Global Issues Service Summit 2011

Enthusiasm is contagious. Put 200 students and teachers together who are all global-issues advocates, and inspiration is bound to arise. Pool resources and ideas from 18 schools around Africa and watch innovative solutions mold and expand. Build relationships that transcend nations and sustainable partnerships surface; support networks weave themselves into place. Look to students as leaders and they rise to the responsibility.
I just returned from the 2011 African Global Issues Service Summit in Maputo, Mozambique. Along with my colleague, Johnny, I brought 4 students to this international gathering. For four days students swapped stories, ideas, and visions. We watched guest speakers like the former first-lady of Mozambique/South Africa, a 17-year-old who started a plethora of aid groups, the minister of Education in Mozambique. We listened to expert panels on disease within Africa, trafficking, water conservation, education for all, and the digital divide. Groups gathered to seek solutions and build communities. Students participated in a day of service alongside local organizations. Teachers gathered to swap successes and learn from each other’s mistakes. In short—it was a jam-packed week of learning, growing, encouraging, and planning. I came back to Uganda full of ideas and eager to make positive changes in my community.