My top 3 take aways from the Talloires Network Conference 2011:

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Neethu Putta

1) The workshop on “Meaning Making” — (You can read my abridged version in a blog post here) I write this as one of my takeaways because I plan to run this session for the students here at Tufts who are involved with the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. These students are superstars… they run projects all over the greater Boston area and accomplish so many great things. But this workshop helped me realize that once you get caught up in your work, it’s very easy to lose sight of who you are and how you are related to the work you are doing. I want to share that enlightenment with the scholars of Tisch and remind them WHY they are doing what they are doing.

2) The integration of technology into promoting civic engagement skills on campus — Students are connected through a multitude of networks online, whether sites promoted by the university itself or external social sites such as Facebook and Twitter. But the breakout session with Jennifer Corriero helped me realized that we must take ahold of these resources and use them to promote civic engagement on campus. For example, Tufts has a website called TuftsLife… we can use existing sites such as these to connect students, such as perhaps a student who want to starts a project related to human rights with another student who is interested in that particular topic.

3) Inspiration and hope for the future of civic engagement within higher education institutions — If the world of civic engagement is filled with all the amazing people that I met at the TN conference, there is no doubt that this movement has a very bright future. Every single one of the students I met has left a unique impression on me, so I know that my comrades are promoting civic engagement at their schools just as heavily as I am at Tufts. I can’t wait to keep brainstorming and working with all of them as we craft potential improvements for the TN as well as our individual higher ed institutions.

Tagged , | Comments Off

Promoting “Responsible” Civic Engagement Programs

Posted on June 28, 2011 by alwim.kam.yiu.wong

What would be your ideal vision for how the Talloires Network should move forward in engaging students around the world in the network and global civic engagement movement?

Civic engagement programs needs to be more “responsible”.

Some programs focus so much on student learning that they forget about the people who these programs are supposed to help.  When a program fails, students can learn from their mistake, but communities cannot always recover easily, and their limited resources would have been wasted.

Some service trips to developing countries could demonstrate how communities are compromised for student learning. Each year, many students are sent to teach English and build houses/restrooms in East Asia in typical trips that usually last less than one month.  These initiatives often fail to tailor to the needs of the service targets.  For example, English bears no real relevance to the jobs village children are looking for. On the other hand, schools are built in excess, while teachers remain underpaid and children too poor to go to school.  However, despite these problems, schools continue to send their students abroad on similar trips.

The crust of the problem is that the impact of civic engagement programs is rarely evaluated seriously by schools or grant committees. The primary assessment criteria continue to be “how much students have learnt from the experience.” Why should the community bear the risk and suffer just for students to learn?

In the conference, I had the privileged to talk to Mr. Roger Nozaki from Brown University and was deeply impressed by the measures they have taken to reduce the potential negative impacts done to communities by their students.  Only after going through a series of compulsory training, were students eligible for project funding. For example, students were required to conduct an intensive research to the unfulfilled needs of its proposed targets, taking into account initiatives already taken by the government and NGOs.  Furthermore, students were given comprehensive project management training to ensure their actions bring good but not harm.

Being responsible to the community and holding students accountable to their actions not only serve to benefit the community, but also serve to enhance students’ learning experience.  Thus, I hope the Talloires Network can work to promote “responsible” civic engagement programs and set benchmarks for its member universities to follow.

Tagged , | Comments Off

Next Steps for Student Engagement at the Talloires Network

Posted on June 25, 2011 by emma.king

What would be your ideal vision for how the Talloires Network should move forward in engaging students around the world in the network and global civic engagement movement?

To engage students more in the Talloires Network, they first need to know about it. There needs to be more awareness among students of member universities that this network is out there and that their institution is a part of it. Knowing that their university has made a commitment to enhancing its civic engagement role brings a safety net to the student so they know their endeavors will be supported.

For this network to really make an impact, students must be engaged and consulted at the decision making level of the Talloires Network. This would mean either some form of a student representative body or at least a facility for student engagement, like a social networking forum. Such a group or forum would enable collaboration between the students and the Steering Committee. The idea being that the students would be consulted on new policies and strategies, could suggest future endeavors, etc.

A possible strategy to engage a wider berth of students in the Network, but not directly at the decision making level would be to have a Talloires Network student representative in each member institution. This person would be an active member of the student body and would be able disseminate information about the network and its activities to students at his/her institution through a medium which would work best at that particular institution. This person would mediate between policy-makers at their institutions and students. From this interdisciplinary groups of students and faculty could develop; such groups would facilitate and implement the furtherance of civic engagement at that institution.

Service learning is another key facility that must be emphasized and built on to engage students in their locality. Furthermore, overseas exchange programs that are more than purely academic, must be embraced as they involve students practically in the global civic engagement movement.

Perhaps regional meetings could be established involving groups of students, faculty, policy makers, and members of local communities from a variety of regional institutions. The regional meetings could be modeled on the Madrid conference but on a smaller scale and with more emphasis on the practical and technical issues involved in civic engagement. They could incorporate workshops to learn about student initiatives, reflect on best practices and teach students more about civic engagement. Mentoring programs between universities and within them could be established and facilitated at these meetings.

A final point, while student engagement will stem from embracing new technologies and furthering existing ones, the benefits of practical engagement with local and global issues cannot be overstated. Seeing ideas come to fruition and witnessing the impact that initiatives can have on the lives of others, will undoubtedly create a passion for civic engagement that will not falter.

I hope these suggestions have been helpful in creating a student voice among the Talloires Network.

Tagged , | Comments Off

Interview with Larry Bacow and Mark Gearan

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Jacqui

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Lawrence Bacow (President of Tufts University) and Mark Gearan (President of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva).  Bacow is the out-going and Gearan the in-coming, chair of the Talloires Network steering committee. Speaking with both of them proved to be a great opportunity for reflection of the Talloires Network’s progress thus far, as well as to determine a vision for its future.

In a time where the value of education is being scrutinized – with high university fees and a graduate work force that struggles to find employment, universities are increasing having to display to communities and stakeholders the value they hold not only to their students, but to society as a whole. The Talloires Network aims to provide a platform for universities to share their best practice standards and implementation methods.

When I asked Bacow what single lesson he had taken from his time as chair he said, “the power of an idea”. Five and a half years ago, at the initial signing of the Talloires declaration, there were twenty-nine universities from twenty-three countries. Now there are two hundred and twenty universities from sixty countries. This illustrates the transformation of the roles tertiary institutions are taking, and indicates the need for them to create more value. And ultimately, the Talloires Network (through the leadership of Bacow) has provided a platform for these institutions to collaborate and become more engaged universities.

When talking to Gearan about his vision for the future of the Talloires Network he said that the most important thing was to take what Bacow had already created and continue to enable the Network’s growth. Gearan hinted that there were a few ideas he had for the Network but stated that he would consult his colleagues on the steering committee first. This truly displays the spirit in which the Network is run – through collaboration and consultation.

Over the period of the conference, almost every speaker attributed the success of the Talloires Network to Bacow’s leadership. He has managed to grow the Network to a phenomenal size in a short amount of time. Gearan admits that he has big shoes to fill but as previous assistant-to-the-president (during President Clinton’s term of office) and ex-head of the Peace Core, it seems that he is more than capable of filling them.

Tagged , | Comments Off

Interview with Margaret McKenna

Posted on June 22, 2011 by emma.king

As part of the Student Communications Team I had the pleasure and privilege of interviewing briefly Margaret McKenna, President of the Walmart Foundation, one of the largest corporate giving institutions in the US. Margaret’s speech was inspirational for many reasons but in particular I was impressed by her statement that ‘students recognize insincerity’. This was proved correct as I interviewed her and was amazed by the honesty and integrity of this former civil rights lawyer who has now embraced a high profile position with a corporate giant.

Nagging in my mind was the current controversy over Wallmart’s arrival in South Africa, and so contrary to journalistic advice I began with the most controversial question and asked Margaret what thoughts she had on this and any plans for the future in South Africa. Margaret’s main priority is the local community, and she has plans to travel to South Africa in the near future to engage with Massmart and figure out plans and strategies for giving back to the community.

Much of Margret’s speech mentioned projects in the US and I wondered with the chain now having an international element did the foundation have any international initiatives. Margaret mentioned the most recent development in the store’s international policy had been to introduce a requirement that all stores must give at least one percent of their net profit back to the community.

With Margaret having worked in a variety of sectors I asked whether she thought collaboration between NGO’s, non-profit groups and big business was possible. ‘Absolutely’ was her reply. For Margaret, the only way to solve any of the world’s major problems was through collaboration between all sectors.

With the Wallmart Foundation engaged in a myriad of charitable initiatives I was curious to know whether Margaret had a favorite or most rewarding project. Without a doubt she considered YouthBuild the project that had the biggest impact on her. This community development program engages with youths in low-income communities many of whom had dropped out of high school, and provides them with alternative, vocational training. Margaret said she was inspired to see teenage mothers from low-income families, completing high school, going on to higher education and getting stable jobs.

I concluded our brief talk by asking Margaret what she considered the biggest challenge in her work with the Wallmart Foundation. For Margaret this was the challenge of having to prioritize what initiatives and programs the Walmart Foundation could make the most sustainable impact on. With so many deserving projects, it is difficult at times to see where the Foundation could make the most lasting impact.

I would like to thank Margaret for her time, her inspiring speech, and her progressive work with the Walmart Foundation.

Tagged , | Comments Off

Tuned in – cultivating leadership and technology on campus

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Crystal Tremblay

As students, how can we be more engaged in our university, our community, and in global issues?  How can we utilize technology to do this in a meaningful and inclusive way?

It is both the responsibility of students to demand that their institutions be social leaders and innovators in society and it is the responsibility of our institutions to support, inspire and prepare us in this endeavor.  In order to advance student engagement in this dialogue we need to be creating new and using existing platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and other social networks to invite, entice and provoke best practices and challenges in civic engagement.  During the Talloires Network student movement roundtable, we discussed the proposal for a new initiative of the Pearson Foundation for a global capacity building program of the Talloires Network to strengthen the work university staff and of student leaders at the Network’s member institutions.  This program aims to a) develop university engagement programs through professional development training opportunities for university staff, and b) through partnership with TakingITGlobal, find technology-based strategies to engage students in their local and global communities.  The student engagement initiative will build student leadership, provide tools to partner with communities, promote new models of technology use that facilitate civic engagement, and provide scholarships to TakingITGlobal’s e-course to students from Talloires Network institutions.  There are over 6 million students who study at Talloires Network institutions, many of which are keen to be engaged but perhaps have not found the pathways or opportunities to do so.  This initiative is an incredible opportunity to be part of this important movement!!

During her keynote address, Jennifer Corriero, executive director of TakingITGlobal, asked six questions about creating leadership on campus.  I think these questions are thoughtful and can provoke a sprout of change on any campus:

1. Does your university create open, dynamic spaces for redefining the possible?

2. Does your university offer platforms for students to amplify their voice?

3. Does your university facilitate connections between nodes and hubs within your networks of influence?

4. Does your university provoke students to see their role as trend shapers and communicators?

5. Does your university match students with mentors in an exchange that enables shared growth?

6. Does your university value the importance of taking concrete action with measurable results?

A big shout out to students from around the world that there are opportunities to be creative, innovative leaders in our universities and communities.  I urge you to embrace the opportunity of working collaboratively with your university staff/faculty/peers and community in strengthening the civic engagement movement.  Create interdisciplinary and intergenerational groups, clubs, and dialogue in your classrooms and hallways about how to take on this challenge. Be creative, it is contagious!

Please visit the TakingITGlobal website for more information on how youth from around the world are creating positive change: http://www.tigweb.org/

Also, check out the TakingITGlobal ‘Sprout e-course’ for aspiring social innovators and environmental entrepreneurs who want to grow their project ideas and learn to create lasting changes that take root in their communities: http://www.sproutecourse.org/

Thank you Talloires Network for celebrating the voice of youth, and supporting youth leaders from around the world!

Tagged , | Comments Off

Empowering youth with Reeta Roy, President of the MasterCard Foundation

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Crystal Tremblay

“The real magic exists in the possibilities we create when we act together”

Reeta Roy, president of the MasterCard Foundation and one of the keynote speakers at the conference, presented an inspiring vision for engaging youth in economic development, and the transformational capacity that youth hold in that process.  “Education without employment creates unrest”, stressed Reeta, “it’s a choice, education can be a source of completion but also social strife…the possibilities are for us to embrace”.  We need to “extend beyond the classroom…change the mindset that university is the last stop, it is the first stop of a life ling journey of possibilities and we can achieve that in partnership”. The MasterCard Foundation works towards empowering people to move out of poverty…”we believe that within each of us is the power to transform our lives, our family – the foundation is about creating opportunities, to learn and to prosper”.  Reeta spoke of the importance in creating pathways for young people to enter the world of work, “to get to a place where they are engaging in the economy on their own terms…we can only do this through partners”.

The MasterCard Foundation works with projects all over the world, with a particular focus on Africa. “In Africa we see the greatest possibility for transformation.  We are here to listen and to learn from young people.  We are interested in learning how young people perceive the world, how they see themselves as architects for solutions”.  The Foundation promotes financial inclusion through micro-finance programs and youth learning primarily through partnerships with non-profit and non-governmental organizations.   They are currently collaborating in 35 developing countries, helping people living in poverty to access opportunities to ‘learn and prosper’.

Reeta spoke of the role of universities as “dynamic, living, breathing institutions, part of the societies they are helping to construct…as a heartbeat part of an ecosystem, connecting students to policy makers and industries”.  Universities are nurturing students, preparing them to engage the world, equipping them with communication and collaborative skills, enabling and cultivating creative thinking.

How do you do this in a world that is so profoundly complex?  How do universities reach out beyond their own classrooms into the communities, how can they becomes agents of advancing greater equity?

“The promise of prosperity is more than education, we need to create possibilities that bridge students to the world, to engage in multiple levels of the economy and governance”.  The MasterCard Foundation puts a special focus on those who are marginalized and on women, who have incredibly difficult barriers to overcome.  “There is great urgency in the work we are doing, and the opportunities are just as immense…to help them become partners in prosperity”.

I was thrilled to meet Reeta following her presentation and ask her a few questions about what inspires her in the work she is doing.

  • What inspires you?

“The people that our foundation are serving – the young people all over the world that are working to find a way to survive.  The conversations that I have had with them are like oxygen to the brain, to the soul”.

  • If there were one thing you could change in the world, what would it be?

“If there was something I could change…it would be to close the inequities, the gaps…to live life in dignity”.

  • Was there anything particularly inspiring that stood out from the feedback session today?

“Yes, what Bhuto (one of our incredible student communication team members from South Africa) said…”lets ask the young people what they want and how to capture that…we are on the right track if we can do that”.  Also, one of the speakers from Chile stressed that “brilliance has no boundaries…it’s just that some people have more boundaries than others”, that struck a chord with me.  Another speaker from South Africa also hit a nerve, it’s a nerve chord for the whole world – “we need to create 1 billion new jobs, and this creates economic growth, particularly in Africa – giving young people the skills to do this”.

  • Do you have any additional comments about civic engagement and expanding the role of higher education?

“We are barely tapping the surface of what higher-education has the capacity to do…to be able to tap that potential and to invite communities to solve problems together.  Universities are part of an ecosystem – they are the level of intellectual hemisphere that resides in institutions.  To be able to engage multiple parts of society – that’s when innovation can happen!”

My sincere gratitude goes out to Reeta Roy, for her vision and dedication, that through the Foundation is changing lives around the world, creating partnerships with communities and inspiring innovation and creativity for positive global change.

I urge you to visit the MasterCard Foundation website at: http://www.mastercardfdn.org/index.htm and see for yourself.

Tagged , , | Comments Off

Interview with Piyushi Kotecha

Posted on June 20, 2011 by butho.ndhlovu

As a member of the Student Communications Team, I was given the task of interviewing Piyushi Kotecha. She is the Southern African Regional Universities Association  (SARUA) Chief Executive Officer. The interview was supposed to be a face-to-face but, unfortunately enough, she had a lot of commitments and she quickly suggested that I write down the questions for her to respond through writing. Let me hasten to express my sincere gratitude to her for her time and effort.

Here are the questions and the responses:

1. One word to describe you?

Passionate

2. What is most meaningful to you?

Values-based, ethics driven, power and dialogue, collective action.

3. What does the future of the global civic engagement in higher education look like to you and why?

A future Higher Education system wherein civic engagement is on an equal basis with regard to the research and teaching functions of universities.

4. If you could change one thing in the world today, what could it be and why?

Greed and self-interest.

Looking at the responses, I reached the conclusion that the future of civic engagement in higher education is getting brighter and brighter than ever before. We have leaders whose integrity and commitment to civic engagement is unquestionable. Thus, the onus is upon us-as students-to  learn from various esteemed academics and other professionals we have the privilege to cross paths with and harness our exuberant energy towards making the world a better lace for us to live. Civic engagement in higher education is the future-and the present of course.

Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Interview with Jennifer Corriero

Posted on June 20, 2011 by alwim.kam.yiu.wong

I am sure most young people who have tried to work for a better world have encountered moments of frustrations and doubts, and have thought of giving up, while some already have.  At the conference, I had the privilege to ask Jennifer, who beams with energy and enthusiasm, on how she avoids burning herself out so as to continue to shine light on youth (defined by age or state of mind) around the world.

To avoid mental burnouts, Jennifer offers two advices:

1)   Choose your peer-pressure

I think it is not uncommon for students to have their great passion to work in social development fields gradually fade away as they witness their peers line up for big jobs in corporates and professions.  Indeed, I have felt such insecurity myself. However, Jennifer says that we may not always be aware that we can actually “choose” our peer pressure by staying closer with people who share similar values and goals.  By choosing the right people to affect us, a mutually encouraging relationship may result, while by choosing the wrong people, we may sway further and further away from what we really want in life.

2)   Learn to value yourself

In order to not be discouraged amid criticism or setbacks, Jennifer views it important that one must learn to value oneself. And this includes being keenly aware of what exactly one is doing, what value one holds, and why they are worthy of appreciation. This is opposed to working for the appreciation of others, in which case, once the applause and cheers fade, one would be left with nothing to hang on to.

Jennifer also pointed out the importance of avoiding physical burnouts. She saw the work she is doing as a marathon instead of a sprint, hence, instead of pushing herself to the limit until her body breaks down, she makes a conscious effort to take fresh by juggling priorities and skipping less important parts of events in order to get more rest or go to the gym.

Indeed, Jennifer is a great role model for young people who want to make a difference. There is no easy route and many give up along the way and while Jennifer has offered ways to make the journey a little less difficult for us, we must not forget the amount of time and dedication she has put into her work and recognize that passion is not enough to change this world.

Tagged , | Comments Off

© 2011 Talloires Network Leaders Conference | All rights reserved / Privacy Statement / Contact Us / Site Map