Global Engagement Summit 2009: Our Generation's Moment of Opportunity

by Nathaniel Whittemore

Published April 08, 2009 @ 12:48PM PT

Tonight is the official launch of the fourth annual Global Engagement Summit, a gathering of young people from around the world committed to building a movement for more responsible, sustainable social justice. Rather than just building awareness with another endless repetition of talking heads, the entirely student-run event is built around a specific curriculum of training workshops and self-critical discussion.

The Summit started in a very particular context. Between 2004 and 2005, I had become increasingly aware of global problems, and frustrated at the seeming distance between my generation's desire to good and our ability to have a real impact. My feelings were not unique, and my friends and I committed to harnessing the resources of the university to better close the gap between passion and capaity. Four Summit's later, that spark has helped hundreds of students from around the world come together to learn to do good well.

There are a few things I think make GES pretty unique, and what I hope to focus my coverage on in the next days:

• Focus on global perspectives: GES spends about a quarter of its annual budget on flying in student participants from universities and nonprofits around the world.
• Incorporating local service-learning: The "Engage Chicago" program brings delegates into Chicago for two days of learning and conversation with local organizations such as Hull House.
• Customizable training curriculum: GES minimizes keynotes and has done away with plenary sessions entirely, instead focusing on putting together a curriculum of more than 40 workshops, ranging from Impact Assessment to Interfaith Collaboration. These workshops are designed to help individual delegates - each of whom applies with a specific project they are working on - take their endeavors to the next level.
• Self-Critical Reflection: We have students read challenging works like Ivan Illych's To Hell With Good Intentions, in order to help them move beyond a self-congratulatory humanitarianism that sometimes perpetuates the very structures of power that create problems in the first place.
• Outcome Opportunities: The focus on action commits us to connecting delegates with real resources like fundraising through a partnership with GlobalGiving, impact consulting with Mission Measurement, and more.

But when all is said and done, the most exciting part of the summit is the students themsleves. This year, their projects focus on everything from working to provide easier access for sanitary napkins in Uganda to using mobile phones to promote health access. These are the next generation of social entrepreneurs, and it's their stories I'll be spending the most time on. For now, check out the Summit Program below, or poke around the GES website.