IGL Attends the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative

Photograph: Sherman Teichman with Former President William Jefferson Clinton in September 2007

This year, through IGL External Advisory Board Member Tim Phillips, the IGL was nominated to attend the 2007 Clinton Global Initiative, hosted by President Bill Clinton and his foundation.

According to its web site, President Clinton launched the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in 2005 as a non-partisan catalyst for action, bringing together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. The defining characteristics of the Clinton Global Initiative are its action-oriented nature and its track record of converting pioneering ideas into viable solutions with tangible results.

All participants are asked to make a “Commitment to Action,” focusing on practical, effective problem-solving measures that can be taken now. They are developed within one or more CGI areas of focus, which change annually to address the most imperative global issues requiring attention. The 2007 areas of focus were education, energy and climate change, global health, and poverty alleviation.

The IGL’s commitment was in the focus area of poverty alleviation, correlating to the 2007-08 EPIIC theme of Global Poverty and Inequality and the launch of its new EMPOWER program (please see the article on EMPOWER’s first year, also in this newsletter).

The three objectives of the commitment were:

1. To prepare, mentor, guide, and motivate a select group of students from around the world -- including but not limited to those from Tufts University; the National University of Singapore; Peking University in Beijing, China; Seoul National University, South Korea; University of Lagos, Nigeria; and Jamia Millia Islamia University, India -- for leadership positions in fields addressing poverty alleviation;

2. To create opportunities and partnerships to enable these students to initiate international educational projects and social entrepreneurship internships with NGOs focused on poverty alleviation (through the new EMPOWER program); and

3. To prepare these students for their active participation in a four-day open symposium of panels and workshops on the Tufts University campus on " Global Poverty and Inequality," designed to increase public awareness and understanding of global poverty.

While the IGL made a five-year commitment, it has succeeded in meeting its objectives in the very first year: a successful EPIIC symposium (see senior Matthew Weinberg’s reflection on the symposium), hosting more than 50 students from 11 countries for the symposium, and the launch of EMPOWER.

IGL Director Sherman Teichman attended the three-day meeting in the fall, participating in the discussions on poverty alleviation and raising awareness about the IGL.

The encounters at the CGI have led to an extraordinary network of fascinating people and opportunities, which is already yielding substantive content and philanthropic outcomes, including an overture from Timberland to underwrite EPIIC’s annual weekend immersions at Outward Bound and overtures from the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad and The American-India Foundation to support IGL efforts in India; and opportunities via Link TV: Television Without Borders to air students' documentaries and to collaborate with EXPOSURE.

Renewed collaborations are on the horizon with former important allies, such as Joshua Mailman, of the Sigrid Rausing Trust; Ambassador Pierre Schori, the Director General of FRIDE (Fundación para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior) and a Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award Recipient; and Nicholas Negroponte, of MIT and founder of OLPC (One Laptop per Child). Also, Sherman met new friends and potential allies such as FRIDE's founder and President, Diego Hidalgo, and Susan Collin Marks of Search for Common Ground.

Most immediately, the IGL has followed up with contacts provided through the aegis of Bobby Sager, of the Sager Family Traveling Foundation and Roadshow, who has introduced the IGL to another Bostonian, Dick Simon. They are the co-chairmen of the World Presidents Organization, the Presidents Action Network (PAN), and Leadership Beyond Business. As part of a global web of WPO and the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), they are are engaging in extraordinary enterprises in conflict areas in the Middle East, India-Pakistan, and among Jewish-, Arab- and Muslim-Americans, as well as in the fields of microfinance and the environment. Through them, the IGL has made contacts for ALLIES in Jordan and is engaged in discussions on how best to work with a global construction program utilizing a unique building methodology for low income housing that is being started in Ethiopia by Gregg M. Steinberg, the President of IPA and a member of WPO, and Hybricore. The project in Ethiopia is initially focused on four key projects: rebuilding the city of Adwa, anchored by a new cultural center; various significant projects in and around Addis Ababa; housing on university campuses (21 in the country); and a major project around reclaimed land as part of dam construction.

This is ideal for given EPIIC's 2008-09 theme of "Global Cities." Mr. Steinberg has written that they forsee "exciting opportunities both in Ethiopia and working with and through the AU for other African nations. In addition, we have talks currently under way in Central and South America, Eastern Europe, Soviet bloc countries and Russia, China and the UK."

Two IGL students are also working with Youth Microcredit International (YMCI), a high school microfinance project to support people in Guatemala launched by high school students whose families are part of the WPO/YPO network, to begin a similar initiative at Tufts, which would connect with area high schools around the issues of microfinance. It could become a national model for this type of collaboration.

International Students at the 2008 EPIIC Symposium

The international student attendance at the EPIIC symposium had a remarkable impact on the proceedings, on the EPIIC students, and on the international students. Fifty-four students from 11 countries and 15 international universities participated in the symposium: 15 from the Honors Program at the National University of Singapore; eight from Seoul National University, South Korea; seven from Peking University, China; five from national universities in Brazil; four from the University of Haifa, Israel; three from the National University of Rwanda; three from universities in Mexico; three from universities in Haiti; three from India; two from universities in Peru; and one from Nigeria.

The international students were hosted by the EPIIC students and the schedule extended beyond the symposium to include a welcome and informal breakfast meeting where the Institute, EPIIC and EMPOWER were introduced to them. They also had a private meeting with Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka; an introduction to Resilience with Professor Astier Almedom, IGL Fellow and Professor of Practice at The Fletcher School; a panel on micro-commerce led by Internet Bar Founder Jeff Aresty and Elevator Foundation Founder Jon Peters; and a scavenger hunt in Boston led by the EPIIC students.

Below is an overview of the impact of bringing the international students to this year’s EPIIC symposium – the excerpts are from the symposium reactions the Tufts and international students wrote.

Elizabeth Herman, Sophomore, Tufts University
In reference to the international students – the common sentiment among the EPIIC-ians was, “How the heck did they ever do this without the international delegations?”

I would say that the international students’ presence was one of the highlights of the weekend; they added a perspective that would have been otherwise missing.

Because EPIIC was so life-consuming last fall (in a very good and necessary way, but still, life-consuming), many of us felt somewhat burned-out at beginning of this semester. We found ourselves craving a break and feeling a little unsure about the symposium. The international students, however, were so excited by the weekend, so thrilled by all the opportunities and incredible speakers, that it snapped us (EPIIC students) out of our mild stupor and back into the wide-eyed wonderment that we all felt at the beginning of the year.

Hosting the international delegations, showing them Boston, our classes, and our school allowed us to see all these things through their eyes and reinvigorated us.

Though they were constantly thanking us, I think it is we who owe them an enormous amount of gratitude.

Bani Gill, Senior, University of Delhi, India
One of the most important reasons why this experience is so memorable is the fact that I got to interact with students from all across the globe. I was shocked by how well informed everyone was - the Tufts students, the international delegates - and am proud to be part of EPIIC 2008.

Elisheva’s comment at the end - of viewing Haneen and her as a symbol of peace - has really stuck with me. People all over the world are tired of conflict, of violence, of turmoil, of man-made differences. People all over the world just want to ‘be’…I came to EPIIC as a final year student, about to graduate in May, who has no idea of where life will take her next. When I look around me, I feel a sense of despair because all anyone wants to do these days is an MBA and earn pots of money. I was beginning to doubt myself, and what I want to do.

But coming to EPIIC, meeting with eminent panelists, interacting with international delegates and working on sound solutions has reaffirmed my faith in what I want to do. I still don’t have everything planned out yet, but I know I want to work on conflict…So, I might have come to EPIIC a disillusioned cynic, but I left as an optimist with fresh belief in hope, solutions and ‘changing the world’.

Xu Chuanbi, Peking University, China
I asked myself and was also asked this question from time to time: what did I bring back from the symposium, if anything that is fresh and meaningful?

First and most important, my answer would be it is a concept and belief: people COULD DO things about the issue of poverty and inequality, just like many of the panel speakers!

…If I was doubtful about the power of individuals in front of the extraordinarily hard and long-lasting battle before attending the symposium, the symposium makes me realize how powerful people could be in reality if they really want to. This recognition would be the departure of all the other thoughts and real actions.

…After EPIIC, I know that there are many ways that I could make a difference to our world. I could volunteer in NGOs, call for attention from the society, think of innovative entrepreneurial ideas, or just as simply talk to people and help them to realize that they have the power and responsibility to do something to make it a better world.

To take an action is not that hard once we have the belief that we could make a contribution.

Haneen Naamnih, Law Student, University of Haifa, Israel
The 2008 EPIIC International Symposium was a first and unique opportunity for me and for many others to “think beyond boundaries” and take seriously – and not as a faraway dream or idea - the concept of “acting behind borders”.

…For me, as a person who lives in a very problematic, divided and conflicted country, and for other students who had come from the same situation, the EPIIC program is not only another program. It is an essential step towards a deeper understanding of the “reality” we are living in, and a critical point of view about things.

…As part of our daily day routine and hardships, most of our complicated life features become internalized deeply as “normal”. This normalization process is very dangerous for our own specific society and for the whole world in general. The EPIIC program gave us as people who had became unconsciously part of this normalization process in their society, an opportunity to step out of ourselves…I will always remember what Mr. Drayton said about realizing the motivation to change things in ourselves and in our kids, friends, siblings and our society in general…When I see the EPIIC students’ energy, motivation, commitment, enthusiasm about International and national social and political issues, I start wondering: why not in my own society? …I must say also, that meeting the International delegations had a great impact on me. I could now see my self as a part of a whole International net. For me now, places like Rwanda or India or China are not foreign faraway places anymore…It also gave me hope. That someday all of this will be over.

Laura Kaplan, Sophomore, Tufts University
…Finally, I would say that hosting international students was the highlight of the symposium for me.

I think I had the best job on the Wednesday before the symposium began when I handed out nametags to everyone and when I brought a group into Boston for the scavenger hunt on Thursday afternoon because I was able to have a conversation with just about every student.

I have never met anyone from Haiti or Rwanda, nor had I ever thought that I would, and it was just so great being able to interact with so many different types of people. I became particularly close with Laura from Brazil, whom I hosted, and we had the greatest discussions about police-community relations in her country and what she is trying to do to improve them. Since I am interested in governance issues in Latin America, we were able to really have a deep conversation. I hope to visit her when I am in Chile this summer.

Laura is also very interested in conflict resolution, and she certainly was able to witness conflict first hand when I took her to coffee with Elisheva and Haneen the night that they came and were arguing over Israeli domestic issues.

I also became very close with Hector and also hope to visit him in Peru this summer. Last weekend I showed him around New York and we spoke in Spanish all day to each other. I am amazed at his commitment to improve the conditions in his country and his determination to attend graduate school in the states and eventually return back to his country to become part of the government and effect change.

Ndidi Nwaneri, Graduate Student from Nigeria, George Washington University
…INSPIRATION -- The event was first and foremost an inspiration to me. It showed me that 'IT' is possible. Substitute whatever positive thing you want to accomplish in life as the 'IT'. The hard work, tenacity and effort to articulate what the team believed was truly inspiring. How did it all come together? Somebody believed and acted. EPIIC did not wait for the right situation and circumstances, and did not wait for students from 50 countries to confirm attendance. You just did the good you could with what you had at the time. And in the courage of action, in spite of seemingly bad odds, or discouraging circumstances, you were able to reach across the world in ways you might not be able to fully comprehend.

UNDERSTANDING -- As a frustrated Nigerian, African woman, it was encouraging to see proof that 'regular' people around the world are concerned (with varying levels of understanding) with the issues and challenges of Africa. Knowing that we are not alone is very encouraging to me. I plan on being an agent of change in Nigeria. My focus will be the lower 10% of my country. The people you only hear of as statistics. Knowing that there is a world out there of truly concerned individuals - not politicians was truly encouraging. Also, the symposium provided me with numerous ideas and resources that I will most definitely tap into.

OUR SHARED HUMANITY -- We are all from one world and if we get past the physical and mental barriers, we are all so similar. The meeting had such a wide array of 'humanity' and we were all able to connect. The connection was not just on the basis of the program but we all – I am sure for the first time for most of us – had a chance to see the ordinary side of the rest of the world. Places we had only read about and in some cases only heard in the nightly news – mostly negative - reports about.

Seth Karamage, Senior, National University of Rwanda, Rwanda
The day I found that I have been invited to attend the symposium on “Global Poverty and Inequality” from the United States of America, it sounded to me as a solution to the problems I have been struggling with for many years.

…Interaction with IGL Students -- Oh my God! I have never met in my life such a brilliant environment of students; though young in age, but mentally mature enough to be leaders.

…Interaction with International Students -- This was a great opportunity for my experience, in that I was able to have more information on the reality on different issues from different countries. I now have friends and representatives from 11 countries of which I feel is a stout force to combat any injustice that would be exercised from any of these countries. We will always bravely communicate and sort down matters for sustainable resolutions through information sharing.

…Back Home -- Some few days after I got back home from the symposium, I found my self very aggressive on poverty, inequality and conflict issues than before. For instance, on Monday 10th March 2008 I argued new pass-out police cadet officers and some other army officers to widen the bridge between security organs and civilians. That was the influence of Allies for Humanity.

I have been interacting with different kinds of youth; educated, semi-educated and uneducated and asked them to commit themselves on social entrepreneurship by showing them important relevant examples from the books we got from the symposium and applying the knowledge I attained from the panels and presentations as well.

…Let me once again express my sincere gratitude to Sherman, Heather, IGL staff and students in particular and Tufts University in general for making this symposium a reality. Once you feel you wish to extend more programs to Africa, I donate 10 hectares of land to IGL family. This piece of land is deducted from my personal land property and I believe if fully utilized Rwandans would be the first beneficiaries as well as the African continent at large.

Leah Staub-Delong, Senior, Tufts University
The presence of the international students helped me to broaden my thinking during the event, their questions and comments offering new perspectives on each issue we addressed.

Through individual conversations, I saw a sampling of how exceptional many of these students were: Bill from China with a passion for energy management issues and a plan to shape China’s future, Elida from Brazil whose passion for youth shined in her questions to panelists and during after-panel conversations in my kitchen, and Seth from Rwanda, who during our first panel on Wednesday leaned to me and said something like, “this is all making me want to study development, to alleviate poverty.”

The exchanges we had were inspiring and energizing for me, and I sensed similar impressions from the visiting students. I truly felt that by the end of the symposium we had taken the first steps towards creating a global community with our visiting students, and I felt honored to be a part of this community.

Sharon Akanyan, National University of Rwanda, Rwanda
The symposium was not only an educational platform but an event to remember!

…The educational part of it was that we as the international students whom 90% come from the world’s poorest countries managed to look at poverty in a more vast way. If we all remember so well David Cartagena, former street boy who talked to us about how life wasn’t any fair to him because there was no food at home, his single mum was a drug addict and was not working and because of all this, he also became a drug addict and a thief such that he ended up in prison!

Anyway, who knew poverty also existed in the USA! There is poverty all over and that is why it is a global concern.

However, poverty in the world does differ, that is why we will find 11 million children under the age of 5 die each year of malnutrition and curable diseases; The symposium to me therefore was a step ahead in the right direction of trying to alleviate poverty from the roots!
How? The IGL/EPIIC authorities that managed to organize this gathering and sharing of ideas, the TUFTS students that take the initiative to join this program and consider Global poverty as their concern! I was very surprised at how much most of the IGL students enjoyed their research in the developing world and how the others can’t wait to do theirs there! At the symposium, I/we got to know that poverty and ways to its eradication can not be just gotten from books or lecturers or the media but one should be on the ground, live in the condition and later come up with innovative ideas or initiatives to eradicate it.

Aly Pittman, Sophomore, Tufts University
…I believe that their presence added a unique and compelling dimension to the weekend.

While the EPIIC class is far from in agreement on the complexities of the global poverty and inequality, we have come from the same base of knowledge and obviously had thus developed similar views and biases on some of the aspects of the topic.

It was refreshing to have some completely fresh, yet well developed perspectives on these topics, and to have our collective assumptions challenged.

For instance, during my research with IGL I did a lot of background research on slum rehabilitation and the complexities of providing for a urban poor in India. During the panel on megacities, I was fascinated by how one speaker’s impressions of the urban poverty in Brazil mirrored and yet contrasted with India’s urban poverty.

I came out of that panel energized and a true believer in that particular speakers slum rehabilitation strategy. However the next day I had a conversation with a delegate from Brazil about her opinions of slum rehabilitation strategies in Brazilian megacities. I was forced to reconsider my complete agreement with a speaker that only the day before I had idolized.

This and many other conversations are examples of how as an international body of young thinkers we were able to push each others opinions and assumptions to a higher level of complexity then any single delegation could have possibly achieved alone.

Clement Tan, Senior, National University of Singapore, Singapore
…Like I shared during the debrief on the Monday after the symposium programme officially ended on Sunday, being at Tufts for that week or so reinvigorated my entire sense of being.

After saying how I will never succumb to the status quo or any prescribed career path for the longest time, I found the going rough when it was time to actually walk the talk. Being in the company of other young people who had the same desire to make a difference and more importantly, people who made a career out of effecting social change helped me see that it was distinctly possible to do the same.

This gave a lot more shape and substance to the whole desire of not wanting to pursue the money and material riches path. The whole thing about social entrepreneurship for me was an example of articulating the alternative possibilities that I could devote my life to do.

Being at EPIIC has more importantly reaffirmed the thing I have for journalism, and reminded me of the social role of journalists as a form of checks and balances that captured my heart, mind and soul all those years ago.

Haiti Delegation
So, we, Hudson Rene, Aldophe Milien and Adley Petit-Frere, members of Haiti delegation (RESPE Haiti, Balan), are very proud of producing a thought about that important program which is unforgettable for us.

For a country like ours, the topic chosen was much appropriate and up-dated, because we are one of the poorest countries all over the world. Such a topic should have been discussed inside our University community, but unfortunately we had never had this opportunity. However, we have been thirsty about it. That’s why we were very satisfied to take part in that symposium.

As Haitian students, we had had before knowledge of poverty and inequality and we are conscious of their damages, and we face them every single day. But lack of strategies and finance, we were not able enough to fight them.

However, thanks to our participation at that interesting symposium, about what we have seen, heard and learned, we are right now very able to fight against poverty and inequality in the world especially in Haiti.

…When we were producing this reflection, we could not help remembering Doctor Bill Drayton. He told us “Everyone must be a changemaker world” This subject gave us challenge just to participate in a new world construction. “Your future in an everyone a changemaker world. Thank you Bill, Thank you Dr Dapice. Your advice will be kept in our minds forever.

We are now true changemakers world.

David Axelrod, Senior, Tufts University
…Seth Karamage began to describe his studies in Rwanda and his interest in alleviating the poverty and inequality there. As he spoke, his gaze steadily hardened, growing glossy and far-off. His rising voice, dripping with passion, reverberated off of the walls of the lecture hall as he commented on the hardship facing his country. We all must educate ourselves against complacency, he resolutely declared, and forums like EPIIC are instrumental in inspiring action among young people; action that must translate to real change.

As the chorus of applause quieted, one-by-one the rest of the students rose to offer their own reflections.

Laura, eyes brimming with tears, decried the extreme inequality in her native Brazil, urging us to take action against injustice in our own communities.

Haneen, a Palestinian studying at the University of Haifa, nearly wept as she spoke of the ignorance and hatred pervading the conflict in her homeland.

Elisheva, an Ethiopian Jew also from Israel, followed her with a plea for us to reach beyond the superficial, to understand the humanity behind the headlines.

As students from China, India, and elsewhere spoke, their message was clear: our world is facing very real and very immediate challenges, challenges that must be met globally.

Fostering this global citizenship is at the heart of EPIIC’s mission, and it is an invaluable instrument for bridging the gap between the academic and the actual; for planting the seeds of real change in the minds of the next general of global leaders.

JJ Emru, Senior, Tufts University
…To be sure, the foreign students proved to be an invaluable asset to the panels themselves as well as the breakout sessions, but more than their presence during the formal events, their presence during informal meals, social events, and travel times enhanced my symposium experience phenomenally.

During several long conversations I had with students from Brazil or Singapore or China at the wee hours of the morning, I had to stop and reflect on how lucky I was to be broadening my perspective in such a significant way.

Just hearing the stories these unique individuals had to share, about their studies, about their families, about their societies, helped me connect the idea of Poverty and Inequality to its “Global” context.

When talking about issues of Poverty and Inequality in an academic setting such as Tufts, I often fear that we will fall into Said's self-aggrandizing and orientalist trap of discussing the undeveloped “others” as if curators of some well-contained museum exhibit.

With EPIIC however, this fear has never become a reality, and by adding the voices of students from around our world to the melange of perspectives, we have set forth the notion that rather than curators, we are instead mere travelers, vagrants attempting to ask the right questions in search of difficult answers.

Zamir Ben-Basat, Law Student, University of Haifa, Israel
…Before any knowledge that I gained, and beyond any activities and cooperation that may be developed in the future, I must say that the visit was, first and foremost, an outstanding human and social experience. Though, "human and social experience" is not only joy and fun (which are important): I truly believe that meetings, deliberation and even debates between students from different backgrounds have a significant impact on us. These are not just words in the air.

Who ever attended in our informal, off-symposium discussions, for instance about the suppression of Falun Gong in China, the civil war in Rwanda or even the distributive decisions of the Israeli government, should understand the impact of these meetings.

Tenley Ghan, Sophomore, Tufts University
…The other amazing part about meeting the international students was imagining where we will all be in fifteen years. Throughout the Symposium, everyone offered different viewpoints on issues that I had never thought to assume before.

In my breakout session on China and India, the Chinese students challenged the rest of the room by saying that total freedom of speech is not a necessary element of society. They were perfectly content to live in a country with government censorship, asserting that they had “enough” freedom.

Given that freedom of speech has been a value impressed upon me for my entire life, as it has upon most Americans’, this was an unbelievable concept to me.

However, it made me rethink all my years of learning about the necessity of free expression. While it did not change my mind, I had not considered that viewpoint before and the experience was very interesting.

As JJ pointed out in a recent class, the students that were at the Symposium will likely be important players in their respective countries one day, and it is invaluable for us to begin to empathize with each other as early as possible. Having them at the Symposium gave me a chance to do this.

Susan Nalugwa, National University of Rwanda, Rwanda
…Being able to come for that symposium opened up my eyes to the big picture, that I am not alone in this fight, and that there is someone somewhere being an instrument of change, I have travelled in Rwanda and seen what the genocide has done to my people and in the Northern part of Uganda and seen what Kony has done to the people and I almost gave up, seeing corrupt leaders get away with their corruption just because they have the power to do so.

At the symposium, I was able to understand that there is a new breed of young, intelligent men and women who share the same ideas with me, who want to put a stop to the injustice, corruption, poverty and I learned that none of us has to do it alone. We have to do it together because we are all little pieces of one particle, the "globe.” I learned not be concerned only about my country but the whole world, what affects Cambodia affects me, what affects Brazil affects me.

I guess for me, I felt it was time to view the world in a different perspective, to see the world as and ourselves as one people who are after achieving a similar goal, making our world a better place.

Matthew Weinberg, Senior, Tufts University
…What I will remember most, besides the embarrassment of intellectual riches uncovered over the week, was the delegations of students who came to Tufts University.

Given how difficult an operation it is to bring students from a dozen different countries from all corners of the world, the global diversity of the symposium proved to be its greatest strength.

Not only is my generation expected to think horizontally about the world’s most pressing issues and break away from the “zero-sum” mentality that has weighed down generations past, but we’re also tasked with an enormous challenge of working across geographic boundaries.
…The fact that the EMPOWER initiative brings together such geographically and culturally diverse students is essential in familiarizing the millennial generation with such a challenge. Whether it was during question time of the panels, outside the auditorium, in my apartment or at a basement party, there were real intellectual exchanges and friendships being formed.

Particularly striking to me were the testimonials from Haneen and others during the debriefing sessions just before the international delegations departed. Despite all of the domestic problems present in our home countries, we simply can’t be so near-sighted about problems outside our borders. Haneen, a Palestinian living in Israel astutely observed that Palestinians and Israelis all too often get wrapped up in their own conflict and cannot see what problems are happening outside their own contested borders. I believe the same could be said for all of us.

The same message is relevant whether you are a student from China, India, Rwanda or the United States. The interactions and this overall lesson was the greatest contribution of the EMPOWER component to the symposium.

In an age of hyper-social networking there should be no reason why diverse EMPOWER teams cannot conduct meaningful endeavors in the future.

Smritima Lama, Graduate Student, University of Delhi
My experience at the symposium was both exhilarating as well as enriching. It imbibed in me the value of being a global citizen and its importance.

…The symposium exposed me to a lot many things in terms of microfinance, climate change and how this has an effect on the poor, how corruption leads to stagnation in countries thereby trapping the poor, etc.

I also came to know about America’s poor and it was interesting to hear Mr. Lom and Mr. Cartagena who gave us an account of their first-hand experience.

Although I’m from India I did not know about Mr.Akula’s SKS foundation and therefore it was great to hear him and see all the positive changes that he has made in my country.
Before the symposium I had thought that due to corruption and red-tapeism nothing much could be done in India, but now I have seen great examples and would therefore like to do something worthwhile for the people of my country especially the under-privileged.

Shan Ouyang, Peking University, China
I didn’t expect a seven-day trip would create such a storm in my mind.

The storm began on the flight to America. It was the first time in the past twenty-one years that I had got a chance to go outside China, where I was born, brought up and educated, and to see the outside world with my own eyes…

The lectures in the symposium were thought-provoking. I might not be able to understand them all, but at least they provide me with new perspectives to look at such issues. I was shocked by how much concern people around the world have on poverty.

I was shocked by the international students, who have a good knowledge of the current situation and the ongoing problems in their own countries, while I remained silent most of the time faced with the complexity of China which I had not probed into enough.

I was also shocked by the Tufts students, who showed us the impressive data, photos, insights and suggestions in their presentations of research reports. To be honest, before this event, I had a stereotype of American students as a group of privileged who have the best resources in the world to realize their wild dreams with much ease. But they told me in action: “No.” They dream their dreams with careful plans, strong commitment and full dedication. Without these, abundant resources alone won’t make success.

Entrepreneurship is no longer a vague concept to me as I see with my own eyes in the EPIIC class passion and determination.

Although China still has much to do as before to build up real NGOs, to provide an environment for effective microfinance projects, etc, I just don’t feel hopeless anymore. That, perhaps, is my most valuable take-away from the symposium.

outcomes to date

• Haiti -- connecting EMPOWER, Engineers without Borders, the Elevator Foundation and the International Development Law Organization to continue the work in Balan
• Singapore -- sharing the Honors Programme’s 10th anniversary and EPIIC’s 25th with a symposium in Singapore in 2010
• Brazil -- a conference on poverty and inequality in Porto Allegre to which EPIIC will be invited to attend with its students
• China -- sustaining the relationship with Peking University
• Rwanda -- introduction of the students to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village
• Israel – prospects of a relationship with the University of Haifa for joint research projects and student exchanges

And for students individually…

• Henry Chen (Peking U), the number one ranked physics students at his university, has decided to defer graduate work at MIT for a year to explore the idea of social entrepreneurship and its viability for his country conducting research in India on microfinance initiatives
• Danny Negless (Tufts) spending next year in Peru, working with an NGO on poverty and development
• Bani Gill (University of Delhi) participating in the EXPOSURE Uganda workshop
• Elida Oliveira (PUCPR, Brazil) seeking her peers’ research assistance on youth violence
• Clement Tan (National University of Singapore) participating in the EXPOSURE Cambodia workshop