In the post below, Clinton School students, Abby Olivier, Kayla Brooks, Jessica Boyd, Josh Visnaw, Tyler Pearson, and Ashley Jones, reflect on their experience attending the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York.
Last week we had the opportunity to volunteer at the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York City. The CGI Annual meetings gather people from across the globe that are heads of state, nonprofit and for profit executives, and community builders. The goal of the meetings, this year themed “Mobilizing for Impact,” is to create an environment for these players to discuss global issues and establish partnerships to make formal ‘commitments’ to tackle a problem.
The six of us joined about one hundred other volunteers from around the world to ensure a smooth-running three-day meeting. We were assigned to the press committee, which entailed registering and checking in members of press, escorting them to plenary and breakout sessions, and assisting them throughout the week. We quickly learned that the press were anxious to cover this conference, as attendees included President Obama, Queen Rania of Jordan, Bill and Melinda Gates, Piers Morgan, and of course, our three favorite Clintons, President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hilary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.
We had the privilege of sitting in on several sessions and were in the midst of many great discussions surrounding global issues like women’s rights, electricity access, public health, and many more. We had the opportunity to witness true collaboration from for-profit, nonprofit, and government executives, including the announcement of many large-scale commitments, such as a commitment from McDonald’s and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to provide healthier food and beverage choices in order to promote balanced lifestyles for children.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed this remarkable opportunity to volunteer at CGI! We were humbled to be in the midst of so many great minds from across the globe who were making commitments to tackle the issues we discuss so often here at the Clinton School of Public Service.
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