Posted by student ASHLEY DAVIS – CGIU is over, but it ended on many high notes!
I attended the Peace and Human Rights working session on Saturday afternoon, featuring our own Beatrice Biira. The session focused on youth and the rights of the child. The panel included many notable personalities in addition to Beatrice: Ishmael Beah, president of the Ishmael Beah Foundation and Advocate, UNICEF; Robert A. Corrigan, president of San Francisco State University; and Mariela Scazziotti, a well-known children’s and women’s rights activist with FOCO-CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation. The panel was moderated by Luke Russert, a correspondent for NBC News.
The discussion ranged from access to basic needs to availability of education. Beatrice spoke eloquently about the need to educate parents and communities about the importance of education for both boys and girls. Making education a priority in low-income areas is one of the keys to breaking the cycle of poverty. I was so proud to have her as a classmate!
Following the panel, former President Bill Clinton concluded the event with a final plenary session with Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, actor and producer Matthew McConaughey, and Marie Tillman of the Pat Tillman Foundation. They emphasized the potential of the participants in the conference to effect true change through their commitments and McConaughey specifically spoke about the importance of making service a part of your schedule. My classmates and I agreed wholeheartedly! Finally, President Clinton announced that the Wal-Mart Foundation and the Tillman Foundation would be contributing $200,000 each to fund the commitments of students at the conference. Putting funding behind the more than 1,000 commitments made at the conference only increases the impact these students can have.
On Sunday morning we traveled to the Rosewood Park and Community Center in East Austin for a service project. We cleaned up the area surrounding the river, painted picnic tables, spread mulch and did various other projects to help improve the site. President Clinton said that he enjoyed ending the conference with a hands-on project in the spirit of service that the students at the conference embrace. McConaughey, Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes, and John Oliver of the Daily Show, who performed on Saturday evening, rolled up their sleeves as well and were spotted raking leaves and working on the playground.
After the drive back, I am left to reflect on the experience. As a Clinton School student I am blessed to be around people every day that embrace the challenges facing our communities and the world. My classmates, professors and everyone else at the school embrace the spirit of service and culture of caring that makes the issues that the world faces seem solvable through hard work, passion and determination. This weekend was like being around 1000 other classmates and it was truly inspiring.
On a personal note, I would like to thank the School for funding our travel to the conference. This would not have been possible without Joe Ballard, Dianne Kelly, and all of the other amazing faculty members at the Clinton School.
Clinton School student Beatrice Biira and Luke Russert of NBC.
Biira, Clinton School student Jonathan Dunkley and Ishmael Beah, author of “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.”
CGIU commentary has been provided by Clinton School student Ashley Davis of Conifer, Colo. Ashley and 13 of her classmates attended the conference this weekend in Austin, Texas.