The Megaphone is a vocal advocate for change. Megaphones are very focused on delivering the message and will campaign tirelessly and work hard to lobby for a message to be heard. They inspire action through their words and help to shift priorities on the agenda.

The Spark Plug

The Spark Plug is a catalyst and has a gift for networking and connecting people. The Spark Plug is able to foster collaborations and bring many different organizations and individuals together in dialogue, convincing diverse interest groups to come together for a common goal.

The Task Master

The Task Master is often behind the scenes making things happen and is sometimes the under-rated player within a group or organization. Often, it is the Task Master who literally keeps things together by turning ideas into manageable tasks with actionable timelines. Task Masters are practical, objective-oriented individuals.

The Sherpa

The Sherpa serves as a guide who provides mentorship, insight and training through peer education. Sherpas are natural educators with a strong interest in learning and sharing knowledge. Sherpas value hands on experiences and are able to draw upon the expertise and resources of those they encounter.

The Storyteller

The Storyteller is often the documenter of an organization and its projects, preparing short stories, interviews, blogs, webcasts newsletters and more. Storytellers become a vehicle for spreading inspiration and sharing of best practices through identifying patterns and strengthening movements through recognizing exceptional individuals.

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our stories

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

We have our stories
We have our struggles
And what we're left with
Cannot be measured

And so we question
And we dig deeper
Or aim much higher

But do we soar...?
Or feel sorrow?

Do we feel sorry
For the other
Or for ourselves?

When will we learn
It's up to us
To choose our path
And make our truth
Our dreams come true?

Oh yes they do
If we believe
That yes they can
And yes they will

We have our stories
We have our struggles
And what we're left with
Is who we are

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Highlights from our V6 Launch Party!


About this event: TIG V6 Website Relaunch
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I'd like to share a note of thanks to all of you who have been part of TakingITGlobal's V6 celebration of our online community relaunch!!



The event on Tuesday December 16th was a hit and attracted many members, partners, friends, staff, board members and supporters who shared in the spirit of celebrating our success! The theme of our event was “How do thriving communities form, grow, influence and sustain?"



Guests were invited to share their reflections of the theme on the wall. During my brief remarks, I shared my own inputs on how this question about thriving communities is what heavily influenced our decisions in the process of imagining and creating the new version of our website, and that it remains relevant as we move forward.



Have a look at the videos posted from the event:

V6 Launch Video Part 1



V6 Launch Video - Part 2


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Reconnecting to my Roots

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Tonight I joined a dynamic discussion about how to make TheStoreFront Community project self-sustaining...and I couldn’t help but flash back into the early days of when TakingITGlobal was founded and we had our discussions on what future directions we would take and how our ideals and dreams could be transformed into actionable plans. Of course, even after 9 years of having the ‘idea’ of TIG, the essence of having challenging strategic conversations still remains part of my current reality – however the energy in the room this evening reconnected me to the Fall of 2000, when we hosted meetings with invitations sent out to friends, organizations and those who joined our website from Toronto.

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The dynamics of the room jolted from cohesive and interconnected to somewhat tense given the financial realities of the project. Earlier this year, a 1000 square foot store front space was established in order to serve as a support and communication network in the context of an urban village. Starting in January, the costs of rent will be doubled and the project in its current state does not generate enough revenue to afford costs of rent or administration. That said, an exciting range of events have taken place in recent months including a documentary with interviews of people in the neighbourhood, the inaugural BIG on Bloor Festival (bigonbloor.com/festival), the “b-l-o-o-o-o-r” design campaign including sales of well designed American Apparel t-shirts and bags, the “Everything Local” silent auction event and hosting of meetings, events and exhibits including the Afri Village Fest front window presence & photo documentation.

The project was made possible through a partnership between ThinkTankToronto, Business Improvement Area Office, and a group of students and faculty at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD).

A key driver and designer of the initiative is a former TakingITGlobal staff member, Ghazaleh Etezal who is currently 21 and worked with us as a graphic designer in 2006. As I connected with Ghazaleh this evening, it was amazing to see her in action in her role as one of the connectors and in hearing people reference her contributions of design, research and coordination for TheStoreFront. It was also great to chat with Ghazaleh this evening and hear her attribute TakingITGlobal as part of her inspiration for the project.

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In many ways, the place based goals of creating community for TheStoreFront initiative are aligned with the global online community objectives for TIG. As explained on the website, TheStoreFront aims to be “the common space between two separate disconnected worlds of youth, institutions, neighbourhood NGOs, programs and services available within the BloorCourt and BloorDale Villages (Christie to Lansdowne on Bloor West).” On a conceptual level, it is intriguing for me to observe and be part of a conversation about how to grow and sustain a space that supports vibrant community engagement.

Some of the ideas shared this evening that are most interesting to me include:

- Having a paid membership fee (i.e. $10/month)
- Hosting regular meetings (weekly or monthly) for ‘members’ to attend which would serve as a social space, with topics of discussion
- Utilizing the space to feature the products of local artists (i.e. clothes, jewlery, artwork)
- Having a cafe space with organic chocolate & other organic snacks sold
- Renting out the space to community organizations for events/meetings
- Offering workshops to help meet needs of community members (i.e. English as a second language, or focusing on a particular craft/skill with guest speakers etc).
- Establishing a core base of volunteers (i.e. a partnership with the neighbouring Working Women Community Centre), to offer an experience for newcomers to Canada living in the neighbourhood which would help to ensure that core responsibilities are fulfilled (i.e. keyholders with people who are responsible for opening & closing up the space)

One concern that emerged from the discussions was the issue of timing and how challenging it will be to raise sufficient funds in time for the end of the year. There was some discussion on what the concept or project would be if it did not live in the specific space at 957 Bloor W – however most of the ideas generated were aimed at trying to keep the space alive.
If it ends up not being feasible to maintain the 957 Bloor W StoreFront space due to costs, my recommendation is to develop stronger partnerships with existing places designed for the community (i.e. local community centres, employment centres, libraries etc) and try to help revitalize existing spaces that are supported by the government and that have a history of serving the community. While I love the idea of transforming commercial spaces into being community driven and serving, it may be too challenging to develop a financially sustainable model at this current time due to current economic realities.

On a final note...I do hope that the financial challenges can be overcome and that a proven model can be developed, shared and scaled with other communities!

Here's a list of who came:

Night at the Indies / Meow Films: Gurbeen
Community Arts Collective / Daily Bread Food Bank: Jim
BIG and BIG Festival: Ann
People Plan Toronto: Ann
DIG IN: Donna / Ann
Torontopedia: Himy
Working Women: Diana / Jessica
BloorCourt BIA: Shelley
IF Theatre: Sara
Supportive, active, creative, engaged dedicated locals: Ryan / Michelle / Phil / Darcy / Leah / Leigh / Chatherine S / Craig / Camilo
Delaware Residents (Street Festival): Rosalie
Delaware Open Space: Darcy
Humanist Movement: Nick / Roberto
Sistering (past Chair): France
Green Party: Steve
Annex Lions Club: Monica
Wireless Toronto: Gabe
Concord Café: Genoveva
Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre: Tim
Dufferin Grove Residents Association: / Rob
Anarchist U: Christian / Maggie
Laidlaw Foundation: Ana
Globe & Mail: Nadja
Property Owner 957: Robert Markovits
Chemistry Branding (consultant and partner): Will
Jim Allen Photo: Jim
TakingITGlobal: Jennifer

[unconfirmed]
Freedom Clothing: Amanda
Parkdale Liberty: Jennifer
ArchiTEXT: Zahra
Long & McQuade: Jon
Toronto Poets: Jason / Hajile
Linux Caffé: David



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Art for me

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

layout

Art for me
is a journey
into the unspoken, unknown, unwanted and unheard
realities of our shadows
and of our hopes.

We are suspended in time
glimpsing in the mirror
of our future and our past
They flash before us and cause a jolt
of hope, of fear, of want, of release.

Our senses on overload
we admire and adore
our object of fascination
representing the idol we love
and demon we hate.

we forgive
we empathize
we heal
we bathe
in beauty
and bliss.

This is art
for me.

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21st Century Interactive Classroom Contest Winner!

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Congratulations to Mali Bickley, Grade 5 teacher at W. H. Day Elementary School, Bradford, Ontario who wins over $10,000 in classroom technology and thanks for the mention of TakingITGlobal in your video! We are so thrilled that you are using TIGed.org in your classroom.


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Global Dignity Day

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

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In a day and age when most do not agree on anything, from east and west, to conservative and liberal politics, to issues of race and geography, and amongst differing religions and faiths, I believe, along with the founders of Global Dignity, that dignity is the one thing that everyone in the world wants equally. Dignity can be the unifying force that brings us all together at a time when the world needs this more than ever.

On Monday, October 20th 2008, I, in concert with the co-founders of Global Dignity (www.globaldignity.org), His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Professor Pekka Himanen and John Hope Bryant, and several other Young Global Leaders (as associated with the World Economic Forum) conducted our first ever GLOBAL DIGNITY DAY 2008 in 30 countries, inclusive of every continent.

In this blog, I am sharing an update on Global Dignity Day in Canada. I have taken part in other Dignity Day events including one in Vancouver and another in Jordan that involved Her Majesty Queen Rania in Jordan. I am pleased to report back on Global Dignity Day in Toronto, Canada on October 20th, 2008! We reached 40 grade 9 students (14 years old) in a Leadership Course at Greenwood College (http://www.greenwoodcollege.com/)

I had about an hour to deliver the course for each of the two classes. We kicked off with having the students write what Dignity means to them on a sheet of paper that I handed out, and then it led into a group discussion and a brief presentation on the Dignity Principles. I found that most of the initial definitions people wrote down on defining dignity related to self-respect. My co-facilitator was a grade 11 student (Celine Caira) from the school who helped me to prepare for the event. Celine shared a story about what dignity means to her based on a recent encounter with a 14 year old girl that she met in a recent trip to India with her family. I shared a few personal stories and gave context on the work of TakingITGlobal.org and how we are growing a global community of youth making a difference. I connected the mandate of our website to the dignity principles. In helping the students further understand the meaning of dignity, I asked them to share their own examples of increasing or even decreasing the dignity of others. They were able to generate many strong examples of what dignity is NOT - which actually transformed the energy in the room to be more supportive (for example after talking about the negative impact of making fun of someone for who they are).

As a process note, it was very helpful to have the students read each of the dignity principles out loud and talk about what that particular principle means to them. There were certain words that they did not understand - such as interdependent - so I took time to explain the meaning behind the word.

The bulk of the interactive time was when I had the students break out into groups of 4-5 and develop their own ABC’s of Dignity. They had about 6-7 minutes and I was amazed to see how our their depth of understanding about dignity had significantly increased since I first entered the class. At first, in doing the ABCs, we started out as a full class discussion, but I quickly realized that it would be better to have them work in teams - and this was a very smart decision. Each of the group then had a representative read out their ABCs of Dignity to the class and they were all eager to hear about the different impressions and interpretations.

At the end of the class, I unveiled the ‘Dignity Flag’ which I prepared (a huge canvas with bright colours) with Celine and Caitlin (another student) prior to Dignity Day. The Flag stated ‘We Pledge to DIGNITY’ and the students were invited to put their name on the flag, along with a word that relates to dignity starting with the first letter of their name (i.e. Jennifer - Justice). They were eager to make their pledge and I noted that many of the words were difficult for the students to spell (which could lead to future vocabulary activities in their studies). The Dignity Flag is now being hung in the school and I am hoping that at the next school wide assembly, it will be shared by some student representatives with the entire school!

Thanks for the opportunity to work together!

Special appreciation goes out to Kim Samuel-Johnson who is part of the World Economic Forum community and was a former Global Leader for Tomorrow. Kim helped bridge the connection with Greenwood College and hosted the Dignity Day planning meetings. I would also like to thank Caitlin Samuel-Johnson and Celine Caira, who are the Grade 11 students that helped me in preparing for Dignity Day. Here is our team photo taken at one of our planning sessions! Also, closing reflection from Celine, “Seeing the way Greenwood students responded to Dignity Day gives me hope that one day we will live peacefully with global dignity”.


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WorldBlu Live

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I am incredibly energized from my experience at World Blu Live in New York last week – what a dynamic group of thinkers and leaders in the area of organizational democracy.

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While at the conference, I delivered a presentation in the section on ‘NEXT’ – where I was asked to share examples of democratic and inclusive practices at TakingITGlobal. After providing an overview of the mission, vision and programs our organization offers, I talked about the value of the WorldBlu Scorecard process and how it has provided an opportunity for our core team to improve our internal communications and processes as a result of the feedback from the surveys. TakingITGlobal has been recognized in both 2007 and 2008 on the WorldBlu list of Most Democratic Workplaces. Here are a few quotes from staff members who completed the scorecard:
• “TakingITGlobal is a unique organization not only in the work it does that inspires, informs and involves members, but in the way the organization functions, which is equally inspiring for its team.”
• “This is a genuinely democratic organization with an informal yet effective management system in place. Hierarchy is virtually non-existent. It is idea driven and riding the very crest of the tech-wave. Intellectual blossoming is only one of the benefits of working here”

tree In my presentation, I talked about how we have created evolving visualizations of or organizational model including an earlier version of a tree. For those interested in understanding this model, here is a description that I wrote in 2003 as part of a mid-term paper that I wrote as part of my Masters course on Management in Turbulent Times. Through the roots, the organization is grounded in its core vision and values. The trunk is where much of the administrative support and technology development occurs, which all helps to nurture the growth and development of TakingITGlobal’s key program areas which are depicted through the fruit. In the diagram, the red fruit symbolize the core areas of engagement which address the various key gaps. These areas focus on engaging key stakeholders that work to support youth such as international and youth-led organizations, educators, local communities etc. teamThe online community which is placed at the centre of the organizations activities and focus, highlights the nature of its core program. The yellow circles which connect to the online community are nodes which are drawn in a way that illustrates each of the various online community components (Action, Community, Opportunities, Expression, Voice), and how they are organized in a way that transcends the notion of a tree/organism. The research and sourced projects are ‘low-hanging fruit’ which provide support for other program areas. The overall framework is best explained in the context of a living system because it is one that needs to be able to respond and adapt to changes in external environments. In contrast to the purpose of most organizational charts, this structure does not exist to support people at the top of a hierarchy, but rather, to serve and support the growth and development of key program areas (‘fruit’) which are supported, nurtured and grounded in the shared vision (roots). The issue of survival is one of great importance to living systems, as it is to TakingITGlobal. In order for organizational objectives and ideals to be achieved, a sustainable and healthy ‘system’ must be maintained.

IMG_0469 Another important part of our organizational culture includes teambuilding activities which have ranged from bowling and indoor beach volleyball, to taking part in a ropes course. One of the challenges for our organization is the difficulty in having teambuilding activities that are inclusive our staff and volunteers who are based in different parts of the world and often in different time zones. When Philip Rosedale, Founder and Chairman of Linden Lab, spoke at the conference, he talked about how they utilize Second Life to conduct meetings. Here is a photo of their board room and the various personalities that emerge through the avatars developed! Organizational practices that have been inspired by discussions with other WorldBlu Democratic Companies include the As and Os weekly emails that all staff send out to an 'As and Os' mailing list - each focused on objectives for the upcoming week and accomplishments from the past week. Additionally, we have a monthly Above and Beyond Award based on a staff voting system and a 'kudos' tool where you can send comments through an online system to other staff that are archived on our intranet. For ongoing knowledge management and sharing of information, we have developed an intranet and are constantly using collaborative tools such as wiki's.

Here are a few thoughts that stayed with me after listing to the diverse array of presentations (http://www.worldblu.com/live/schedule.php)

- Bill Shannon, Chief Wisdom Officer at DaVita talked about how their company is oriented around a village-like culture. They have regular town hall meetings, the office of the CEO has a 'Mayor' sign on it and executive employees have a 'uniform' which is designed like a superhero style costume. Considering the large size of the organization, they are able to maintain an atmostphere of community.

- Rodney North, Vice Chair and Answer Man of Equal Exchange focused his talk on the importance of governance and how their company entitles each employee to one vote and one share. This shared sense of ownership creates shared accountability. They believe that the role of a company include the aim of training better citizens.

- Alexander Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer and Author talked about how everyone can achieve happiness at work and that it starts with the simple act of how you say 'good morning'. He shared the '5 Levels' - starting off with 1 being a mumble, 2 saying good morning with no eye contact, 3 is good morning with eye contact and a smile, 4 is good morning with eye contact, a smile and a question about how they are, and level 5 includes everything in level 4 plus physical contact through a handshake. The best part of this session was being part of a transformation of energy in the room when we tried out each of the levels.

- Mike Ferretti, CEO of Great Harvest Bread Company talked about the high levels of customization and localization in their franchise model and shared a powerful diagram that includes about 6 concentric circles highlighting various spheres of their competition.

- Brett Jackson, CEO of Generation Think Tank shared his experience in being part of the first 10 employees at Crocs and some of the negative impacts of the hyper growth experienced by the company.

- A personal highlight of the WorldBlu experience was outside the conference venue at at Carnegie Hall where we watched an awe inspiring performance of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra who played in absolute harmony without a conductor!

- Other insights included learning about a simple practice of having an anonymous question/suggestion box where the CEO can respond to what is submitted during staff meetings, several comments on the importance of expressing appreciation, and the significance of having a results-focused workplace. Also, there was discussion on the concept of scarcity and how it is in your mind - as as the concept of abundance. It is important to choose your views carefully. On the last day, someone observed me taking notes based on my notes, he called me a 'concrete random' essentially based on a matrix model where the y axis includes concrete + abstract and the x axis includes sequential and random. I thought it was interesting to have my thought process being analyzed on the basis of my notebook!

My final highlight of WorldBlu live was listening to Bill Taylor, Founding Editor of Fast Company Magazine, who talked about how important it is for those of us to stay connected and ‘stay in the game’. A very special thank you goes out to Traci Fenton, Founder and CEO of WorldBlu for putting this event together and for her vision and dedication towards promoting and supporting organizational democracy in the workplace. Here’s a photo with Traci, Bill and I.

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Butterfly Effect - Presentation at Google's zeitgeist08

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic



At the beginning of my presentation, I asked the audience to think about the following question: "What contribution can young people make to addressing global poverty?" People sent in text responses via their mobile phones. I was really impressed with the responses and followed up with Matt McKenna at Red Fish Media who sent along the list of text messages for me to post on my blog:

- Volunteering
- Money.
- Communication
- Conserve conserve conserve
- The ability to connect
- Be more selfless
- Promote conservation
- Spend some time walking in their shoes
- Spend less volunteer more vote democrat
- Micro investments and localglobal involvement can be very impactful.
- Just getting involved in one key focus and acting against it
- Teach
- Provide education and employment to the poor
- Start recycling cheaper use of electricity fewer car trips etc.
- Consume less in developed nations.
- Social networking can bring countries and people much closer....
- After graduating college young people can pay it forward by volunteering in impoverished nations.
- First become aware. second start donating .
- Start education programs
- Young people can connect across cultures via the web to create greater awareness at a personal level.
- Create friendships to harness Energy.
- Improve knowledge of the burdens poverty places and spur collective action to take ownership of the problem and make a difference.
- Organize create opportunities for each other and for adults
- Set an example Start a business and employ other young people.
- Mentoring and outreach
- Since poverty is rising in North America young people can get directly involved by working in soup kitchens halfway houses etc.

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We in Me

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

We in Me


It is we
Not he
Who make things great

Our minds our hearts
Have opened gates

To new and old
To rise and fall
To sink and float
To shout and call

Oh next big thing
Come out and play

Not green or pink
Not black or grey

I wonder why
I stop and think
Back to the time
When someone winked

You had a hunch
a big desire
To make it right
To take a leap
To stay and fight

With one they come
Some fast some slow
They help us grow

The we in me
The me in we.



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Silver Bay Leadership Forum Award

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I am honoured to share a reflection on my experience at the 2008 Silver Bay Leadership Forum in Silver Bay, New York where they are celebrating their 90th Anniversary of a conference that explores the current and emerging state of leadership.

IMG_0469 Last night I was one of three recipients of the Inaugural Leadership Forum Awards. As stated in the program “each of this year’s honoured recipients has been selected for his/her demonstrated ability to take bold action, provide solutions to complex leadership dilemmas, and generate tremendous followership. These leaders have also exhibited the rare ability to cross streams and address issues through commercial, governmental, social and economic channels”. We were recognized for our work in solving ‘wicked’ problems and as you might imagine, it was a very humbling and uplifting experience for me.

In accepting the award, we were each asked to make a few remarks and share our perspectives on leadership. I kicked off my comments on how leadership emerges based on your state of mind. I asked the room two questions. The first – ‘how many of you believe that every problem has a solution’? A collection of people put up their hands. I then asked ‘how many of you believe that NOT every problem has a solution’. An even larger group of people raised their hands. I then went on to share a visual diagram that came to mind while travelling to Silver Bay and reflecting on my perspective of leadership. IMG_0493

In the past, my perspective on leadership was somewhat simplistic and singular. Today, I see leadership in the context of trying to solve some of the world’s most complex and interconnected challenges. It is a moving and evolving target that requires constant re-alignment and mobility. In response to my questions that I posed to the room, I shared my realization that problems are interconnected – and YES – there are solutions, though we often need to invent and co-create them.

While preparing for my remarks on leadership on the plane, in addition to my diagram, I also prepared a series of reflections on what I have learned about leadership over the years:


For me, leadership has been about...

- Being aware of problems and taking an active role in being part of creating solutions
- Being called upon to reflect and represent collective and shared experiences
- Asking critical questions in order to better understand realties
- Energizing processes through taking interest, showing appreciation and participating
- Making connections between diverging ideas and different people with diverse backgrounds
- Reflecting on lessons of the past and making decisions that move towards a brighter future
- Having perspective with the ability to both focus in on a situation as well as see a bigger picture
- Taking responsibility for my actions and intentions
- Believing in ideas and possibilities
- Convening conversations across differences and differences
- Resolving conflict through deep listening, understanding and building trust
- Transforming ideas into actions and new realities
- Dancing with life and celebrating beauty in the midst of it all


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While at Silver Bay, in addition to connecting with official conference delegates from various corporations and non-profit organizations, I also enjoyed spending time with the children of the delegates. They were truly delightful and took great interest in TakingITGlobal and my experiences with leadership. I enjoyed responding to their questions and learning from their own experiences. A highlight was also being able to go Kayaking & make a necklace at the Craft Shop!


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spec to designers

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

based on our brainstorm session, we put together a spec document and sent it out to 5 designers in order to have 5 different interpretations of what the new homepage could look like!

notes were included:

Join TIG
-permanent eye-catching 'join TIG' in header (when not logged in)
Login
-has separate logins/signups for organizations and educators (takes organizations, educators to pages relevant to them)
I want to:
-easy drop down lets you go straight to posting your own content/ also gives new members an idea of all of the different things they can do [* doesn't have to be "I want to"] – examples: I want to post a blog, send an e-card, submit an article to Panorama, etc.
Browse Bar – [on left] [example from http://www.connect2earth.org/index.cfm]
-sections drop down and minimize
-clicking on an 'issue' takes you to the corresponding understanding the issues page, ex: http://issues.takingitglobal.org/culture
-what's hot can contain whatever we want – could browse content by popularity, # of views, could also be a 'staff picks' section where we recommend content to users
-languages will show all 12 languages, clicking will let you surf site in that language
Map
-icons at the bottom (not pictured) could allow you to switch btw content displaying on map, ex. One map will show active org profiles, one will show member stories, one could show upcoming events. Map will default to showing member stories, with one story already 'open' on map with a preview of the content, then you can click on the opened story to be taken to the full page, possible ways of displaying members on the map discussed were showing the latest 10 members to sign in as separate points on the map, as well as providing numbers such as: total number of member's online, and total membership.
-note: move members online list (on current homepage) to member search page
Member Content
-divided between the Make Connections, Take Action and Browse Resources section so that members can compare content at a glance, can also see the diversity of what the site has to offer
-will show three items for each section at a time, view more will take you to that site section homepage
–potentially content displayed is rotating between 10 popular/highly rated items from that section from a certain period of time
Spotlight & Partner Spotlight
-big
-flash and video potential
-can browse through all active spotlights (numbers at bottom)
-spotlights automatically rotate every few seconds
Video
-permanent spot for video, initially would be welcome video with space to link to other videos as we add them
-link to About Us Section, 'Check out the latest at TIG' would link to our staff TIG blog






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TIG at ISTE's NECC 2008


About this event: NECC 2008
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

NECC 2008

It was so exciting for the TakingITGlobal team to be part of our sixth year at the National Education Computing Conference (NECC) these past few days here in San Antonio, Texas! TakingITGlobal had a great presence across the conference, and I am proud to share the ways in which we were able to reach out and connect with so many educators. To start with, I’ve personally just renewed my commitment to serve on the NECC conference committee for the next two years. I see my role as helping to think about the ways in which we can best engage the next generation of educators.

NECC 2008 Before the NECC conference kicks off on opening day (Sunday, June 29th this year), an International Reception is held at the Global Connections Lounge, to welcome attendees from around the world (over 30 countries this year!) and to provide a space to share and discuss opportunities for global connections.

This year, TakingITGlobal was an organizing sponsor of the International Reception, and my co-founder Michael Furdyk along with our US Education Program Manager Emily Kornblut, presented an overview of TakingITGlobal’s recent work and invited the attendees to collaborate with us for greater global awareness. NECC 2008 Following the International Reception, the conference’s Opening Reception was held, and provided about a dozen poster sessions for presenters to share their work. TakingITGlobal was one of the organizations provided with this opportunity. We spoke with hundreds of attendees and were able to share our programs with many enthusiastic educators.

On the following afternoon, we had a Spotlight Session, Social Networking for Social Good, held in the Lila Cochrell Auditorium, where we discussed the opportunity for educators to incorporate TakingITGlobal programs into the classroom, and shared many stories of how young people’s use of social web tools have provided them with life-changing opportunities to engage with the issues facing our planet. For the rest of the afternoon, our booth was abuzz with discussions of classroom collaboration and opportunities for partnership with dozens of school districts and organizations.

NECC 2008 TakingITGlobal was also featured as an example of positive youth engagement by Education Technology consultant Sara Armstrong in her session Educating Students about Online Safety. The following morning was an exciting one – two educators who have been using our TIGed tools, Mali Bickley and Jim Carleton, were invited by ISTE to give a keynote speech about the collaborations they developed with schools around the world. During their talk, they highlighted TakingITGlobal.org as a social network for social good, and also showed screenshots of the TIG homepage and their TIGed classroom space.

IMG_0067 On the final afternoon, Steve Dembo from Discovery Education featured TakingITGlobal as a resource in his session Policies, Safety and Socialm, where he provided our website as an example of well moderated, classroom friendly, safe social networking website. The conference was closed by TakingITGlobal US Advisor Idit Caperton, who provided the conference’s closing keynote, and highlighted TakingITGlobal as a resource for positive student engagement.

We have been so pleased to work with ISTE and engage with the NECC conference on so many fronts! Our partnership with ISTE has also lead to a recent presentation in Dubai and a future event in Singapore, and we were honoured to be mentioned in ISTE’s 2008 Annual Report as one of their key institutional partners!

Special Thanks to our TakingITGlobal staff at NECC !

(below photo: from left to right)

Michael Furdyk
Jennifer Corriero
Emily Kornblut
Kirsten Jordan
Luke Walker

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Queen Rania helps to challenge stereotypes on YouTube

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I'd like to invite TakingITGlobal members to engage in a discussion with Queen Rania from Jordan about stereotypes about the Arab World and the Middle East from now until August 12 (International Youth Day)! This initiative is a catalyst for youth to reflect on misconceptions they may hold in their own minds and to participate in an exchange of combating misunderstandings.



In my personal experience working with many Arab youth throughout the TIG community and traveling to countries such as Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, I have been able to challenge pre-existing stereotypes of my own through the kindness and open hearts of the many people I have connected with. It is sad that negative perceptions are so heavily influenced and shaped by the many images portrayed in the media.

Utilizing online social networking tools can provide avenues for people to challenge perceptions and engage in a meaningful exchange. That said, we still need to be open minded and willing to be wrong. We need to be willing to both accept and embrace what we do not understand - and perhaps even fear. We must be curious and willing to ask questions with the ability to question our own assumptions.

Learn more about Queen Rania's efforts to combat stereotypes on YouTube.

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World Economic Forum on Latin America

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

cancun-WEF 150

I'd like to share some of the outcomes from my participation at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Latin America in Cancun, Mexico. I was invited to attend as part of the Young Global Leaders (YGLs) which is a group honoured and designated World Economic Forum who are identified as part of the top young leaders (under 40) from around the world for their professional accomplishments, commitment to society and potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

cancun-WEF 101

Our program started off with a field visit to the offices of Compartamos - the largest microfinance institution in Latin America serving 835,000 low-income micro entrepreneurs. I was fascinated to learn that 98% of their client base are women who were previously un-banked. During our visit we attended a presentation and then went into the community and learned about the economic and social benefits of the services from a group of women who have each received loans. Each week they meet and make payments. DAN_0021

After our field visit we had a session with Young Global Leaders to talk about leadership trends. I joined the break-out group that focused on generational leadership differences. Some of the themes identified among generation Y include: questioning ‘why’ a lot, action and authorship, education focus, seek inspiration, concept of leadership has shifted from authority figure to facilitator, power is less concentrated in organizations, authority is earned based on respect and trust.

I then joined called 'Is Latin America ready to be a winner in the Digital Ecosystem?' as a discussion leader and group facilitator. During our group discussion, we prepared the following inputs:

Recommendations for Government:
1) Make universal access (broadband connectivity and devices/hardware) a priority on the agenda
2) Increase education and skills training to help people see the value of applications
3) Invest in entrepreneurs as content and platform creators (currently websites used in LAC did not originate from LAC)

Recommendations for Business:
1) Lobby government to prioritize the above recommendations
2) Utilize the web as a key investment strategy of the business
3) Invest in specialized training in educational institutions

cancun-WEF 109

Another critically important session for me was joining as the founding member of the Latin America Gender Parity Group in our session on Applying Womenomics. In our break-out group we highlighted the importance of investing in leadership skills training for women, transformation of educational systems to participatory learning environments in order to overcome cultural barriers and developing an awareness campaign to promote the understanding and value of investing in gender parity.

In our session entitled 'Addressing Economic Insecurity in Latin America' the following recommendations were highlighted in my break-out group on addressing inequitable income distribution:

1) The importance of investing in a multi-year approach in order to ensure continual monitoring of impact and retaining of institutional memory
2) Adoption of business practices related to managerial structures and processes (i.e. succession planning, development plans)
3) Working to ensure greater collaboration across sectors (government, business, civil society)
4) Educational systems require improvements and sometimes financial resources are not enough
5) It is important for businesses to have a social responsibility budget in addition to principles
6) The need to incent entrepreneurs to help society and encourage collaboration

Policy Roundtable: Mexico's Successes and Challenges with Felipe Calderón, President of Mexico

cancun-WEF 135A major highlight in attending this forum was having the opportunity to ask a question to President Calderón. I asked about how to address issues of cynicism that exists in the political system and increase interest among young people in politics. I was impressed with the passion he demonstrated in response and the statement that politics is too important to leave to the politicians.
At the end of the session I had the pleasure of meeting the First Lady of Mexico, Mrs. Marganta Zavala! cancun-WEF 137





I enjoyed attending the session on New Leadership in the Americas.
During our break-out discussion we talked about leadership trends in the workplace and the theme of genY and the impact on workplace culture was common among all those in the discussion. There was talk of changing lifestyle expectations, higher levels of education, values-driven culture vs. deception, inspiration vs. command and control, contribution to workplace not being limited to years of experience.

I was selected by the group to report back and comment on actions that leaders should prioritize. I suggested that leaders of organizations should:

1) Pay greater attention to Gen Y and various generational differences
2) Foster inclusive and participatory approaches to strategic planning and decision-making
3) Address generational gaps
4) Reward social benefit approaches to solving business problems



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