Notes From Initial GW Brainstorming Session

 

Ideas generated and shared

9/16/09

Kristof and WuDunn - Half the Sky

Stanford Alumni Magazine - Lessons of War article 

Gov 2.0 Conference - speakers list

Jessica Jackley | Co-Founder, Kiva  

Conflict

Focus on the human/civilian impact?

Politics of conflict – imperialism? When do we intervene and when do we not intervene?  Holocaust vs. Rwanda vs. Kosovo

Politics and effectiveness of UN in these situations

Samantha Power, former Harvard professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Policy, now a member of Obama's National Security Council, author of Chasing the Flame (about a UN envoy killed by an al queda suicide bomber) and A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide. Married to Cass Sustein (legal and public policy scholar and behavioral economist), who might also be an interesting speaker.  

Opportunity to have a politically-neutral positive impact in conflict situation – ie., The International Rescue Committee, Doctors Without Borders.

General Romeo Dallaire, head of the ill fated UN peacekeeping forces during Rwandan genocide.  Author of Shake Hands with the Devil and subject of documentary of the same name. 

Carl Wilkens, Adventist missionary who chose to stay in Rwanda during genocide; very powerful speaker.  His organization is World Outside My Shoes. 

 

Poverty

 

 Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, author of The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World.

 Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion 

Wilford Welch, author of Tactics of Hope. http://www.tacticsofhope.org/authors

 Someone from Kiva?

Leila Chirayath Janah founder of Samasource (local, from Stanford I think). 

Phil Borges, Social Documentary Photographer, wrote/photographed Women Empowered book.   

Greg Mortensen – Author, Three Cups of Tea. 

Michael Franti – CARE ambassador, musician, amusing speaker. Been to Iraq, Palestine, Israel. Did a film called I Know I Am Not Alone “in search of the human cost of war.” 

 Craig Newmark (founder of Craigslist) He's far less interested in 'monetizing' currently non-profit Craigslist (reputedly valued in the billions), than in bringing about 'community' and public/private partnerships (large and small). I think he's actually working on the MidEast crisis with Madeline Albright, for example....and was/is instrumental in helping Obama develop internet-based democracy/political action, etc. He's based in SF. 

Rory Stewart – Human Rights Professor at Harvard, wrote The Places in Between about his solo walk across Afghanistan. Might be better for View 360. Very serious. Is a White House consultant on the war in Afghanistan.

Shannon Farley – Executive Director of Spark. Could speak to gender roles in peace, also about the importance of the developed world’s young people being involved with the developing world.

Carla Goldstein, JD, is Omega Institute's external affairs director and director of the Women's Institute at Omega. Carla is an attorney with 20 years of experience in public interest advocacy and has worked extensively in city and state government on issues related to women's rights, poverty, public health, and social justice. Before joining the Omega Institute, Carla was the vice president for public affairs at Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) For the past eight years, Carla was an adjunct professor at CUNY Queens College, where she taught a course called Law and Social Justice, which was designed to empower students to be effective advocates for progressive social change. As part of Omega's Core Program, Carla teaches Introduction to Spiritual Activism, a workshop designed to help people develop their activism in creative ways that align with the rest of their lives.

Grade Level Themes

Girls/Education

Anne Firth Murray, founder Global Fund for Women, author of From Outrage to Courage: Women Taking Action for Health and Justice, and Paradigm Found: Leading and Managing for Positive Change.

Health 

Dr. Larry Brilliant, formerly with google.org, now with the The Skoll  Foundation’s Urgent Threats

FaceAIDS  

Partners in Health/Paul Farmer  

PBS show – House Calls and Health Care re Partners in Health’s work in Rwanda

Google.org world health initiative – list of grantee’s here.  Maybe someone from one of these organizations would speak or lead a workshop?

James Orbinski, worked in war torn countries with Doctors Without Borders and accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on their behalf.  Wrote An Imperfect Offering.  Triage (documentary) follows his work during the Rwandan genocide.  Trailer and more info here

Immigration

Refugees and internally displaced people^.

Several NYT and other articles regarding issues currently faced by Iraqi refugees to the US.

Websites: UN High Commission on Refugees and The International Rescue Committee.

Possible speaker from The IRC Board or Advisory Board listed here? Colin Powell, Tom Brokaw, etc.? Someone from UNHCR – Angelina Jolie? Khaled Hosseini?

Dave Eggers, author of What is the What?, a biography of Sudanese refugee Valention Achak Deng. 

Valentino Achak Deng – Sudanese refugee currently in San Francisco, founder of the Valentino Achak Deng foundation.