Workshop Tracks
Issue Workshops
This year's conference focuses on three topics: Protecting the vulnerable in the global economy, technology for sustainability, and global citizenship education. In small groups of 20-25 participants, you will join globally renowned experts to explore your topic of choice. Explore our workshop tracks for ways to design the change you'd like to see within your communities!
Workshop Tracks
Protecting the Vulnerable in the Global Economy | Global Citizenship Education |
Track 1: Protecting the Vulnerable in the Global Economy
In today's global market, it is nearly impossible to know the entire lifecycle of a product, from the time of obtaining the raw materials to the time it reaches our hands. This lack of transparency in global supply chains allows for the exploitation of workers – especially the most vulnerable, such as women and children in developing countries. Find out what can be done to promote more transparency and better working conditions for all, and discover ways to encourage fair practices that put people before profit.
Leveraging supply chains to create better lives for women and children with Diana Mao, Nomi Network
Global supply chains are a neutral force. In our globalized world they can open opportunities for economic empowerment. However, they can also be used to exploit the vulnerable, especially women and children in poor countries; those who are out of sight and out of mind from the average consumer. In this workshop led by together Nomi Network’s co-founder Diana Mao, Fellows will gain deeper understanding of the scope and scale of this global challenge and connect to its human dimension through case examples from Nomi Network’s work in India and Cambodia. Fellows will also work on actions they can take on their own or in projects to help ensure that all people involved in global supply chains reap their benefits.
About Diana Mao:
Diana Mao has expertise in governmental consulting, domestic and international economic development, social entrepreneurship, microfinance, and launching awareness raising campaigns. Diana is the co-founder and president of Nomi Network, an anti-human trafficking organization based in New York City. Her mission was fueled when she personally witnessed the horrors of sex trafficking while conducting research in Cambodia for a microfinance bank. Diana is also currently a Presidential Leadership Scholar, where she meets with former U.S. Presidents and other leaders to learn firsthand how to create large-scale, systemic change. She has a Master’s degree in Public Administration, specializing in International Management from New York University, and a B.A. in Business Economics and Chinese from the University of California Santa Barbara.
Track 2: Technology for Sustainability with Mustafa Naseem
Many of the challenges our environment faces today – from climate change to toxic waste – have been brought about by technology. Can innovative applications of technology also be the solution? Get to know the entrepreneurs who are using technological solutions to improve the efficiency of sewage treatment, energy production, public transportation, and more. They dreamed big, started small, and scaled up when they saw success. They built their core business on using technology to address environmental problems, and have made a profit. Value for the environment and value for the business is a real win-win situation. Can their win-win product work in your neighborhood?
About Mustafa:
Mustafa Naseem is a Pakistani educator, social entrepreneur and founding Director of Innovations for Poverty Alleviation Lab (IPAL) at the Information Technology University (ITU). Prior to joining ITU, Mustafa held senior positions at the MIT Global Startup Labs' South Africa Program, the Deming Center Venture Fund (DCVF) and the International Development Design Summit (IDDS). His interests lie at the intersection of technology, policy and entrepreneurship geared towards solving global development challenges.
Mustafa graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a Masters in Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD) on a Fulbright Scholarship. He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including the ATLAS Institute Director's Fellowship, the Dale Hatfield Research Scholars Award, and the Center for Policy Research (CPR) Young Scholar Award.
Track 3: Global Citizenship Education
Education is a powerful tool for creating tomorrow’s change makers. In order to be successful in tomorrow’s world, children today need more than basic knowledge. They must acquire skills to work together in diverse teams, treat people with different backgrounds with respect, and navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world. In addition, we must reconsider what it means to be successful — we are only truly successful if we leave the world a little better than we found it. We can find some answers in the emerging field of Global Citizenship Education.
"See the World Differently" with Development Perspectives
With "Insight", Development Perspective's successful Global Citizenship Education program as a case study, Stephanie and Deborah will take you on an experiential learning journey examining and exploring how we see the world and how this influences and steers our behavior. You will engage with a series of problem-based learning activities that challenge you to move outside your comfort zone. Theory and practice will be interwoven with creative spaces where you can reflect and digest the new input, including useful resources and connection points to other organizations and networks.
About the presenters:
Stephanie Kirwan has a background in Health Promotion and has been actively involved in the work of Development Perspectives as a participant, leader and facilitator since 2012. She has worked as a facilitator for Development Perspectives in Ireland, Tanzania and South Africa and is truly an active global citizen.
Deborah Conlon has been working in Development Education for the past 5 years as Public Engagement Officer with Development Perspectives, a job she loved as it combines her passion for social justice with her creativity and love of working with people. She is also currently studying Digital Marketing and Digital Media Management in the Dundalk Institute of Technology.