By Karina Martinez-CarterThe Daily Northwestern
It might be a small world, but it has big problems.
Eleven Northwestern students will work today through Sunday with more than 40 college students from around the world to try to solve some of them.
About 65 NU students organized and will run the International Youth Volunteerism Summit, which includes workshops, speakers and discussion groups focused on global engagement.
During the summit, delegates will refine the proposals they have developed for volunteer projects ranging from instituting a mentoring program to sanitizing water in foreign countries.
At the end, delegates can re-submit their projects to the summit organizers, who will distribute thousands of dollars in funds, most of which were donated by NU’s administration and departments.
“IYVS is focused on preparing people to actually do something,” said Nathaniel Whittemore, director of the Center for Global Engagement. Whittemore, Weinberg ’06, organized the first summit last year with Jon Marino, SESP ’06.
Whittemore said he hopes the summit inspires and challenges delegates to look at the world differently.
“There’s not enough self-criticism in the non-profit realm,” he said. “One delegate last year said, ‘I feel more idealistic and realistic at the same time,’ and that’s the ideal scenario.”
Weinberg senior Alex Lofton, one of the program’s co-directors, said this year’s summit is critical because it is the first transition year.
“We want to see an event as successful as last year’s,” Lofton said. “We want to see the momentum build up. We don’t want it to die or stay stagnant; we want this idea to grow.”
Because of the success of last year’s program, Lofton said he and other IYVS committee members decided to use the same model for this year’s summit.
“People got the most out of the workshops and learning specific aspects about developing a project, developing their minds and selves, and getting a chance to talk about that,” Lofton said.
SESP sophomore Nikolai Smith, one of NU’s delegates at the summit, is working on a proposal for an after-school mentoring program in Uganda.
Smith will travel to the country for two months this summer through the Center for Global Engagement.
He said that although his goal is to thoroughly plan the project during the summit, he is looking forward to meeting and getting to know the other delegates, especially those coming from abroad.
“At NU we have a lot of international students, but these (delegates) all want to get involved with community development and helping people who are completely different from them,” Smith said. “I want to see what they’re passionate about, what they’ve chosen as their projects. I’m hoping to learn a lot from them.”
To actively participate in the summit, students must either be a delegate or an IYVS staff member.
Some events, such as the Open Shutter project, are open to the public and will be held in conjunction with the summit.
Open Shutter is an international multimedia exhibit in Norris University Center. This year’s exhibit will have two rooms featuring photos of India and another focused on Uganda. This is also the second year for Open Shutter.
Weinberg sophomore Emily Eisenhart is the IYVS content director. Her photographs from India also will be on display.
Eisenhart spent two months in India over the summer working for The Veerni Project, a non-profit organization focused on women’s empowerment.
“It’s really exciting to visually put my experience down on paper,” she said. “I’m totally excited about the whole thing.”
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