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.

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.

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




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!

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.

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. 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.

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.

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

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.

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.



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.

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



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

A 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!





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

I am mesmerised by the colour of the ocean water in Cancun and the touch of the sand that tickles my toes when standing on the beach. The shades of blue, green and turquoise are enchanting and inviting. The rays of sun glistening through the clouds that pass by moves me to connect with my own inner joyful radiance.

The power of the beauty attracts me, as does the sounds and sensations of the waves that continue to flow and greet the shoreline. I am drawn to connect with my surroundings though I am not prepared to be reminded of my own vulnerabilities and powerlessness to the forces of nature.

While standing at the edge of the sand facing the ocean walking towards the waves, I feel excitement and anticipation at the thrill of contact. I move forward step by step and once the water was up to my knees I am hit by a wave crashing down towards the shore. Swept up and flowing forward I grasp for air.

Gulp.

I have accidentally swallowed a part of the salt water. My system in is in shock. Being close enough to the shore I am able to recover and regain control over myself. I am grateful for my ability to recover.

Such a simple encounter can bring up many fears and hesitations. With that one gulp, I realized that my serene scene of peace and beauty was also filled with danger, vulnerability, powerlessness and risk.

And so, I move forward with balance. I am reminded of my power and powerlessness and the harmony that is offered by our gracious earth, sky, wind and water.

The United Nations hosted a conference called UN Meets Web 2.0 at their headquarters in New York. http://www.un-gaid.org/en/node/1347

I was invited to speak on a panel session titled ‘Networking youth: How ICT can help to connect’.

- I was pleased that our session was highlighted as one of the most dynamic and engaging at the conference by Mr. Sarbuland Khan, Executive Coordinator, UNDESA-GAID.
- I very much enjoyed connecting with each of my fellow panel members including: Ms. Patience Stephens (Focal Point on Youth, UN Programme on Youth, UNDESA), Mr. Armen Orujyan (Chairman and President, ATHGO), Mr. Johan Khairuddin (ASTROplc, Malaysia) Ms. Manar Al-Hashash, (DOT Design, Kuwait)
- Our session Moderator (Ms. Erica Hill, CNN Anchor) asked great questions and allowed for each panel participant to build upon ideas and points raised.
- Themes discussed during our session: importance of localization and multilingualism (role of English vs. Local languages online), discussion about the empowerment of women (and access to ICTs in certain regions), issue of freedom of expression and filtering/censorship online, concept of integration (example of TIG pulling in blogs via RSS, twitter posts, flickr photos, google maps etc), need for greater involvement of youth in decision-making processes (highlighted WSIS process and power of youth networks online helping to strengthen policy influence)
- The absolute BEST part of the session was when a women from the audience talked about how she is a member of TakingITGlobal and sees herself as a mentor in the community for youth. She works in the non-profit sector and receives many messages from our members asking for help on their projects. She talked about how TakingITGlobal is very different than other online social networks because we attract youth who trying to create change and that we are the best platform for those who want to offer mentorship and support in a global context. It was really REALLY wonderful to have this shared with the room - and on a personal level it is moments like this that remind me of why I do what I do - and how beautiful it is to reach people and attract people in this way.

Here is a photo with all of us who attended the aids2031 Young Leaders Summit in San Francisco at the Google Campus. The event is an initiative of UNAIDS and described as a unique gathering is bringing together approximately 40 young leaders in politics, business, media, the arts and civil society, including but not limited to those who have worked on AIDS. A main goal of the meeting is to understand how AIDS will affect each of us in profound, even unexpected ways.
Increasingly, breakthroughs will require new perspectives, approaches, and leadership that cut across sector and geographic boundaries and are rooted in social justice.

Some of the comments/themes highlighted at the meeting:

- No one deserves HIV
- Drivers: inequality, racism, poverty, homophobia, women's rights, unemployment, fragmentation, discrimination, stigma, culture, lack of ownership around AIDS by elected officials, individuals and communities, there is a perception that the risk of infection is low ('I am not the face of AIDS'), commercial sex, abuse, dependency, power disparities, lack of access to resources, lack of awareness/knowledge/education, religious fundamentalism, denial
- Blame and shame hinders acceptance (you have too much to lose if you say you're infected)
- To speak out openly about your status allows the weight to unload and increases ability to move forward
- Stories of many marginalized communities are excluded - for example indigenous communities
- Sometimes short-term views prohibit achieving longer-term objectives
- Without hope for your future - you don't plan your life and you are exposed to many risks

My most recent trip to Egypt (February 27 – March 5, 2008) has been incredibly rewarding! As it was my fifth time in the country I found myself feeling very comfortable and ‘at home’ in the environment which was lovely. I also know that the effectiveness of the many meetings that took place was a result of having both Tala Nabulsi (our Arabic Engagement Coordinator who came from Jordan) along with Maged Hassan (our Arabic Translations Coordinator who is based in Alexandria) join me in at the conferences. Our Global Gallery Co-Founder Vittoria La Neve also joined the trip and supported us in preparing for meetings, helping with our Open Forum along with networking and being the inspiration for our EUROMED partnership with the Ana Lindh Foundation. Almost all of our time during this trip was spent at the Library of Alexandria (a.k.a. BA - Bibliotheca Alexandrina) in meetings with participants at both the Third Arab Youth Forum along with the Fifth Arab Reform Forum. Beyond meeting with conference participants we also spent time with many active TIG members and volunteers including Waleed Sorour (who coordinated our Adobe Youth Voices workshops), Hayk (our Discussion Forum Moderator), Ahmed (who is the GYCA Focal Point), and ‘alumni’ such as Moustafa Hussein (our former Arabic Translations Coordinator) and others! It was really amazing to have so many active TIG members share their ideas on how to continue to improve TIG. We also spent time meeting with many organizations to discuss current and future partnerships.

Our main aim and outcome for the trip was to finalize details for a new initiative that TakingITGlobal is launching in partnership with the Library of Alexandria called Youth for Change! The Youth for Change program aims to help youth from the Arab world to become inspired, informed and involved in issues that affect them. The project will be implemented through a partnership between Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt and TakingITGlobal in Canada and will engage youth from these two distinct regions in cross-cultural dialogue as well as support youth-led development through local projects. The pilot project will commence in March 2008 in Egypt and will focus on 10 priority countries.

The project aims to achieve its objectives through the following project components:
• The project will facilitate ongoing cross-cultural dialogue through the use of online community tools and spaces provided by TakingITGlobal and InfoMall.
• Facilitation of local Youth for Change Open Forum events where approximately 30 youth will come together in a library, community centre, school or NGO in order to identify key challenges facing youth and how they can be addressed by youth. These sessions will also showcase related guides and online tools to support youth action.
• Two online live chat events will take place to encourage discussion among participants in the priority countries on the following themes: 'Utilizing new media to promote dialogue across cultures’ and ‘Strengthening youth as community Agents of Change’
• Supporting youth-led action projects through Mini-Grant Awards and online training workshops that will leverage the TakingITGlobal Guide to Action and feature case studies of youth who have had experience in implementing community action projects on topics such as youth employment, health and education.
• Selected award winners will receive scholarships to attend the World Youth Congress in Quebec City in order to receive additional support, training and access to international networks focused on supporting youth-led development

Third Arab Youth Forum



We attended a very interesting session about the role of the media during the Third Arab Youth Forum. Since all of the sessions were in Arabic and there was no formal translations, it was somewhat difficult to understand the full range of comments made (thanks for the summary translations Tala/Maged!). What I did find very interesting during the session was how the topic of identity was expressed and how Arab youth face many challenges related to their identity.

Much of the conflict emerges from the perception and portrayal of Arab identity in the media, especially since 9/11. One of the youth at the conference stated ‘we are not terrorists and we are getting tired of always trying to defend ourselves’. Another youth commented on the lack of confidence that exists among youth and the need to have greater awareness of their own culture and history in order to better explain things to others. The concept of ‘the other’ was raised several times throughout the discussions which left me feeling incredibly compelled to raise my hand and comment on TakingITGlobal. I was given the floor to speak (after a bit of controversy) and nervously expressed my gratitude for being part of the forum and for how welcoming of an experience I have had in my travels to Arab countries (including Egypt, UAE and Jordan so far). I commented on perceptions of the ‘other’ change when you have shared experiences and a space to get to know, understand and appreciate each other. This is when I led into highlighting TakingITGlobal as an opportunity for Arab youth to change the negative perceptions and stereotypes by utilizing our tools (and new media in general) to both express and engage with others in the process of understanding. It felt really great to be able to share the value of TIG in the context of the challenges raised by Arab youth at this forum.

Fifth Arab Reform Forum



I took part in the Opening Plenary of the Arab Reform Forum. The theme of the conference and our session was Media, Democracy and Social Responsibility. The format was ‘Davos-Style’ which involved Questions from the moderator (Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria) rather than prepared presentations. My remarks focused on highlighting the perception of new media among youth - ‘old media’ is about consumption and ‘new media’ is about co-creation. I was fortunate to have a glowing introduction of TakingITGlobal by Dr. Serageldin and talked about the observations made and points raised during my participation in the Arab Youth Forum. After the session many of the youth participants expressed appreciation for my comments.

On Monday, Maged Hassan gave a presentation on Electronic Media. For some reason, none of the other panellists were present so his 15 minute presentation was extended in length! Maged shared examples of different websites and social networking tools (including TIG) and talked about how e-media provides unlimited ways of utilization and that it can’t really be censored. He talked about the responsibility involved in disseminating information and in seeking sources for information. They also discussed the impact of blogging and freedom of expression.

TakingITGlobal Open Forum

We had a really great turnout and enjoyed the facilities of the Library of Alexandria’s multipurpose room. The issues/challenges identified by participants include: Employment, Education, Stereotypes and Perceptions, Immigration, Drugs and Illness. The participants identified these topics based on the Open Space methodology and had small break-out groups to discuss solutions.


Personal Insights and Lessons Learned

Overcoming jet lag by convincing yourself that you have already adjusted
Importance of a nutritional breakfast to last over a long day
Extreme living conditions
Managing time and prioritizing constantly
Music as a form of relaxation in awkward or demanding moments
Enjoying Egyptian food, Sheesha, mint tea, strawberry juice, Belly dancing
Expanding vocabulary in Arabic (10 words)!
Receiving many gifts and words of affection can be overwhelming
Utilizing eye contact and body language as a major form of communication in order to overcome language barriers
Choosing your moments to speak up and voice opinions
Breathing deeply to center self
Laugher and humour as a way to manage anxieties and build friendship across cultures
Mind over Matter - How to sustain yourself on less than 3 hours of sleep and little time to eat
Don’t argue just to be right – seek to understand more than to be understood
Don’t dwell on the past – reflect, analyze, learn and move forward
Value of documentation and capturing experiences in order to remember and preserve sacred moments and experiences
Don’t let past fears hinder or direct your current actions
Don’t expect others to react to a situation in the same way that you would. ‘They are not you’
Changing conditions of environment to stimulate creativity, reduce stress, learn
Trusting in powers beyond yourself, call to prayer as an invitation to give thanks
Understanding boundaries
Making the most time out of limited time
Performing at your personal best and overcoming challenges
Avoid depending on a single source of strength
Focus on what you CAN control – which is how you react and respond to your circumstances

I was delighted to take part in an event hosted in Istanbul, Turkey on "Digitally-Empowered Activists: Getting the Tools to the People Who Need Them". The event was sponsored by Harvard's Berkman Center's Internet and Democracy Project. http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/idistanbul There were a series of interesting case studies showcased during our discussion that are worth highlighting:

Video Advocacy and Mash-ups: Tracking Tunisia's World-Hopping President with Digital Video and Google Maps
• Video demonstration: cannot ‘clean up’ dictatorship theme, remix use of animals, remix use of symbols, mashups (google maps/google earth) about the democratic gap vs. Digital gap, Tunisian prison map (map cracking down on freedom of expression - http://kitab.nl/tunisianprisonersmap/), relative of prisoners
• Tools can be used in a way to promote democracy & human rights
• How to deal with the issue that the more impact you have, the greater censorship
• Debate of Propaganda vs. Detailed analysis
• Issue of making exaggerating claims (Save Darfur campaign in UK was sued by Sudan and won)

Mobile Phone Advocacy: SMS on the Frontline in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Pakistan
• Downloadable software, can send/receive messages on mobile phones, contact manager, groups, run surveys, set keywords
• Messages received can be exported in excel (i.e. reporting of human rights abuses)
• http://frontlinesms.kiwanja.net/ - the software is free for charities (I need an activation code) but cell phone service providers would still need to be paid for messages sent

Social Network Advocacy: Burma Facebook Campaign - 421,569 Members Support the Monks
• Started very ad-hoc from a person in Burma
• Became a bulletin board for everything going on, photos not covered in mainstream media
• Class admin as spammers (too many emails, wall posts etc) – problem, reason for creating a separate website, if over 10,000 ppl in a group you can’t message them
• Short-term, ad-hoc, media-centric
• Unless there is a strong emotional/visual impact (striking image), people may not be interested
• Doesn’t help build a longer-term activist base
• A lot of people are ‘serial activists’ – jumping from one cause to the next
• You might think you have a lot of potential but it can be misleading

Blog-Based Advocacy: Responding to the Post-Election Crisis in Kenya
• http://www.kenyaunlimited.com/ – Kenyans are going online to get information about what is happening in Kenya (600+ bloggers in the blog ring)
• ban on traditional media, compromises due to political sympathies, bloggers filled the gap
• the day the results were announced – SMS saying opposition leaders either shot/arrested
• http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/about/#RegionalEditors
• Ushahidi Calendar (incidents of violence in Kenya) - http://www.ushahidi.com/
• Mashada.com, ihavenotribe.com (many initiatives springing up to denounce tribalism)
• Challenges of data gathering, fear of contradicting gov stats, verification, ‘why’ question?
• Bloggers catch attention of international media, quoting bloggers in BBC gets back to Kenya
• It is important to provide a space for people to react in a constructive way

Training in Technology
• Tactical Tech - www.tacticaltech.org
• Demystifying technology for advocates
• Training groups i.e. sex worker health and rights advocates
• Info-Activist Camp and Handbook
• NGO in a Box – Security Toolkit (may help us address censorship issue)
o http://security.ngoinabox.org/html/en/index.html
• People like print & face to face, pooling expertise and knowledge (skillshare), distributing tools offiline is important, huge appetite for translations, accessing communities hard to train face-to-face (video/audi), people like non-tech version
• Learning can be fun, people keep learning from and helping each other
• Bringing technies and advocates together works
• The less ‘geeky’ the trainer & materials, the more popular it is

Resources:

• http://digiactive.org/ website about tools/application for activism
• The Berkman Centre has many other case studies on the use of technology for activism
o http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/idblog/
o The Citizen Journalism Web Site 'OhmyNews' and the 2002 South Korean Presidential Election
o http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1077920
o The Role of Digital Networked Technologies in the Ukrainian Orange Revolution
o http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1077686


I was able to arrange for important meeting while in Turkey.

I met with Ali Ercan Ozgur who is a TIG member I met in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development and again in Egypt at the 2002 Youth Employment Summit. In 2005 we met in New York at the World Programme of Action for Youth +10 meeting. Ali is one of the founders of the National Youth Parliament in Turkey and is one of the 17 people that I interviewed as part of my Masters Research on Youth-Led Action in an International Context. Having never been to Turkey before, I was really excited to meet with Ali and be welcomed by him to this lovely city (Istanbul). We enjoyed dinner together and talked about our various experiences in working for youth-led development over so many years. We also talked about the challenges that come with 'growing out of youth' - including the overwhelming sense of responsibilities that we start to experience. Ali helped to arrange some meetings for me in Turkey (which I am very grateful for).

Met with the host organization for the World Youth Congress 2010 in Istanbul (e-genclik.net) Rengin Çehreli, Director of Domestic Affairs, e-genclik.net along with Nihal and Ahmet
- learned about history of e-genclik (the organization started about one year ago, founders were participants in the World Youth Congress that took place in Hawaii. It was amazing for me to see how the congress has really inspired youth to work towards strengthening youth-led development)
- we talked about the plans for WYC 2010 fundraising (they have support from the Ministry of Education)
- they expressed interest in having TIG as a partner of the congress
- talked about the Turkish website (ideas on how to improve the site), it was amazing for me to realize that there are people using our non-english versions of TIG and how important it is to ensure ongoing recruitment/training of teams


Met with Youth for Habitat (Basak Saral and Seda Atabay)
- Ali used to work for Youth for Habitat so it was helpful to have him arrange the meeting with Basak Saral who is the Secretary General and Seda Atabay (Bridging Digital Divide Project Coordinator)
- learned about their programs in Turkey (they partner with many companies including Microsoft, CISCO, vodaphone etc) and have launched many ICT training programs as well as online community platforms (such as www.mytecc.com)
- I talked about the TIG website and our desire to work with leading NGOs in countries to strengthen our country websites as well as language websites


Met with Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV)
- This is one of the largest NGOs in Turkey that is very well supported
- they have 10,000 volunteers who support children's non-formal education
- Ali works for TEGV in their Resource Development Department and introduced me to many people in the organization from the Education department, IT and Communications Department along with his boss in the Resource Development Department (Ozgur Unluhisarcikli)
- Ozgur was familiar with TIG (via Ali) and was most impressed with our Educational Games section. They were delighted to see that our MDG game is in Turkish and would love to promote our games to children & youth via their programs (as well as localize further)

The next few blogs were posted by me during my participation on the official Canadian state visit to Brazil, July 6-12, with Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean.

I am writing to you on my flight from Salvador to Sao Paulo with a strong sense of gratitude. This is my first visit to Brazil and after only a few days I feel incredibly connected to a vibrant culture and people. I have been most inspired by the various youth programs that we have been exposed to. Given the disparities between the wealthy and impoverished, it is particularly important to reach out to those who are most vulnerable in order to ensure that they have access to opportunities. The Afro-Brazilians are most disadvantaged in Salvador due to the historical issues of slavery and forms of social exclusion that continue to have a negative impact today.

Most of the projects that we visited in Salvador had a special focus on reaching Afro-Brazilian youth through a variety of methods. At Olodum School we enjoyed a lively performance where students showcased their drumming and dancing talents! The school is open to children and youth from at risk communities as a means of developing their talents, confidence, leadership skills and connection to African heritage. It brought such joy to my soul to experience the rhythm of the music combined with the bright eyes and smiles of the student performers! The Olodum school is part of the internationally recognized group of Olodum percussionists who recently travelled Toronto performing at the Harbourfront Centre during Carnivalissima. I love the idea of linking a professional group of artists with up and coming talent.



We visited another project called GAPA-BA (Bahia’s AIDS Support and Prevention Group) where we enjoyed a theatre production and Hip Hop show with teenage performers from vulnerable communities who are involved in the program. The underlying message of the performances is focused on HIV/AIDS prevention and health education. This peer-to-peer model is quite effective as it allows the students directly involved to become positive influencers in the broader community.



Another inspiring youth engagement project that we visited was the Association of Young Painters of Naïve Art. This community organization involves youth in after-school training and activities involving graphic design, painting, sewing and baking with the aim of fostering employability and entrepreneurship skills. The group has worked with 1,200 youth since launching in 1999. What stood out for me in our visit was the inviting dynamic of the space and the sense of ownership and involvement the youth had in this environment.

On the last day of our State Visit to Brazil a special lunch was organized for us to celebrate our time together.
As we all started to find our seats in the restaurant, Ambassador Guillermo E. Rishchynski allowed me to take his seat and sit next to Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean. I was so delighted to be able to share a meal together at this table and had a chance to ask a few questions about leadership and handling situations of high pressure. I am inspired by how well our Governor General is able to connect with people who have such a diverse range of life experiences and interests. When meeting new people, she has an ability to listen, reflect and respond with a sense of compassion, humility and strength which is something I admire.

As part of our State Visit to Brazil a meeting was arranged with the members of the Canadian Delegation focused on Youth Engagement and the Secretaria Nacional de Juventude (National Youth Secretariat) of Brazil. I found this meeting to be incredibly interesting and relevant to the work of TakingITGlobal.

In 2006, TakingITGlobal conducted a study on National Youth Councils from 22 countries with a focus on understanding their creation, evolution, purpose and governance. The following is a list of the countries included in the study along with a link to the report here

Armenia: National Youth Council of Armenia (NYCA)
Belgium - Flemish: Vlaamse Jeugdraad (VJ)
Belgium - French: Le Conseil de la Jeunesse d’expression française (CJEF)
Germany: Deutscher Bundesjugendring (DBJR)
Greece: National Council of Hellenic Youth Organisations (ESYN)
Ireland: National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI)
Latvia: Latvijas Jaunatnes padome (LJP)
Lithuania: Lithuania Youth Council (LiJOT)
Nigeria: National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN)
Portugal: Conselho Nacional de Juventude (CNJ)
Russia: National Youth Council of Russia (NYCR)
Slovakia: Rada mládeže Slovenska (RMS)
Slovenia: Mladinski svet Slovenije (MSS)
Sweden: Landsrådet för Sveriges ungdomsorganisationer (LSU)
Switzerland: Conseil Suisse Activités de Jeunesse - Schweizerische Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Jugendverbände (CSAJ-SAJV)
The Netherlands: Nationale Jeugdraad (NJ)
Uganda: National Association of Youth Organisations in Uganda (NAYOU)

State-driven National Youth Councils or Commissions
Costa Rica: Consejo Nacional de Política Pública de la Persona Joven (Conseja de la Persona Joven/CPJ)
The Philippines: National Youth Commission (NYC)
Zambia: The National Youth Development Council (NYDC)

Other youth umbrella structures
Turkey: Local Agenda 21 National Youth Parliament (LA21 NYP)
Ukraine: Ukrainian Union of Youth Organizations (USMO)

Canada does not have a National Youth Council yet a sense of interest and momentum has been growing over recent years. During our meeting in Brazil we learned that there was an extensive 3 year process involving research and consultations that led to the National Youth Policy, National Youth Secretariat and National Youth Council that is linked directly to the office of the President and connects with various ministries. There are many priorities identified in the national youth policy including ending illiteracy, employment generation, capacity building, health promotion, arts and culture, environmental issues, leisure and recreation, Information and Communication Technologies, human rights, rural youth, enlarging the citizenship space. Youth-Friendly materials have been produced in order to more broadly disseminate information about the national youth policy that was launched in 2006. The National Youth Council is a consultative group that has representation from government ministries and civil society. Brazil has 50.5 Million youth between the ages of 15-29 with 9 million who are unemployed and 4.5 million who are unemployed and out of school with no primary education. In effort to foster a fully inclusive democracy and socially fair country, there is a particular focus on trying to provide opportunities for these youth who are most disadvantaged. In thinking about inclusion it is important to recognize various dimensions ranging from social inclusion, professional inclusion, educational inclusion, digital inclusion and cultural inclusion.
Brazil has 5360 municipalities of which 10% have youth agencies or local structures that are in place to help implement the youth policy. These youth agencies are primarily based in the larger cities. The aim of the National Youth Secretariat is to ensure that the theme and priority of youth is consolidated as a state policy and lasts beyond any administrative changes.



I was fascinated with what we learned from our Brazilian colleagues during the meeting and have many questions that remain in my own mind such as:
• What factors contributed to youth becoming a major priority for Brazil?
• What emphasize does youth-led development have in the National Youth Policy?
• What is the current level of awareness of the National Youth Policy and National Youth Council?
• How seriously does the government take input from youth?
• How do they balance priorities of inclusion?
• How are issues of generational conflict addressed, especially when existing power structures are challenged?
• The need for promoting leadership capacity among vulnerable youth is clear. What best practices have emerged in this area?
• What effects has the history of dictatorship had on youth engagement strategies – recognizing that youth were once seen as a threat to those in power.
• What budgets are in place to support the implementation of the National Youth Policy?
• In what ways are the youth organizations and networks in Brazil (both formal and informal structures) connected to each other and to the National Youth Council?
• In what ways does the National Youth Policy reflect the UN World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY) ? Was the WPAY referenced during the development of the policy?
• How do existing youth networks and youth organizations relate to and benefit from the National Youth Council? Do people feel that it is inclusive and representative?
• What mechanisms are in place to ensure effective renewal and transition among the members of the Youth Council?
• In some cases, the opinions and attitudes of youth can be easily influenced or manipulated to reflect the agenda of existing powers. What mechanisms are in place to ensure autonomy, independent thinking and free flowing expression among participants?
• What mechanisms are in place to ensure that action emerges from the National Youth Policy?
• What decision-making scope does the National Youth Council hold?

Today I took part in an event called Art Matters with His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond. In looking at the list of participants on my way to the Art Matters event this morning I was trying to determine what the aim of my participation would be. Given the focus on Art and our recent approval of the Adobe grant (for our Global Gallery), I made a wish…to form a partnership with a museum that would allow us to have an art exhibition for our Global Gallery…
I met someone from the Secretary of Culture who is responsible for the museums and galleries in Sao Paulo – and she has agreed to providing space in the Museum of Image and Sound for us to showcase the submissions from our project!!!! This would likely be in March (allowing us time to implement our project and collect images). To add to the excitement, I also met with a Professor at the University of Sao Paulo who is responsible for the Laboratory of Integrated Systems and he has agreed to work with us on setting up the exhibit (involving some students) as well as the projection technology that he has in his lab! We took a picture together to celebrate the partnership and people from the Canadian Consul want to be involved/aware of the follow-up.



I have always dreamed of our Global Gallery having an exhibit in a ‘real’ museum and I think that this dream will come true!! I think that this partnership will also trigger other places where we can exhibit the submissions including the Library of Alexandria, a cultural Gallery in Russia (forget the name), the Ontario Science Centre, the Lava Lounge in Sweden…etc.

Today I took part in a dialogue entitled ‘Art Matters’ with His Excellency Jean-Daniel Lafond and Daniela Bousso, the Director of Paco das Artes Organizacao Social de Cultura. There were about 30 of us involved in the discussion with a mix of Brazilians and Canadians involved in arts and new media. Our discussion focused on three central questions (1) Why has technological art not yet filtered into the general circulation of contemporary art? (2) In what way have new technologies allowed greater access to art (or not)? (3) What public policy strategies are necessary to allow promotion, diffusion and education in the area of art and new media?.

During the discussion I found myself trying to really listen to the various perspectives of people in the room as a means of developing my own perspective. A member of our group spoke about digital art as a collective form of expression that is often in contrast with fine arts as we know it. I agree and think of digital art as a living story and open system where we are all engaged as co-producers and co-creators of the experience. That said, digital technologies and tools to create, produce and disseminate digital art are not accessible to everyone. What concerns me most as someone who is growing up in a digital society, it seems that there is a decreasing focus on cultivating creative talents in our education systems. Funding for the arts in schools is on the decline. In some cases, there is funding for digital media arts programs but these efforts usually come in existence as a result of innovative teachers who are willing and able to go beyond the curriculum guidelines. In my opinion, I think that a priority should be placed on supporting the cultivation of creative talents among children and youth. Spaces that allow for critical thinking and deep reflection is an essential part of fostering personal growth. Art can be a vehicle for understanding oneself and how we relate to the world we live in. given our digital era where anyone has the ability to express themselves and share their stories, we potentially vulnerable to the risk of being bombarded by sensory overload, leading to desensitization. Has our digital culture of co-creation truly facilitated our access to a greater sense of community or deeper understanding and appreciation of life? How can we strike a balance between the individual and collective experience? These are my points of reflection for today.

What’s it like to be on an Official State Visit? I had the same question when I received the invitation to take part on the Official State Visit with the Governor General of Canada. Let me start by saying how impressed I am with the abilities of the logistical team, and their ability to carry out their work with a smile. An incredible level of detail is involved in organizing a trip of this nature. When I arrived at Rideau Hall we were each given a series of bag tags with our names written on them along with a garment bag to hold the clothes we wear upon arrival. The garment bag was for us to put clothes that we would change into on arrival. On the flight, when I arrived at my seat I found a little card that says ‘this seat belongs to Jennifer Corriero’.

We each received a large briefing book to review on the flight and a small pocketbook with a detailed agenda including what van in the Motercade we would be riding in to and from each location. The level of security for our transportation has been most interesting from the inside view. Our delegation of about 10 vehicles is led and followed by police cars and there are police on motorcycles that drive beside us holding off traffic and clearing the roads. It’s funny to see the reaction of people as you drive by. Some are clearly frustrated about being held up in traffic and others are curious to know who sits behind the doors of the vehicles driving by.

Upon arrival at our hotel, we head into a room that contains envelopes with names of each member of our delegation. We are all checked in and head straight to our rooms while our luggage arrives. A buffet breakfast has been included at each of our hotel stays which has allowed for a comfortable morning wake-up. The most uncomfortable part of my trip has been the amount of packing and unpacking in such a short amount of time. This is especially difficult for people like me who do not travel lightly!
Being in the presence of Her Excellency Michaelle Jean has been such an inspiring and moving experience for me on a personal level. Her sense of humility and genuine interest in the people that she meets with sets a very warm and welcoming tone. Being fluent in so many languages is also something that allows for a deeper connection with people. What has been most impressive to me is the ability of Her Excellency to deliver thoughtful and well articulated remarks during each of our visits, in most cases without any notes!