so, why me at ignite? My passions:

– Words: read, written and spoken

– Pictures: capture imagination and make memories timeless

– The world: our role in, & responsibility to, it

context Fortunate to have my

employer’s support (time & money) to pursue international volunteer efforts

Pitched these opportunities as strategic personal development initiatives, with value added for Western

context Employers increasingly see

value in, and support, international experiences

Stories cover philosophies/lessons learned from four trips to six countries, and what I did to ‘bring them home’

malaysia, 2006 Recently developed nation status One of worst for GINI index (gap

between rich and poor) Restricted media freedoms and

freedom of assembly Vowed to not censor the Internet as

government is reliant technology for development

malaysia, 2006 Opportunities for new media to

express political dissent Participated in Aliran National

Roundtable on Internet Media Is technology really a panacea

for all that ails the world?

bringing it home Gave me a taste for global

political, economic and social issues

Paper published in Canadian Journal of Development Studies, June 2010

Role of new media in development and political engagement

kenya/tanzania, 2007 Nearly three weeks with

Western Heads East probiotic yogurt, HIV/AIDS project

17-25 per cent HIV/AIDS infection rate

Coke - seven times cheaper than water

36 per cent live below basic needs poverty line, on .79 cents/day

kenya/tanzania, 2007 $5 covers all medical

examinations – but many hospitals don’t even have generators and power is often out

Hospitals cannot afford surgical gloves

Our society is often numbed to statistics, and they don’t tell the whole story

bringing it home Biggest difference is lack of

opportunity; at the core, we share many common values and interests

Despite very real challenges, Tanzania is one of the happiest societies I’ve seen

Does our pursuit of ‘things’ make us ‘unhappy’?

rwanda/dr congo, 2009 Seven weeks helping establish

the Kitabi College of Conservation and Environmental Management

Most densely populated country in Africa (more than 250/sq. km)

Teaches nature conservation for tourism & development, creates jobs

rwanda/dr congo, 2009 Can’t seem to move past

images of 800,000 dead in 100 days. That was 16 years ago

And yet, general apathy about ongoing war in DR Congo (the world’s second-poorest), killing more than five million. Why?

bringing it home Umuganda – mandatory

community work day each month

If Rwanda can move toward conciliation, how can we not?

How can we allow “Never Again” to happen? Again…and again?

peru, 2010 Alternative Spring Break

program, which teaches service learning to students

Team of 20 to Urubamba, Peru, where we helped build the second floor of a school

First time off the continent for many, and to the developing world for most

peru, 2010 Overcoming language and cultural

differences through commonalities, like sport, games and crafts

Importance of reflection Week timeframe may be too short,

but opens eyes to develop interest at an impressionable age

bringing it home Many were surprised at what

they had been able to accomplish

A changed impression of what the trip was all about (no longer just about getting away/résumé building)

Ongoing communication through pictures, partnership with local elementary school

the big finish We can make change, even if

it’s in one person’s life, in our community or around the world

James Brooks from London created 1,000 Classrooms initiative to save apes, environment and people in Central Africa. He was 11

the big finish Regardless of life’s challenges,

we are extremely fortunate The world is bigger than us –

and we owe a responsibility to it

Lessons from the greater world can change who we are at home. And vice versa

the big finish Change begins within our

communities, but at the individual, then communal level

How can we motivate others to see the importance of effectuating change - in our personal lives, our communities and globally?

final thought I have come to believe that if

everyone has the opportunity to see the greater world firsthand, we can potentially begin to live in a more peaceful, tolerant, understanding and empathetic society