OSUN Global Engagement Fellows Annual Magazine Spring 2022

OSUN GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT FELLOWS

ISSUE 1

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SUCCESS STORIES INSIDE THE CAMP HEAR US NOW WORKSHOPS EXPERT OPINIONS

SPRING 2022 EDITION

ANNUAL

MAGAZINE

IN THIS ISSUE MESSAGE FROM THE GLOBAL FELLOWS PROGRAM COORDINATOR

SUCCESS STORIES AHMAD HIJAWI | Leading the community with social entrepreneurship NURMUHAMAD TURKBAEV | Empowering youth through debating VU DUC HUY | Civic engagement as a citizen responsibility SONITA ALIZADA | Fighting for social justice

INSIDE THE CAMP Dropping out of school: From a schoolboy to a child laborer I believe in education

HEAR US NOW ZARLASHT SARMAST | Arts for humanity WISDOM KALU | Myscholarshipinfo WISDOM KALU | Leadership during times of uncertainties SUNDUS FARARJA | Journey to global civic engagement movement WALID AZIZI | Leadership in crisis: A story of a Global Fellow

WORKSHOPS Civic Engagement Workshop through Wisdom’s eyes Building a core team for your project

EXPERTISE OPINION LE HOANG PHONG | Believing in the power of education ERIN CANNAN | Leading the next generation GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT FELLOWS PROGRAM - JOIN US NOW

Note: The material in this magazine is written and collected from students leaders across the OSUN NETWORK who are not native English speakers and only roughly edited to preserve their voices

MESSAGE FROM THE GLOBAL FELLOWS COORDINATOR In October 2017, at the closing ceremony of the Get Engaged Conference, which was hosted at the Bard College in Berlin, the participants of the conference were asked to generate ideas on how to stay connected post-conference and share what they learned with other students in their home institutions. That was when a group of students from the Get Engaged Conference came up with the idea of the Global Fellows Program.

Global Engagement Fellows started by scheduling

To that end, we came up with the idea of publishing

office hours for students to discuss civic

a civic engagement magazine, which gives students

engagement with other students at their different

the opportunity to learn how to improve their

institutions. The discussions served as a bridge

projects.

connecting students with a broader network of other young leaders across the globe. Currently,

In our first publication of The Global Engagement

our Global Engagement Fellows promote and

Fellows Annual Magazine, you will learn more about

coordinate thematic civic engagement projects

civic engagement through the reflections of experts,

across the Open Society University Network

project success stories from young leaders, the

(OSUN) on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

direction of institutional administrators focused on

Selected fellows have developed and sustained a

student engagement, and the support of OSUN and

civic engagement project and demonstrated

the Global Fellows Program for potential project

leadership skills, a desire, and an aptitude for

leaders. Students can also learn about activities our

working with others.

fellows find useful such as their office hours, stories from students on their own campuses, Global

With the mission of helping young leaders

Fellows Monthly Civic Engagement workshops, and

improve their civic engagement activities at the

more. We hope you enjoy each page of this

institutional, national, regional, and international

publication and come back for more.

level, the Global Fellows Program wants to share the knowledge and share success stories of young

Yours sincerely,

leaders to foster civic engagement movements

Zarlasht Sarmast

not just in their home institutions, but worldwide.

Global Fellows Program Coordinator

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SUCCESS STORIES

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AHMAD HIJAWI LEADING THE COMMUNITY WITH SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

by Sundus Fararja

Ahmad has joined several conferences around the world; the last one was the OSUN 2021 Student Leadership Conference and Leadership Academy Training (LTA 8) which was based in Turkey in 2019.

Ahmad is one of the founders of the EcoAQB club, a leader for the Health and Safety Committee, and one of the members of the AQB debate club, and he participated in several debate competitions based in Palestine. He was supervising students applying for the Hult Prize projects competition at Al-Quds University.

THE JOURNEY STARTS IN THE CLASSROOM Ahmad was always happy because he believes that “the happiness you make for others makes you happy.” The achievement that he will never forget was when he was in a volunteer work team affiliated with the school and in cooperation with the Life Cancer Society. He helped collect donations to provide an MRI machine, an expensive device. Ahmad visited several cancer patients in Jerusalem and Ramallah, trying to make others happy and planning activities to get them out of the depressing atmosphere in which they live.

Civic engagement opened the horizon so I could see the world around me better.” He met many people who suffer from diseases and problems in their lives, and it was his favorite lesson that he learned not to be selfish and to be more giving because the people around us deserve love. For Ahmad, civic engagement means changing the world around us by making others happy or providing comfort to them by solving problems. One person might not be able to solve the problem alone but our presence and our contribution to change may positively affect the life of an individual and society.

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Ahmad likes to keep one phrase in his mind: “Let's imagine an interwoven and tight-knit community together supporting each other, and solving each other's problems.” For him, each of us is an expert in a particular field, and when we gather together to solve each other's problems, we will find an integrated community. Each of us complements the other.

INVOLVE, IMPROVE AND IMPACT Ahmad has taken the OSUN Online Course on Social Entrepreneurship for Civic Engagement, where he learned about how to be a project leader and how to manage time effectively. The course touched on several social entrepreneurship areas, including the financial, technical, administrative, and marketing aspects. His team developed Safely, a nonprofit organization working to provide refugees with transport visa documents, in order to preserve their right to travel safely to their new homes. Ahmad learned a lot from this project in dealing with his team members together, and this was the point that moved him from thinking about his own problems to thinking about the problems of others and trying to contribute to solving those problems.

drainage systems, sometimes causing flooding.

Old car tires polluting vacant lots was another problem. Ahmad’s team thought carefully about potential solutions for both of these problems and, after many experiments and much research, came upon the idea of combining chopped-up rubber tires with sawdust and mud to create valuable products, such as bricks, tiles, and rubber flooring. The rubber flooring could be used in parks, playgrounds, and other open spaces. Ahmad’s team's solution also helped solve the noxious fumes emitted by overheated outdoor rubber flooring by adding fresheners to the product so that the flooring remains cool and smells fragrant. They have prepared many tests for the flooring, and the results have been positive. Now his team has established its own company (CleanPalCo) and is in the process of developing an artificial stone made of waste and water that prevents asthma.

Last summer, he also took the OSUN Network Collaborative Course "Thinking about Video Games," which allowed him to meet many friends virtually worldwide. He learned how to design video games, analyze their impact on real life, find out how they can increase intelligence and focus, and enhance education entertainingly and scientifically. The conferences and training courses that Ahmad was sometimes traveling to attend gave him the chance to learn many things in different fields such as acquiring a leadership personality and many arithmetic skills, programming, and studying the details of the market around him, which made him conscious in thinking and analyzing all the problems around him and try to find solutions.

THE LIFE-LONG JOURNEY Ahmad’s team noticed the problem of industrial stone waste (water and sawdust ) being thrown in large quantities on fertile lands that spoiled groundwater sources and damaged sewer

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NURMUHAMAD TURKBAEV | EMPOWERING YOUTH THROUGH DEBATING

by Amina Ahmed

Nurmuhamad Turkbaev, a senior at the American University of Central Asia, is an alumnus of Get Engaged Conference 2020. He is an active young leader with an interest in debate, social entrepreneurship, and civic engagement. He is the project leader of SIDP-funded "South Youth Association '', an initiative he implemented in Jashtyk village, Batken, and the founder of the Debate Club in 2018 with the help of the founding team and SIDP.

FOUNDING A CIVIC-ENGAGED DEBATE CLUB Nurmuhamad came from the region in southern Kyrgyzstan, a village called Jashteg, six hours from Batken and with a low literacy rate. There are few youth-led organized projects that take place there.

The region is on the borderline with Tadjikistan and hence, ethnic and border tensions occur abruptly. His region has deeply rooted problems like bride kidnapping, gender inequality, and a lack of sex education; youngsters are taught old-school style and are expected to only stick to their books; their goal is to end school and immigrate to Russia for labor.

As an enthusiastic young pioneer, he decided to do his part and make a small but impactful contribution to his hometown. "I want to begin something which could particularly highlight a major issue taking place in the south. However, that seemed like a ‘far-fetched’ idea" - said Nurmuhamad. Hence, with the support of his friend, a bunch of ideas came up, including arranging ‘debates.’ They eventually agreed on doing some project which could help essentially build and improve the debate skills of young students. This idea, however, did not strike him in just a day. Growing up in the village, he has deep knowledge and motivation to confidently initiate the new project for the southern students. He went on planning and gathering ideas for such a cause during his NGA (university preparatory course) year and in his freshman year. It would involve a platform that supported diversity by integrating Tadjik and Kyrgyz students through participation in workshops, scholarship seminars, and the main debate competition. This is mainly what formed their ‘inter-regional debate competition’ which has been ongoing for over three years now.

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GROWING STEP BY STEP Understanding the circumstances of the region, he acknowledges the lack of proper education and the fights that break out on a daily basis inside the community. It motivates him to take a step for the Kyrgyz/Tadjik youth there. Thus, he decided to start a small, sustainable initiative that had the potential to gain momentum in the future. Since debating is all about arguing and proving, he decided to integrate Tadjik and Kyrgyz students as team members in each team so that both of them would research and learn about problems relevant to either region. They stayed as far as possible from political and religious topics which could potentially lead to heated debates and arguments among the two groups. The format of the debate competition was kept BPF (British Parliamentary Format) and had already been taught to the students long before the debate competition. After three years, his inter-regional debate workshops

and tournaments are taking place on a monthly basis. Nurmuhamad said: "We did our best to keep it ongoing remotely during the pandemic as well. Our main team comprises over 300 registered students for offline debating and over 1000 students taking part in online webinars and Zoom sessions." Currently, the team also has professional debate coaches from different fields supervising these students – which in turn is a major success for an undergrad student like him.

"What I would suggest any newbie who yearns to start their own project is that ‘they must do it only if they really feel for it, the enthusiasm and the energy that they are willing to spend on it – such initiatives would help you grow your circle and gain all the necessary soft skills that sometimes, university classes might fail to instil in you" – said Nurmuhamad.

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VU DUC HUY

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AS A CITIZEN RESPONSIBILITY

Vu Duc Huy, a junior at Fulbright University Vietnam, comes from Kon Tum, a remote city in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Working in civic engagement for over four years, Huy demonstrated his commitment and desire to promote the civically-engaged movement in his hometown with his youthled organization YUU Organization. He worked with children in orphanages and villages, almost all of them are ethnic minority people in education, career orientation and cultural conservation.

WHEN THE WIND BLEW:

Huy has been working as a dedicated volunteer for over 10 years. “My mom is the biggest influencer for me to start my journey in doing civic engagement.

She is a senior philanthropist in Kon Tum province.

She spends a lot of time going to the villages to help the poor people.” Flashing back to the last 10 years, Huy remembered that he used to discourage his mom to do charity because he did not want to share his mom’s love with anyone else. However, after going to a village with her mom and seeing these malnourished children carrying their bowl to ask for a meal, Huy felt guilty for his selfishness and started to follow his mom's steps to help the Bahnar children in his hometown.

When he was in high school, he founded YUU Organization, a youth-led not-for-profit organization that promotes the sustainable development of ethnic minority communities in Kon Tum. It focuses on supporting young leaders in the minor community by providing opportunities for education, livelihood development, and cultural conservation of the region. For four years, the organization has reached over 2500 ethnic children and youth and has had almost 300 volunteers working on 40 projects. The organization has affiliated with 16 orphanages and villages in Kon Tum to provide direct service for children and youth living there.

RESPONSIBLE ACTION, SUSTAINABLE DIRECTION:

In 2019, Huy studied at Fulbright University Vietnam, the first independent, non-profit liberal arts university in Vietnam. At Fulbright, he

learned new ideas on community service and civic engagement in the summer program and it inspired him to make a new step for YUU Organization to change its mission. He learned to employ development approaches based on strong research, solid planning, and a beneficiary-centered mindset. Huy also recognized that not all types of kindness can create equal results. From a charity-based club, Huy and his colleagues chose to serve the community as a non-profit organization with the beneficiary-centered model. It was a challenge for both YUU Organization members and the ethnic minority community because the notion of community service and civic engagement was rarely applied in the region.

"When we polled young people in Kon Tum, 92 percent thought civic involvement meant charity. They did not distinguish the difference between each civic engagement activity. What was most disturbing was that the majority of their motivations for participating in community service were to add more sentences on a CV or

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Learning about civic engagement, Huy and his teammates forge a clear path for YUU Organization to ensure a beneficiary-focused ideology when working with ethnic minority students. For the next three years, YUU Organization will provide more sustainable projects in collaboration with public schools, orphanages, and civil society organizations in Kon Tum to bring service-learning and cultural studies into ethnic high school academia.

GLOBAL CONNECTION, LOCAL ACTION: Joining Fulbright was key for Huy to connect YUU Organization with other civic engagement professionals. Through these connections, YUU Organization secured additional support from other universities and partners, including Open Society University Network, Bard College, Pitzer College, and the American University of Central Asia. earn a top university scholarship." He believes that short-term and one-time activities mostly benefit the implementer rather than the beneficiary. "It satisfies our compassion. But it is just our side. We have to consider the beneficiary as well. There is nothing good for them if they do not feel the same with us. Without robust research, the manner we assist people does not always meet their requirements."

Ethnic minority children in Kon Tum are the primary beneficiary of YUU Organization projects.

His organization also cares about empowering young talented students to engage in community development through service-learning actively.

Despite the hindrance of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam, YUU Organization still implemented multiple projects to support both ethnic minority children and young volunteers. Working closely with Dr. Kevin Hart, Fulbright faculty, Huy and his team utilized the experiential learning model to improve the capacity of volunteers who participated in the YUU Organization. Hence, they can facilitate virtual and in-person projects for ethnic minority children with interactive methodology, including role-play, gamification, and social media interaction. In the last two years, there successfully implemented seven projects for the beneficiaries in Kon Tum province.

“This is a very ambitious project, but we’ve received a tremendous amount of support. We have a very diverse team, different universities and youth organizations helping us or collaborating with us. That is important because we are tackling a very multidimensional problem, and this is not something where we can compromise on quality. By training more volunteers, we can change the landscape of civic engagement in a lasting manner,” explains Huy. The network brings more opportunities not only for Huy but also for YUU Organization’s members to improve their professional skills, from qualified civic engagement training to solving the financial problems of a young organization. Multiple projects of YUU Organization received grants from Open Society University Network. They also got support from local non-profit organizations and enterprises aligned with the same vision.

Huy believes that local action should be focused to create a real impact for the beneficiaries. With the support from his networks, YUU Organization will continue to bring more direct service for the vulnerable groups in Kon Tum Province and Central Highland of Vietnam.

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SONITA ALIZADA

FIGHTING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

by Khadija Ghanizada

Sonita Alizada born in Herat, Afghanistan in 1996, tells me she doesn’t really know her exact date of birth. All she knows is that her mother told her she was born in the time of pomegranates, a favorite fruit of mine and one of several things Sonita and I bonded over. She is primarily known for her incredible advocacy work in the international community and she is a raptivist, an Afghan rapper, and an activist. Indeed, Sonita has a wonderful talent for putting words together in a way that creates beautiful new meanings.

She raps and advocates against forced child marriage. Her fight is personal, as Sonita escaped forced marriage twice. "At the age of ten, I was sold into a forced marriage but the contract fell through.

My family again tried to sell me when I was sixteen but I escaped. My story is just one story." She lived in Afghanistan until the cruelty of the Taliban forced her and her family members to decide to walk miles away to Iran where she couldn’t attend school because she was an Afghan refugee.

Sonita recalls studying at an Iranian NGO. She wrote, rapped, and released her song “Brides for Sale” when she was in Iran which was completely against the law. She says, “music is my tool to help.” Sonita hopes that her work and music help find a solution to the devastating problem of forced child marriage. "Currently, more than 12 million girls are forced to marry as children every year." Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami’s camera was able to capture Sonita’s story to raise awareness about this problem. Rokhsareh is an Iranian documentary filmmaker who produced Sonita’s story in a film called Sonita. The film premiered at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam.

Sonita relocated to the US in 2015 with the support of Strongheart Group and Wasatch Academy powerful song “Brides for Sale.” Upon her arrival in the United States Sonita was listed as one of BBC’s 100 Women. She has won many awards including Asia Society Game Changer Award, MTV Generation End Child Marriage

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Award, Gwen Luminary Award, and the 2020 Freedom Prize.

The international community recognizes Sonita as an advocate against forced child marriage but Sonita is more than a rapper and an activist against child marriage. She is an awe-inspiring fighter for her motherland, Afghanistan, which is now occupied by the Taliban since the destructive, horrifying, and sudden withdrawal of the U.S. Sonita used her social media to raise awareness about the situation on the ground. Day and night tirelessly she is collaborating with women and people all around the world and in Afghanistan to stand with and for Afghan women and their rights.

She recently spoke at the U.N. about the necessary steps for the international community to take to help support Afghan people. She addressed the U.N. by emphasizing that the Taliban must not be recognized, as she said, “Don’t let the Taliban fool you.”

She makes it seem so effortless as she walks with grace around Bard campus and jokes with friends.

However, the journey is hard and the path she is taking is extremely long. Life is tough but she is tougher, with her perseverance she will overcome and make this world a better place.

Sonita is working tirelessly on advocacy projects for Afghan women and children at her college. She created a project in October of 2020 called Arezo, a non-profit initiative that uses donations to help support two impoverished and working Afghan children each month. Arezo literally means wish in Farsi one of the two national languages spoken in Afghanistan. The initiative has the objective not only to provide with basic necessities to live and attend school, but it also grants children with a wish to come true. For example, there is one child in the program who wanted to surprise his brother with a bike, so her volunteer team was able to make his wish come true with the donations earned. Arezo is currently a TLS-Trustee Leader Scholar project that sustains itself by promoting it on social media accounts, hosting fundraising events. Sonita is also heavily involved with Bard CCE-Center for Civic Engagement as she is working on Afghan Women Advocacy projects and trying to help people back in Afghanistan who have been displaced internally. She plans to compose an album for her senior project that combines aspects of her journey as a human rights student and activist as well as a musician and rapper.

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INSIDE THE CAMP Stories from Dadaab Refugee Camp

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DROPPING OUT OF SCHOOL FROM A SCHOOLBOY TO A CHILD LABORER

by Mohamed Omar Farah

Gedi, a young Somalian boy, escaped the war and famine in Somalia with his family when he was just a child. His family resettled in Dadaab refugee camps, Kenya. Unfortunately, his father, when bringing his family to leave the country, was killed and only his mother and the other siblings survived to move to Kenya. Living without a man, especially in the refugee camp is harsh for a large family. The family burden of earning a living falls on the shoulders of the mother, and she was unable to adequately care for all four children. Hence, Gedi, even though he was only 12 years old, took the place of his father to help his mother take care of the family.

The first time I met Gedi was in the market, he was one of the young talented shoe shiners. A half-dollar per day might not be enough to order a coffee, but it is all the wage he got after a hard working day in Dadaab, from early morning until night. Before being a shoe shiner, Gedi went to the bush, collected the natural toothbrush, and sold it to the market. But the job earns less money and it is not enough for family expenditure. The family depends on the United Nations World Food Programme's aid (WFP) to get food for living, but it is not enough for Gedi's family.

Being a refugee is just like in a house that has no door and window. You know that you are stuck, but you cannot do anything to escape.

Gedi chooses to work full-time because he cares about his family.

Outside of work, he also attended an educational institution but quickly chose to drop out because he couldn't balance the two. ”I attend the classes only two days per week and the rest I have to work." Without the support from his family, Gedi had to stop his educational journey, though he only finished grade 2.

The refugees are the most vulnerable but they differ in terms of family support. Lacking the father, the mother tries her best to cover the living standard for her children. She wakes up early in the morning. In the refugees, there are tap stands in every block where the refugees fetch water in the morning and in the evening. The water runs two hours per shift. She wakes up and goes to the blocks to collect empty jerrycan from the neighbors for fetching water for those whose family's finances are stable and she gets 40 $ every month from there. Every month, she gives out 6kgs of sorghum, 2kgs of pulses, and 200g of oil.

That food amount requires her to spend money and buy more for her children, so the desire to buy uniforms for her kids, exercise books, and other learning materials cannot happen. "We would miss something to eat rather than not send my children to school."

As civic engagement workers, Mohamed and his fellow volunteers convince the mother

to at least let Gedi attend classes in the morning shifts and also go to his shoe-shining in the evening to help his mother. Mohamed managed exercise books and other learning materials that are necessary at school. He went to Gedi's school and met the headteacher in that institution where the boy was enrolled.

Mohamed asked his teacher how his attendance was and he told him that: "There are other dropouts and they are almost very many children. I do home visiting to know the status of the family and what causes that child to be dropped from the school. There are so many challenges that caused the pupils not to attend and drop out from school, lack of family support, family literacy and the poverty."

Education for all is a great mission, but in many places such as the Dadaab refugee camp, the accessibility for children is a huge challenge for policymakers and families to ensure a better future for the children.

Source: @hajjidirir - Unsplash

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by Ahmed Omar

I BELIEVE IN EDUCATION Hassan is a 45-year-old father of 5 living in the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. He fled with his family, mother, and his three sisters from Somalia after the Civil war broke out in 1991. His father, Abdullahi, was murdered by Somali tribesmen.

Hence, his mother decided to flee to Kenya to save the lives of her children. The arrival to Kenya as a refugee was not a simple life, especially for an extended family.

When Hassan was 15, he started to work and support his family. He has spent over 30 years living in the camps to be the breadwinner of his family.

His mother could not work and meet other family needs. Hassan was a brilliant, helpful son and had a dream to learn and become a doctor in the future.

However, when he realized the circumstance his family is up to, he dropped out of his dream and became the breadwinner of this family. He sacrificed his education and his time to his three sisters. His mother was unable to sustain family life because she was sick. One evening, he sat with his mother and said to her mom: "My dad used to work for us, but he is dead and you are ill. You can't meet our daily bread. We can not carry all eggs into one basket. I want my sister to learn and go to school. I will work for the family, we can not go to school. All of us my sisters need clothing and other wants. I don't want my sisters to feel uncomfortable and quit schooling." His mother agreed with him, although her son was 15 years old and she feared her son might be labor abused as a restaurant cleaner and earn a wage of 50 ksh per day. They had no choice.

In the evening he would buy 2 cups of milk for his mother, 1kg of sugar and meat for the family and the remaining 10 Ksh to his mother for saving. The sisters promised their mother that they would commit their studies and they would not disappoint their brother. Unfortunately, their mother passed away after 10 years. Hassan was so disappointed and grieved for the sisters as well. His sisters were in high school at that moment and after 2 years they completed high school and got

Source: @cotk_photo - Unsplash

good grades. They started working as incentive teachers. Both of them were talented and got the Canadian scholarship in 2009. They have worked overseas and began to send money back for Hassan because they wanted him to stop working.

After that, Hassan got married in 2010. His life was brighter and he started a new life with his 5 children. In 2015 Hassan joined the ALP program for learning although he is 45 years old. "Age doesn't matter if you have the passion to learn and time nothing will stop you," said Hassan. He believes in education and encourages youth to make use of time and learn since education is free for refugees learners. His sister is also planning to take him and his family to Canada. He said: "My decision to sacrifice my time for my sisters was wise.

They never let me down. I will support my children to learn and become better people in the future and live a happy life." The story of Hassan inspired many people for his dedication to family, and his endless passion for education.

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HEAR US NOW Sundus Al Fararja "My experience as a Global Engagement Fellow broadened the horizons of my aspirations and even expanded the scope and limits of my view of the world and humanity and made me believe more in civic engagement and the individual's ability to change and influence by being part of societies. If the individual is not influential, s\he will be affected, which is why I chose to continue my path by being a member of the community of Fellows who believe in their ability to influence"

Abdul Walid Azizi "Civic engagement is a necessary element of liberal education and an open society. Civic engagement makes an educational environment more cooperative and makes students aware of themselves and their responsibilities toward their community as active and educated citizens."

Wisdom Kalu It has been a fantastic two-way experience. First, it was the first time working with students from across the globe on a common mission and vision - to start and sustain civic engagement in our local communities. Since joining the program, I have been able to help students within and outside my institution conceptualize, start or solidify civic engagement projects. On the other hand, my time as a global fellow has strengthened my leadership skills, taught me to work under challenging and uncertain times, and strengthened my resolve to sustain my civic engagements projects.

Wisdom Kalu Being a Global Engagement Fellow means being part and parcel of a movement for change in communities around the world as young people build the societies they want to be part of.

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ZARLASHT SARMAST ARTS FOR HUMANITY

by Amina Ahmed

Zarlasht Sarmast is a filmmaker and photojournalist; she graduated from the American University of Central Asia in 2020. She has previously served as the spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul and communications specialist for GIZ in Central Asia. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in International Relations and Security at OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

THE BEGINNING OF A JOURNEY Zarlasht was working for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan as their Spokesperson and Media Officer. While working with the ICRC, she got the opportunity to travel around Afghanistan and meet with people who were affected by various conflicts including suicide attacks, bomb blasts, shooting, and so on. These terror attacks caused people to lose their loved ones, houses, shops and even parts of their own bodies like hands and legs. The international communities were completing surveys and the government was cleaning up after the attacks, but no one really cared about the survivors.

vulnerable they were. Zarlasht wanted to find a way to support the people she had met. Thus, she decided to arrange a photography workshop/exhibition through which she could be of some financial assistance to these vulnerable people. Joining a couple of photography workshops, Zarlasht realized her interest in photography. She thought the best way to help them would be to use my photography skills to tell their stories to national/international organizations and individuals who are eager to help civilians affected by war. “Photographs could actually capture the unspoken words and scenarios – and I think it speaks louder than written words on a paper” – she said.

ARTS FOR HUMANITY Intending for the funds to go directly to the victims of conflict, she came up with a process for delivering assistance. Zarlasht started taking photos of the people and once collections of 3050 photographs were completed she talked to her contacts to organize photo exhibitions. Alongside the photographs, she also wrote the stories of the photos and put the contact information of each person in the photo. Zarlasht said: “People would read the stories, look at the photos, and if they were willing to buy the photos, they had to actually get in touch with the person in the photo and give them the help that they needed.” Money that would have otherwise gone to purchase the image went towards rebuilding homes destroyed in attacks, providing prosthetics, and more. Once the purchaser delivered the help, they could then have the photo they wanted to buy.

Sometimes, when Zarlasht was going for fieldwork, she would talk to the victims of war and listen to their stories. It was heartbreaking to see how

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ZARLASHT SARMAST ARTS FOR HUMANITY

by Amina Ahmed

Starting June 2014, Zarlasht's project has scaled up and in 2017, they integrated some other workshops from Government to Policy Writing. Her team has managed to help hundreds of families through photography and storytelling. The passion at the core of the program is clearly conveyed every time she puts on an exhibition or executes a new portion, such as the summer photography workshops that she has held over the years.

To her, the essential part of ensuring a long-lasting project is properly utilizing the resources available to you at your institution. "How well do you know your school or the community where your project takes place? This can be important for finding support from various staff or faculty, understanding the pool of potential participants and securing funding or permissions for your project. When you make goals for what you’d like to accomplish, having an intimate knowledge of what relevant institutions can provide you is crucial" - she said. As a participant in the Get Engaged Conference and now the Coordinator of the Global Fellow Program, she tapped more directly into the Bard Network and can connect with a number of resources beyond her home institution. She used the fund from Micro-Grant after the conference to scale up the project, as a seeding fund for the long-lasting project execution.

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WISDOM KALU AND MYSCHOLARSHIPINFO

by Lorraine Makuyana

Wisdom Kalu is a senior at Ashesi University in Ghana majoring in Computer Science. He is Nigerian by nationality. Wisdom is dedicated to ensuring that young people access opportunities both within and outside their borders through his project, MyScholarshipInfo, which graduated from a project to a fullblown non-profit in 2021. Wisdom is also a global citizen, a Lead Global Fellow in the OSUN and Bard International Network, and through this role exhibits his aspiration to help other students across the network create and implement civic engagement projects in their communities.

INITIAL STEPS For over five years, Wisdom has become a global citizen and changemaker in his community and beyond, helping students realize new dreams and passions. His peers recognize him on campus as someone always willing to help fellow students in any way he can. In his own words, Wisdom said, “It all began before my time at Ashesi in 2014 when I developed a passion for giving back to my community. I was assigned to teach students digital skills at several rural community schools as my first major project and first time in a leadership position. Getting to Ashesi, the fire within me became brighter as I got involved in many other interesting projects. The little fire ignited in 2014 became a furnace.” Wisdom applied and got selected to attend the Get Engaged Conference, after which he got selected as a Global Fellow and, after that, a Lead Global Fellow across the OSUN and Bard International Networks.

Through his role as a fellow, Wisdom testifies how the fellowship has helped him develop himself as a civic engagement activist and global citizen by connecting him with like-minded individuals from across the globe and working with them hand-inhand. He noted that the fellowship has provided him with the platform to amplify his impact, scale his project, and help other students develop and implement civic engagement projects. “My time at the Global Fellows Program has been wonderful because I can meet with like-minded individuals who encourage me to share ideas and be able to implement them into reality.” Helping other

students tackle their civic engagement projects from drafting the project proposal to receive grants and implementation, Wisdom creates the change he wants to see in the world, rendering help and learning from students.

MYSCHOLARSHIPINFO MyScholarshipInfo was born in 2015, when he searched for a way to support my education, given financial and economic challenges.

Wisdom had applied for a scholarship since 2015 and then got the MasterCard Foundation Scholarship in 2018. He was not exposed to the opportunities around him, and even after knowing about them, he made many mistakes and waited years to correct them he was having in his applications. “How about helping other students from my school, community, and other individuals to access these opportunities?”

MyScholarshipInfo was implemented in 2020 during the Covid-19 period when Wisdom wanted to remain civically engaged and help students from all over the world access opportunities. Currently, MyScholarshipInfo is switching to becoming a non-profit organization for the brown community in 2021. “This was not just a problem in my community, and it is a problem generally across Africa such that I have seen other students wanting to see the same change coming into their communities as well, which helps me fuel the passion I have to create this change.” MyScholarshipInfo has been privileged to get some grants from Ashesi, OSUN, and worldwide.

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The project has since been scaled to reach people outside Africa, accessible to everyone around the world, and people have visited the website and blog from over thirty countries. In March 2021, the project recruited four students, helped them apply to different colleges and connected them to mentors from all over the world. “We have been able to secure partnerships with high schools, universities, and colleges, becoming the largest pan-African institution connecting students to highereducation opportunities. It all starts with a decision to make it work. I have learned that why you do what you do acts like a fuel that keeps the fire burning when you want to achieve your civic engagement project.”

One of his significant challenges was gaining credibility, which he solved by standing on the shoulders of giants and launching a free pilot program that helps them build some credibility and reputation. He implements a gentle and firm approach to communicating with his teammates, and being communicative with his team has been the major way in which he has solved most of the challenges they faced in the course of the projects.

Talking about his vision for the project and some words of motivation to students, alumni, and faculty that want to engage in civic engagement projects, Wisdom says, “The project is still in its baby steps, and after registration, the program will have Program Managers that will strengthen the force of MyScholarshipInfo in their communities. Plan on how to execute the project and learn on the way. You will never have everything figured out at the beginning.

Always take the baby steps and learn from your mistakes to get better.”

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LEADERSHIP DURING TIMES OF UNCERTAINTIES

by Wisdom Kalu

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, a lot changed. Many of us thought it was a nightmare that would soon go away. We were wrong. The pandemic has left a trail of disaster and devastation that has disrupted all the activities of humankind.

I was in Ghana when the outbreak began in 2019. I had just started the Code4All Initiative to take digital skills to Ghana's rural communities. But our activities were cut short in March 2020 when we had to flee home because of the alarming spread of the virus and the looming lockdown. We all needed to be home as we braced for the worse. It was as if my project had reached a dead end, and there was no hope in sight.

Rather than becoming overwhelmed with negative feelings, I decided that it was time I looked for other means to remain civically engaged amidst the pandemic and its subsequent nationwide lockdown. But I was sure that whatever I wanted to do would have to be online. So I sat down and began to evaluate the circumstances. And then I discovered something - there needed to be a way to keep people, especially many students who were at home, aware of the various opportunities they can apply for. That was the initial idea that led to the birth of MyScholarshipInfo.

MyScholarshipInfo started in late 2020 as an initiative to connect students and everyone from all walks of life to several opportunities they can apply for, such as scholarships, internships, jobs, grants, and conferences. Most of those opportunities were virtual as a result of the pandemic. Putting my computer science .

knowledge to good use, I developed a website that would do just that. Every day, I spent a considerable amount of time behind my computer researching opportunities and making them available for free. Today, the website has grown to include several other opportunities which many can apply for. But something else changed.

In 2021, I decided to take one step further with MyScholarshipInfo. I decided to turn it into a project that doesn't just publish opportunities, but that helps students apply for them. After so many iterations, a new project was formed - My Scholarship Info Program. This project seeks to identify students from rural and underserved places in sub-Saharan Africa whose talents and academic prowess far outweigh their financial circumstances and assist them in applying for higher educational opportunities. The project was officially launched in March 2021 amidst the pandemic. Because my project is targeting subSaharan Africa, members of my team came from parts of Africa. Leading such a diverse team requires working around the different time zones, setting up frequent zoom meetings and doing everything online. It was challenging yet fulfilling. The pilot phase of the project was very successful. Out of the 4 students we worked with, one has gotten admission, and two have completed their interviews and are awaiting their final decision.

They say necessity is the mother of invention.

Yes, COVID-19 brought its challenges. But it made us find new solutions. It shattered so many hopes and dreams, but it helped us build even stronger ones. Amidst all, it has taught us the true meaning of leadership and resilience during times of crisis. I know the pandemic will eventually go away, but the lessons it taught me will be here to stay.

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SUNDUS FARARJA JOURNEY TO GLOBAL CIVIC ENGAGEMENT STUDYING AT OSUN Sundus' journey toward her club started from the beginning of the OSUN Civic Engagement course.

As a requirement to apply the knowledge they have acquired in this course about civic engagement and active citizenship, the students began to research the problems they face in society to choose a problem that affects them, and they are eager to be part of the solution process in their way.

Sundus defined civic engagement as an essential societal change tool capable of creating an effective bridge between all members of society with their differences to achieve the highest effectiveness of their existence as a human society.

This is the reason behind her belief in this field.

One of the problems that worried her was racial discrimination and violence against women. Later, the planning journey began to solve the problem, considering her capabilities in the current period.

As a result of this trip, the club was established as the inaugural trip for an institution. This club carries the mission of educating and empowering Palestinian women to reach a more aware society of women's rights free from discrimination and violence against women using Womenity platforms to serve these goals with various institutions.

In the final part of the course, students had the opportunity to join the Get Engaged Conference, and she did not miss the chance because she wanted to develop her idea and benefit from the experiences of others. This conference was not only

the window to develop her initiative and benefit from the experiences and advice from colleagues and experts; it was also an opportunity to apply for the Global Fellow Program, in which she is volunteering now as well.

PIONEERING AND LEADING THE COMMUNITY With her experience as a Global Fellow, Sundus found the Womenity club at AQB. They organized the first session, September 29th, after one year of working and developing the idea thoughtfully.

This session was hosted as a detailed introduction to the Womenity club and its commitment to amplifying women's voices, advocating for their rights, and achieving gender justice. The goals and action plan that the club aims to achieve this year and identify the members and register at the club were presented. More than ten students attended, in the presence of the Civic Engagement coordinator, Shadin Nassar, and 14 students registered as a member of the club, and they all showed their enthusiasm to start the club so that they could all start the change themselves.

Shaden Nassar said: "We must criticize the entrenched social heritage of inequality against women, which begins with differentiating between children's games based on inherited gender roles." Furthermore, this was one of the main topics of dialogue in the two sessions after.

The principal value of this club is to establish good skills to dialogue with different people who hold different ways of thinking.

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LEADERSHIP IN CRISIS A STORY OF A GLOBAL FELLOW Abdul Walid Azizi is a US Embassy-Kabul scholarship recipient, studying Politics at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). Walid is also part of the Global Fellow Engagement program within Open Society University Networks, working as the campus-leader Global Fellow at AUCA. After the end of the 2020/2021 academic year, Walid went to Afghanistan for summer holidays, with joy and excitement to visit his family. He spent half of his summer holidays in his hometown Ghazni while the situation rapidly changed as the Taliban were tending to enter in Ghazni. He and his family had to leave for Kabul, seeking for a safe shelter. After spending several days in Kabul with his family, the Taliban occupied Kabul too. ‘It was a gloomy day. We, Afghans, cannot come into terms with the mid-August change. How to speak of such a speakable event? It is not digestible!’ says Walid.

Later in August, Walid and a fair number of AUCA Afghan scholars were to be evacuated from Kabul to Qatar or any possible destination. The evacuation was planned by AUCA with close collaboration with Open Society University Networks (OSUN). Several attempts, but none of them worked due to the high danger around the Kabul Airport. ‘That day when the last evacuation operation was cancelled, I was with several other AUCA students. We were agitated. Only a few words could come out to speak of hope,’ says Walid.

Alternatively, AUCA organized a plan to evacuate Afghans students to Islamabad and then to their destination. Early in September, Walid with a small group of AUCA students travelled to Islamabad via land in the middle of the night. He was leading the group of students and was in communication with AUCA and OSUN. He along with the rest of

students had to spend almost a day on the way, including the difficulties they encountered when passing the Pakistan border. Despite all the difficulties he and his group made it to Islamabad and then to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Once Walid arrived in Bishkek—as the campus leader Global Fellow—he started working with the Afghan Response Team to evacuate the rest of Afghan AUCA students from Kabul. ‘When I was requested to assist with the evacuation process, I jumped in to help without a second thought. For, I could understand what the students were going through in Kabul,’ said Walid. The team evacuated some 200 undergraduate and graduate students from Kabul, including the American University of Afghanistan students.

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WORKSHOPS

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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP THROUGH WISDOM’S EYES

by Wisdom Kalu

On June 27, 2021, I co-hosted one of these sessions with the global fellow's coordinator. I was privileged to talk about how to design a civic engagement project. It was heartwarming to see students from various institutions join the workshop to learn firsthand how to take their first steps towards becoming civically engaged. As we know, the first steps are usually the hardest. And that is one reason why the monthly civic engagement workshops are crucial in assisting students in building the capacity they will need to navigate these steps successfully.

One beautiful thing about these sessions is that global fellows facilitate them. The global fellows are a group of students drawn from within the Open Society University Network, with the mandate of assisting students across the network to conceptualize and produce civic engagement projects. The global fellows are very experienced in running civic engagements projects and thus are armed with enough information to assist students who would like to start or manage their projects.

Being among one of the facilitators allowed me not only to impart knowledge but also to gain more understanding of civic engagement with fellow students leaders. In the end, the project aims to inspire as many student leaders as possible to start the change they wish to see in their community. When compounded, I believe that these small acts of civic engagement can create a ripple effect, thus bringing about the change we so badly need to see in the world. The monthly civic engagement workshop is still ongoing, and if I am called upon to facilitate any future session, the answer, as you may have guessed, will be a resounding yes!

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BUILDING A CORE TEAM FOR YOU PROJECT

by Sundus Fararja

Team building is a management technique used for improving the efficiency and performance of the workgroups through various activities. It involves a lot of skills, analysis, and observation for forming a strong and capable team. The whole sole motive here is to achieve the project's vision and objectives.

HOW TO BUILD A GREAT TEAM? The project leader should be able to discover the strengths and weaknesses of team members.

Create the right mix of people with different skill sets.

Should focus on developing strong personal relationships and trust among team members.

Encourage communication and interaction between team members as well as reduce stress with the help of various team-building activities.

Clearly identify the objectives and objectives of the project for team members.

Determine the role of each team member to guide them towards achieving organizational objectives.

"Team building is not a onetime act. It is a step by step process which aims at bringing a desirable change."

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First, Building a team:

IDENTIFY THE NEED FOR TEAM BUILDING The manager has first to analyze the requirement of a team for completing a particular task. It should find out the purpose of the work to be performed, required skills for the job and its complexity before forming a team.

DEFINE OBJECTIVES AND REQUIRED SET OF SKILLS Next comes the chalking down of the organizational objectives and the skills needed to fulfil it.

CONSIDER TEAM ROLES The manager considers the various aspects, i.e. the interactions among the individuals, their roles and responsibilities, strengths and weaknesses, composition and suitability of the possible team members.

DETERMINE A TEAM BUILDING STRATEGY Now, the manager has to understand the operational framework well to ensure an effective team building. He must himself be assured of the objectives, roles, responsibilities, duration, availability of resources,

training, the flow of information, feedback and building trust in the team.

DEVELOP A TEAM OF INDIVIDUALS At this stage, the individuals are collected to form a team together. Each member is made familiar with his roles and responsibilities within the team.

ESTABLISH AND COMMUNICATE THE RULES The rules regarding the reporting of team members, meeting schedules, and decision making within the team are discussed.

The individuals are encouraged to ask questions and give their views to develop open and healthy communication in the team.

IDENTIFY INDIVIDUAL’S STRENGTHS Various team-building exercises are conducted to bring out the strengths of the individuals. It also helps in familiarizing the team members with each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

BE A PART OF THE TEAM At this point, the manager needs to get involved with the team as a member and not as a boss.

Making the individuals realize their importance in the team and treating each member equally is necessary. The team members should see their manager as their team leader, mentor and role model.

MONITOR PERFORMANCE Next step is checking the productivity and performance of the team as a whole. It involves

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finding out loopholes and the reasons for it. This step is necessary to improve the team’s performance and productivity in the long run.

SCHEDULE MEETINGS One of the most crucial steps is to hold purposeful meetings from time to time to discuss team performance, task-related problems and discuss the future course of action.

DISSOLVE THE TEAM Lastly, the manager needs to evaluate the results and reward the individuals on their contribution and achievement.

Finally, the team is dispersed on the fulfilment of the objective for which it was formed.

Second, Organizing the team: A team structure defines the relationships between activities, leadership, and team members.

While this may seem simple enough, team structures can have a huge impact on the distribution of authority and how teams collaborate and work together on a daily basis.

Each organizational structure features a different chain of command and offers unique ways to encourage teamwork with the help of collaboration software.

Likewise, each of these helps to form relationship dynamics and create a collegial work environment.

volenteers in order from the highest level to the lowest in the chain. This is by far the most widely used structure and creates clear boundaries between team members.

Many organizations use the traditional hierarchy structure, though there are many variations you can choose from. These include a process-based and circular structure, which use a similar hierarchy but are visualized in different ways.

The number of layers your structure includes will depend on the size and complexity of your team. Most organizations have four or more layers, and visualize the structure in a company-wide org chart.

Best for teams that are looking for: A straightforward reporting structure Clear career paths Specialties within individual positions

Since this approach is a universal org structure, the hierarchical approach can work for most, if not all, teams. Self-Managed Teams.

STRATEGY For any team building activity to be successful, the team has to have a few common values and beliefs about what makes a successful team meeting.

Establishing these values early in the workshop/team meeting can make the rest of the workshop run much smoother.

HINTS AND TIPS When first introducing teambased organization to your team, ensure that the leader is strong, sees the necessity of the team and believes in the mission of your project. Communication is key. Fully educate team members and staff about their mission as well as their roles. Remember the goal of a team is to meet objectives. Ensure that the team has goals to achieve; otherwise, dissension among members can result. Empower your team to make decisions and effect change.

HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE A hierarchical format is the basis of most organizational charts. A hierarchy is organized into a pyramid-like structure, with executive, director, manager, and

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EXPERT OPINIONS

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LE HOANG PHONG AMPLIFYING THE IMPACT OF EDUCATION

by Duc-Huy Vu

Mr. Le Hoang Phong is Founder and CEO of YOURE Organization. He is also a member of Young People Action's Team, Generation Unlimited, UNICEF International. Phong stands up for quality education, community equality, and the rights of marginalized groups. He is the first leading fellowship generation of Teach For Vietnam and represents Vietnam joining the Leading From Lived Experiences Fellowship organized by Teach For All in Colombia. In 2019, he was selected as the Alpbach European Forum fellow in Austria.

Moreover, he is in the policy advocacy team for 17 Sustainable Develop Goals in the UNDP Asia-Pacific region.

A GLANCE TO ORPHAN LIFE Phong Le was born as an orphan, and the SOS Village in Ho Chi Minh found him in Tay Ninh Province in 1992. Growing up in the humanitarian aid environment, Phong was familiar with the concept of community service, and he started his journey as a community educator with Teach For Vietnam, a not-for-profit social enterprise and an independent partner of the global network Teach for All, after his graduation in 2017.

professional career. As an orphan, there were limited resources to share for all orphans.

"Therefore, I have a big dream to get out of poverty. I want my voice to be heard." Despite discouragement from a teacher, he prioritized education and with the support of his community became a model for his younger brothers and sisters in SOS Village to follow.

Living in the orphanage throughout his childhood gave Phong a broader view of the effect of civic engagement on supporting the lifelong development of orphans. “I believe that there are two sides of the coin when talking about the effect of civic engagement on marginalized children.” On one hand, civic engagement is a boost to enhance the quality of orphan life by the donation and support service.

“It has an important impact on educating young people about their rights and responsibilities as citizens and allowing them to develop the skills they need as adults,” he said. Moreover, civic engagement takes a critical position in the national strategy and development to enable the orphan and unleash their potential to contribute to the development of society.

To Phong, his childhood at SOS Village played a critical role in shaping his vision in his

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On the other hand, Phong thinks that the approach and methodology of civil society organizations and charitable groups can negatively affect the lifelong development of orphans.

"Orphans have been traumatized and have been haunted by uncomfortable memories." He believes that the civic engagement movement should be well-trained before providing direct services for the disadvantaged group.

they also become the cultural habit of the children, which becomes a drawback as they emerge in society. "You have to go to the kitchen at the same time in a proper manner. So this is just kind of a soldier camp." However, the living conditions of orphans are also affected by many latent factors, such as the limited national budget to invest in the development of orphanages.

ENHANCING THE EFFECT OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ON MARGINALISED GROUPS

Reflecting on his SOS Village experience, he understands the dedication to bringing “original genetic care” for orphans. “According to my experience, I could say, I have one family, with brothers and sisters to co-learn, play and grow up together as a family. The other canter can look up to the SOS model, but its difference also comes from the budget and management structure.” The development of the children becomes more complex, and it requires ample funds to bring the best condition for them to grow up.

From his experience, Phong calls for sympathy and understanding for orphans from young people serving the community. “Before you decide to deploy your program and apply your theory of change, with all of the impact and vision on the orphan life, you need to be aware that all of the orphans do not look the same. I was born as an orphan with both of my parents' passing away. So, you know, I don't have many memories of my biological parents. It's easy for me to adapt to the situation, but to the other orphans, they grow up, with their biological parents, and both are still alive.” The orphans come to live in the shelter from many backgrounds, because of parent death, family financial burden or being the victim of domestic violence, etc. Therefore, the civic engagement workers must be cautious to define the orphans and the service helping them instead of rendering an assumption on all cases.

Talking about the resolution of the UN Resolution on the Rights of the Child 2019, Phong understands the reason why people advocate for the children’s right to live with their parents and eliminate the orphanages. “They believe that the family has the primary responsibility for the nurture and protection of the child and that it is in the child's best interest to grow up and develop in a family environment.” Otherwise, Phong acknowledges the limitations of most orphanages in Vietnam and in the world. Orphanages can take care of the child's welfare, such as food, clothes, and education, but

THE POWER OF EDUCATION Understanding the difficulty of care leavers after turning 18, Phong initiated YOURE, with the three main pillars of education, employment and empowerment, to ensure inclusive and equal educational quality and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. YOURE not only provides English language training but also tailored services to help young people, especially disadvantaged youth, to be well-prepared when joining the marketplace.

YOURE not only instills in young people knowledge and skills but also gives them a place to test and fail as well as listen to their voice.

"Youth learn their value, understand their potential ability and connect the dots to achieve their dreams. Hence, you will have a more beneficial and impactful way to benefit yourself and the people in your community."

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ERIN CANNAN LEADING THE NEXT GENERATION

by Wisdom Kalu

Erin Cannan is the Vice President for Civic Engagement at Bard College. She is also the lead coordinator for the Open Society University Network (OSUN) civic engagement initiative. She is a transplant from Rochester, NY, who came to the Hudson Valley to work at Bard College in 1995 as the dean responsible for orientation and student activities for first-year students. She has been working with the Center for Civic Engagement since 2011, when it was launched at Bard College.

STARTING OUT LOCALLY Erin's passion for civic engagement was lit during her college days and it burned brightly even after she left graduate school. “So much of a person’s development happens in college, but a lot of what you learn in college I think takes root and matures after graduation”, she said.

True to her words, Erin joined Bard in 1995 after earning her master's degree, becoming the dean of students for nearly 15 years before joining the Center for Civic Engagement in 2011.

"It is never too late to develop these skills and everyone has a role to play in their community” 32

Before the establishment of the Center for Civic Engagement, Erin kept busy with students, helping them succeed at Bard while remaining engaged with projects that could positively impact the community. But this was not always the case.

is never too late to develop these skills and that everyone has a role to play in their community”, she says. Like a farmer, Erin planted the seeds of civic engagement wherever she could, hoping they would germinate within or even outside Bard College one day.

“I got civically engaged late in my senior year, and I thought that it was too late for me. I felt like I had not really done what I could have done in College”. For this reason, Erin was determined to help students cultivate the desire to become engaged with community projects sooner or later. “I want them to know that it

In 2011, Bard officially established the Center for Civic Engagement, and Erin’s work at the college gathered even more momentum.

“We had some modest beginnings when we started the center”, she recalls. “We were organizing just a few events for students to connect with the community

partners”. The goal was to help students feel more connected to their communities by sponsoring their initiatives. Fast-forward to August 2021, the Center for Civic Engagement at Bard has grown, leading to international partnerships like Open Society University Network (OSUN) and the provision of microgrants for student-led projects across the Bard and OSUN networks.

GLOBAL CIVIC ENGAGEMENT Ever since Erin joined Bard, she has played an indefatigable role in spearheading civic engagement on and off-campus.

Under her leadership, Bard College has recorded significant successes in the number of civically engaged students.

Since 2012, she has launched a variety of initiatives, including BardWorks, Science Outreach, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Engagement, the Community Action Internship Award, Election@Bard, the annual Get Engaged Student Conference, Engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences (ELAS) courses, and the 100 Days Initiative (now called The Dissonance) amongst others.

The goal was simple - strengthen Bard’s local, national and global partnerships and create the enabling environment for student-led projects to flourish.

And flourish they did!

The most notable of Erin’s accomplishments is the annual Get Engaged Conference that brings student-leaders from across OSUN and Bard Network together under one roof to

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discuss civic engagement and present their achievements from around the globe.

“I think the Get Engaged Conference is by far, the best thing we started”, she explains.

“Spending a week living in a dorm together, and thinking through what it means to be a civically engaged citizen around the world and in different places is truly a delight. Every year we come out of that event feeling so good and connected”.

Make no mistake: the Global Fellows Program emerged from the annual Get Engaged Conference. Through this initiative, undergraduate students across the Open Society University Network and Bard International Network assist students in conceptualising and producing civic engagement projects. Thanks to Erin, this initiative has created a global connection of like-minded student-leaders, collaborating internationally to solve local problems Erin has also channelled some of her efforts towards teaching civic engagement on campus. For example, she has been the academic director for the US State Department’s Study for the United States Institute (SUSI) at Bard since 2018. She has also been an instructor in the SUSI Civic Engagement Program, helping students learn firsthand about civic engagement projects and develop one that addresses a need in their community.

Thanks to the unwavering effort of Erin, several student-led projects have been started at Bard and beyond, with many standing the test of time. What began as a simple civic engagement effort at Bard has spread like wildfire to the most distant parts of the globe!

through tumultuous times. “You are more powerful than you think, and it is our job to help you find that power!” she concludes.

HOPE AMIDST THE CHALLENGES The civic engagement journey has not been linear.

“The biggest challenge right now is that there are many obstacles to civil societies in many countries”, Erin explains. “In some places, it isn’t safe to do civic engagement the way some students would like to”. True, the civil space is shrinking in so many countries. How has Erin managed the changing tides and kept students within the Bard and OSUN networks engaged? “We try to find people from their communities who will support them”, she explains. The power of the OSUN and Bard networks has also been of tremendous assistance, helping connect students with mentors and professionals. In addition, the regular student microgrants have ensured that brilliant projects remain sustained.

Whether as the dean of students or as the vice president at Bard Center for Civic Engagement, Erin hopes to continue training, teaching and supporting students as they steer the ship of civic engagement

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GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT FELLOWS PROGRAM JOIN US NOW Global Engagement Fellows promote and coordinate thematic civic engagement projects across the Open Society University Network. Selected fellows have developed and sustained a civic engagement project and demonstrated leadership skills and a desire and aptitude for working with others.

Each academic year the program accepts at least 10 applications from universities within the OSUN. Global Engagement Fellows Program offers a variety of opportunities for the newly enrolled members from across the OSUN network. Once enrolled in the Global Engagement Fellows Program, fellows will receive a one-time grant of up to 1000$ to spend on developing their Civic Engagement Projects further in their institution and their community.

Throughout each academic year, fellows work together to help students at their universities.

Each Global Fellow has at least 4 hours of office hours throughout the week, where they meet students and advise them on how to move forward with their projects. Moreover, the Global Engagement Fellows Program opens a supportive space for young leaders to initiate the community-minded project to serve for the common good of the OSUN students.

Additionally, fellows get to work alongside an international team made up of brilliant and passionate individuals who are committed to ensuring the world becomes better, just like you are. Being a global fellow means you

want to help lead that change. OSUN is committed to ensuring fellows are provided with all the support you need – from mentorship to funding – to lead civic engagement successfully. Fellows will go through a series of workshops that are designed to provide them the necessary leadership skills that they need. These are workshops like: How to write a proposal, how to create a budget and information sessions on other opportunities they can apply for, which will help you implement your project better. Moreover, Global Engagement fellows also get the opportunity to participate in different workshops, panels and conferences to tell their stories, network with other student leaders and inspire other students to start their own civic work.

Join us to create an impact for the university student’s community across our institutional network.

“Just like wood keeps a fire burning, Global Engagement Fellows Program has given me all that I need to keep my civic engagement activities burning brightly” – Wisdom Tochi Kalu

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"In decrepit looks for myself, for human, and for humanity I gradually lose hope For peace, for love, for comfort I guess we'll be stuck In the epidemic, in the blood, in the unknown But Come back to see the energy in the accomplishments of my colleagues in what we believe in In our ability to create steps towards change In our sharing and our feelings together Sharing hope and strength for the better So I closed my eyes and watched you become this vengeful spirit No, I closed them and saw you hungry for it all, the success, the achievements, the work you put it, I saw it all Why do you strive so hard to make it all happen And do your best every time, sometimes better Well, we are here now, beyond time and space And definitely we won't stop Because we have a mandate to create the world we want to live in For us, by us "Will things ever get back to normal?" I

wondered as I stared through the window.

Over the past year We've watched the storm clouds gather We've seen the covid wind blow We've experienced the downpour of isolation But we won't stay down For no matter how strong the wind may be No matter how furiously it may blow And no matter how drenched we might be from the downpour We won't stop working to make the world better again The imperfections in others fellows never seek to find They only knew how to be helpful, energetic and kind They were the true quiet achievers one can say They found pleasure in doing their best everyday “You are just pretending that you were men.”

You were alike babies, just like those playing upstairs.

You glamorous, war-loving men, Encouraging war by books and movies.”

Why are you mad at me?

This long time I have tried to write my book.

I might have written five thousand pages, and thrown them away. This book of mine might never be finished.

You do not want the wars to be fought by babies like the babies upstairs. I vow, I give you my word of honor, There will not be a part in it for Frank Sinatra or John Wayne. Listen, I tell you, I name my book ‘The Children’s Crusade’. " ~ Collected poem by Global Fellows 2021

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We're Global Engagement Fellows

Zarlasht Sarmast

Vu Duc Huy

Wisdom Kalu

Sundus Al Fararja

Abdul Walid Azizi

Ahmed Omar Abdi

Mohamed Omar Farah

Lorraine Makuyana

Khadija Ghanizada

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Our Team.

Zarlasht Sarmast, Global Fellow Coordinator Vu Duc Huy, Lead Global Fellow at Fulbright University Vietnam Wisdom Kalu, Lead Global Fellow at Ashesi University Ahmed Omar Abdi, Global Fellow in Kenya Sundus Al Fararja, Global Fellow at Al Quds Bard College Abdul Walid Azizi, Global Fellow at American University of Central Asia Khadija Ghanizada, Global Fellow at Bard College Mohamed Omar Farah, Global Fellow in Kenya Lorraine Makuyana, Global Fellow at Ashesi University

CONTACT US Global Engagement Fellowship Program Open Society University Network Website: Global Engagement Fellows Email: zarsarmast@gmail.com Email: blakehuyvu@gmail.com

GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT FELLOWS ANNUAL MAGAZINE