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Sharing our Humanity-the ZIS Global Issues Network Summit

SwitzerlandAnn, Zurich International School
January 19, 2012

OPINION


ZIS GIN Summit Speaker, Andy Cunningham



BY: Christina Ocampo & Annalea Maurer



“All we are saying is give peace a chance”- John Lennon. The evening of November 25th and all day November 26th was a busy time for the GIN Club at Zurich international School; the GIN club held a summit based upon promoting the concept of Sharing our Humanity. Not only did the ZIS GIN group take part in creating activities but schools from around Switzerland and Europe also contributed, as well as our very own Amnesty International club.



To break the ice, the summit opened with a simulation that most students at Zurich International School know quite well. The GIN club had all participants take part in a poverty simulation in which students were grouped into small “families” and had to create paper bags in order to financially support their family. It was a great deal of fun, all students, teachers and guest speakers took part, and everyone had a great time.



The highlight of this conference was when each school, including the International School of Geneva, International School Hanover Region, International school Dusseldorf and the Inter-Community School across the lake, prepared a presentation on a certain global issue that tied into the theme of Sharing our Humanity.



The International School of Geneva held a presentation on Human Trafficking. For 45 minutes, the students presented what human trafficking consisted of and showed trailers of movies and documentaries that were made to show the world how horrible the world can be. This is an overlooked crime, and the repercussions are often overlooked. The students from Geneva strived to explain the severity of human trafficking, and did an excellent job.



The Zurich International School’s Amnesty International club presented on Women’s rights in Iran, Resources in Africa and Human Rights and Women’s and Girl’s Rights in Afghanistan. Their presentations were all informative, insightful, and enjoyed by all participants.



The International School of Dusseldorf held a presentation about Kidnapping and Ransoming. During this presentation, the students held a simulation in which each person that attended was given a certain situation and was left with the decision of whether they were going to either hand over the ransom money, let the government take care of it, or try and negotiate. People went up one by one to state their case and explain their choice. The students from ISD then questioned the individual on their choice, making them consider it in all three aspects. This simulation enabled us to step into others’ shoes and discover the true difficulties with ransom situations.



The Inter-Community School of Zurich held a simulation about education. This simulation gave participants a taste of a typical classroom experience in a less economically developed country. The simulation culminated with a video presentation about the realities in these countries .



The GIN group from our very own Zurich International School held a presentation about child soldiers. The student were split into teams and played jeopardy, which tested their knowledge on the severity of the situation for child soldiers. After the students finished the game of jeopardy, the students were able to participate in a live Skype call with David Livingstone, a former child soldier who has visited our school in conjunction with the renowned organization, Crossroads. Lastly, the students supported the Red Hand Organization, which strives to raise awareness about child soldiers. Their hands were painted red and printed onto sheets of paper which were later sent to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to protest against the use of child soldiers.



Not only were there students from other schools but also guest speakers, Michel Brosowski, Andy Cunningham, and Jeremy Gilley. These speakers were truly inspirational, motivational, and gave ZIS’s first summit a very unique feel.



Cunningham is an international advocate for education and leader in community development. Andy held a presentation sharing what he considered community service consisted of; sweat first, ask later. He chose to present his speech in the form of story-telling and proceeded by sharing five stories in his life, each with individual morals and lessons learned. Later, he held a simulation about sanitation in third-world countries and the difficulties these populations must endure.



Brosowski, founder and director of Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation in Vietnam, also joined us. His foundation rescues children who have been trafficked and kidnapped, taken away from their homes to work in factories or as slaves. He also chose to hold his presentation in the form of story-telling, sharing stories about children he has rescued all across Vietnam and even across the border into China. The foundation has saved hundreds of children and is striving to save as many as ever possible. Michael was truly inspirational.



The last guest speaker was Gilley, the founder of the Peace One Day organization. First, the participants of the summit watched a 30 minute documentary which discussed what Peace One day about and how Gilley was able to start it and turn it into the immense success it is today. The participants learned a lot about this process, discovering how truly difficult it was to get it started, let alone acknowledged around the world. However, the most unique part of this was that after the documentary had terminated, the audience got the opportunity to have a live Skype call with Jeremy himself, enabling them to ask him questions and see an incredibly inspirational person almost face to face.



All in all, ZIS’s first GIN summit was a great success. The group hopes to hold one next year as well and make it even larger and better. What is coming up for GIN? The group will be attending the large international global issues summit in Luxembourg in March. The entire group greatly looks forward to this event!

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Tags: gin, international, sharing our humanity, global issues, conference, zurich

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