By Breanne Kovatch, Tara Srinivasan, Jen Racoosin and Hannah Schoenbaum
The Clinton Global Initiative University kicked off its 10th anniversary meeting this weekend — which was hosted for the first time at Northeastern University.
Launched in 2007 by former President Bill Clinton, CGI U invites students to engage with leading experts, advocates and innovators on issues facing young people and the world today, according to a press release by the Clinton Foundation. Friday and Saturday consisted of panels discussing various current event issues, while Sunday was a “Day of Action” in which attendees joined the Clintons in giving back to the Boston community.
Some of the issues discussed in the different plenary sessions over the weekend include climate change, sustainability, the current opioid crisis, immigration and refugees. Speakers included Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy.
During a panel on Saturday, Bill Clinton said every problem, at its core, is similar, no matter if it is about immigration, the opioid crisis or climate change.
“Every great problem, at its root, is an identity question because how you respond depends on who you are and who you have decided to be, or allowed yourself to be conditioned to be,” Bill Clinton said.
When the forum turned to focus on the opioid crisis, Kennedy said it must be de-stigmatized in order to get people the help they need.
“The single biggest thing we need to do on this [the opioid crisis] is take down the stigma,” Kennedy said. “Because once people will stand up publicly and say, ‘This is something that has affected me and my family or my neighbor,’ and not be ashamed, you will get the public to push back to actually do the hard reforms we have not yet done.”
Chelsea Clinton said in order to find middle ground among conflicting viewpoints, it first needs to be made clear what the situation is and if there is any middle ground at all.
“It is important to be clear about which divisions we think are truly surrounding middle ground, and which divisions we think are not,” Clinton said. “I say that because I do not think there is a middle ground to bigotry — there is no middle ground if you are denying someone’s equal humanity.”
At a forum earlier in the day Saturday, Chelsea Clinton said visibility on issues like the connection between health and sustainability concerning climate change are important.
“While it may seem obvious to all of us [health and sustainability] are inextricably linked,” Clinton said. “That is not as obvious to many people who are in positions of decision-making power.”
At a different panel Saturday, Albright said refugees contribute a lot to the United States, like fighting in the armed services, working in the country and by adding a different perspective when looking at issues through teaching.
“What bothers me is we are beginning to look at everything in this moment about what is good for America first,” Albright said. “If we are gonna go that direction, I can argue Dreamers and refugees and immigrants are good for the United States.”
Several student attendees said the issues talked about at the CGI U meeting are prevalent today and important to fight against.
Daniel Marcelin, a senior in the Ecole Supérieure D’Infotronique d’Haiti studying computer science, said CGI U was a great opportunity for students to “turn ideas into action.”
“It affects me to see my brothers and sisters that are going back to Haiti or going to Chile or going to Canada because they cannot live in this country,” Marcelin said. “It is the best thing to do to come to such sessions to hear what [people] are saying … to give it to others, to grow as mature leaders tomorrow.”
Ryan Maia, a Northeastern senior majoring in international affairs, said hearing students’ ideas allowed him to appreciate all unique perspectives on problem-solving.
“I thought it was incredible these young people, my age, from all around the world are doing things in all sorts of problems,” Maia said. “They are solving problems in ways I never even thought possible myself.”
Stephanie Galen, a senior majoring in economics at the University of Arkansas, said she appreciated how the CGI U program gave her an educational platform to connect with people on a deeper level.
“A common theme of the entirety of this program has been about compassion and sharing human stories, which is very important to me,” Galen said. “I thought it was really important when they talked about how we talk about people and the words we use and how those affect people’s views toward issues and their fellow humans and neighbors.”
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