From Classroom to Social Change
Rutgers students pursue significant opportunities for global progress at Clinton Global Initiative University
When Sarah Lin came to Rutgers, she didn't know much about international human trafficking. But recently Lin met with world leaders, including former President Bill Clinton; thanks to a human trafficking awareness campaign she designed while taking a course she found by chance.
The planning and public policy student was one of 15 Rutgers students selected to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) in Berkeley, Calif., April 1-3. The prestigious annual conference launched by Bill and Hillary Clinton joins young and active change-makers with global leaders.
Students are accepted to CGI U based on the viability of a detailed action plan – or what CGI U calls “Commitments to Action" – for a project that effects positive social, political, civic or economic change.
Lin’s four-phase Commitment to Action calls for the creation of a new interdisciplinary academic course on human trafficking and a series of campus events designed to empower students.
According to Lin, her participation in workshops and events sponsored by the Rutgers chapter of International Justice Mission (IJM) initially exposed her to the issue of human trafficking.
"I developed a much deeper understanding of the many injustices and human rights abuses associated with trafficking," she said. "I knew I had to do something to address this in the form of modern day slavery."
But it was the Graduate School fo Education course – "Global Education: 21st Century Trends and Issues" – taught by professir William Fernekes in New Brunswick that allowed Lin to bring her ideas to fruition.
“The course equipped me with the academic knowledge and techniques to translate my passion for human rights advocacy into a tangible plan to educate university students about this pressing global issue,” Lin said.
During the course, she learned about the key elements of global education: how to design and evaluate human rights education programs, nuanced conceptions of global citizenship, 21st century knowledge and skills to navigate an increasingly globalized world. Lin applied all that practical knowledge to the development of her proposal for CGI U.
“Her project was, without question, the most impressive project presented,” Fernekes said. “It reflected a strong grasp of the relevant literature about human trafficking and the theory and practice of human rights education.”
Other students’ Commitments to Action cover a variety of topics ranging from education to human rights to sustainability and public health. This year’s accepted CGI U projects include HIV/AIDS outreach and education programs in Nigeria and Newark, a girls’ leadership and soccer camp, a mentorship and leadership training group for women, a community-driven elementary school tutoring initiative in New Brunswick and educational programs for underprivileged migrant children.
As one of the youngest real estate agents in the tri-state area, 18-year-old Mohamed Shabhan already has plenty going for him. But the Rutgers University-Newark finance major said being accepted to CGI U is “a major achievement” in his life. He partnered with Eman Elgouz, Rutgers–Newark engineering student and former Hult Prize finalist, on their Commitment to Action – “Sexual Education through Art and Media” – which focuses on an after-school arts, music and sexual education pilot program for Newark high school students.
Shabhan and Elgouz’s project was largely inspired by family.
“My parents played a huge role and were always pushing me to give back to the community – and not expect anything back. It’s something that I try to abide by,” Shabhan said.
While his upbringing played a critical role in the project’s concept, he hopes that meeting new mentors at CGI U will help guide its implementation.
“I look forward to attending sessions with professionals in the public health field, who will give us feedback on our Commitment to Action,” he said. “I definitely look forward to hearing Bill Clinton speak – and hopefully meeting him.”
This year’s CGI U conference also brings Rutgers one more distinction. Of the 1,000 student attendees, public policy major Renee Sheriff and political science major Na-Yeon Park were the first Rutgers students handpicked by CGI U to compete in the Resolution Project’s Social Venture Challenge against 20 other accepted attendees.
Sheriff and Park will deliver a 15-minute presentation on their Commitment to Action – which aims to provide English language instruction and college preparation lessons to young North Korean refugees – to a closed-door panel of expert judges.
The Center for Global Education (CGE) at the Rutgers’ Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs (GAIA Centers) provides individualized mentoring and seed funding grants for selected students to pursue and complete their Commitments to Action. In addition to project mentorship and financial support through the GAIA Centers, CGI U participants will attend a series of workshops in social entrepreneurship and innovation offered by faculty at the Rutgers Business School and from the Office of New Ventures and Entrepreneurship.
Since its inaugural meeting in 2008, CGI U has brought together more than 7,500 student leaders from about 145 countries and nearly 1,000 schools. Past speakers include Bill Clinton, current presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, actress America Ferrara and talk show host Stephen Colbert. For more information about the meeting, visit cgiu.org.
– Carissa Sestito and Christina LoBrutto