Seven Important Takeaways From the Global Citizenship Summit

Thank you to Wade Fleming, who serves as our Intercultural Communication Award Coordinator at Lambton College, for the following guest post about the Global Summit.

As keynote speaker Leo Johnson explained, “global citizenship cannot be discriminant or conditional.” To be true global citizens (knowledge-seekers, listeners, learners, and helpers), we should try to understand everyone, consistently making informed decisions and seeking true understanding before we judge. We need to understand the “long-term implications” of such things as online-activism, and seek knowledge even when it is difficult, or when we face pressure from others to conform to some uninformed opinion.

The very first thing that both keynote speakers, Leo and Gilad, did was thank everyone who tirelessly worked together to make the event possible. I think it is important to remember that we can learn from simple, understated acts.

The choice of whether or not to wear a niqab is just that: a choice. Rezan Mosa and Aruba Mahmud, both Canadian-born Muslims, explained that they were not forced into wearing a niqab (covering all except the eyes, in Rezan’s case) or a hijab (a head-scarf, covering the hair, in Aruba’s case). In fact, Rezan explained that the person who expressed the most resistance to her decision to wear the niqab was her father. However, she chose to do so, in an effort to bring herself closer to God. Rezan did, however, explain that not all women get the choice, and that any time an act of worship is forced upon someone, it is no longer an act of worship. Aruba spoke further of how, as a woman practising Islam, she is not oppressed. She used art and humour to get her point across, explaining, “I cover my hair, not my brain.”

The goals of the global citizens include listening, learning, and understanding. As emcee Amy Weiler explained, global citizens should seek knowledge and be passionate about positive change.

Conversely, the goal of the global citizen should not be to solve other people’s problems. As Leo explained, “in order to solve my problem, you need to first listen to my story, and even then, you might need instructions from me.” We should think critically about where our money is going (when we support charities), what effects we are really causing (when we try to help), and whether we are helping at all (when we take to social media).

First Nations Elder Marie Short delved into the idea that we must first understand ourselves before we can help others, but also indicated that it is important to ask other people questions like, “who are you?” Marie believes that people are open to answering such questions, and we should take the time to think about how we might respond, if asked. Reiterating Marie’s sentiment, Gilad explained that people’s stories deserve to be shared, and that conversation is needed to create a better world and inspire change.

We are all in this together. This sentiment was reinforced by many of the evening’s speakers. Amy examined how, despite any perceived differences, we all live in “one world.” While speaking passionately about the Syrian refugee crisis, Lambton College President Judy Morris appealed to our shared humanity, explaining, “I stand before you as a human,” rather than as a Canadian, a woman, or any other label.

Gilad explained that his family, who are Jewish immigrants, were hesitant to support his dedication to global human rights issues; they struggled to comprehend how he could care so deeply about people who are not Jewish. Gilad’s response was that “it’s not a matter of being Jewish— it’s a matter of being human.” 

Tomorrow: Round Dance at Lambton College

Lambton College's Aboriginal Student Council will host the second annual Round Dance tomorrow night. Everyone is welcome to attend! 

The Round Dance will begin at 7 pm on Saturday, November 28. The event takes place in the Lambton College gym. There's no charge to attend.

The Round Dance is a celebration of family and friends, and everyone is encouraged to participate. In addition to the dance itself (which is fun and easy to learn!), the night will include a 50/50 draw and an art/craft sale. 

Two Sarnia women share their experiences of the hijab and niqab

Rezan Mosa and Aruba Mahmud joined us at last week's Global Citizenship Summit and shared their perspectives on the hijab and niqab. Both women explained that they dress as they do not because they're oppressed, but because they're free. Mahmus explains that "in a world where women are hyper-sexualized, it was liberating" to commit to the hijab. Mosa and Mahmud shared some of their thoughts with Sarnia Journal reporter Cathy Dobson: you can read the full article here.

Thanks again to Aruba and Rezan for contributing to Lambton College's second annual Global Citizenship Summit!

Hunger Count 2015

Food Banks Canada recently released the 2015 Hunger Report. You can download the full report here. 

To learn more about Hunger Count 2015 and Food Banks Canada's recommendations, visit their site.

More Canadians rely on food banks than ever before. Among many other important findings, the 2015 Hunger Report notes that "In March 2015, 852,137 people received food from a food bank in Canada. More than one-third of those helped were children."

Sarnia's own Inn of the Good Shepherd is also trying to help more people than ever before: their website notes that they're helping many first-time users and trying to address a "25% increase in need." Our local food banks need our help. But as Food Banks Canada's recommendations make clear, we also need structural change so that fewer Canadians need to rely on food banks.

Visit Food Banks Canada if you'd like to learn how you can help to end hunger in Canada.

Art Can Change the World

If, like me, you left the Global Citizenship Summit more excited than ever about the possibility of effecting social change through art, I hope you'll consider checking out Jayu's fundraising campaign.

The Human Rights Film Festival is just one of Jayu's many projects that uses art to increase awareness about social injustices.

This organization is devoted to using art as a platform for change: they've recognized that art can ignite conversation around injustice in a way few other things can, and they encouraging all of us to watch, listen, and learn.

Donate in any amount that you can: any contribution is useful. For a $40 donation, Jayu will give you two tickets to their opening night film on December 11 in Toronto!

Art can change the world, but only if the artists and the organizations that provide us access to the art have the funding they need to continue their important work. Help Jayu keep doing what it does best.

Debunk the Myth

Thank you to everyone who made last night's Global Citizenship Summit such a resounding success. The food was delicious, the speakers were thoughtful and motivating, and the entire night was a celebration of our multicultural community here at Lambton College. 

Gilad Cohen of Jayu captured the audience as we previewed the
trailer for Jayu's 2015 Film Festival.  

We were fortunate to hear from Gilad Cohen, founder and Executive Director of Jayu, which operates the Toronto International Human Rights Film Festival. Gilad shared with us the difference that art can make as we struggle to begin a conversation around specific human rights abuses: art can provide common ground and a way in for so many of us. Gilad has visited Lambton before, and I hope he'll be back again--he's a captivating and motivating speaker. (He also gave us an update on Jayu's #CapturetheStreets project, now headed for a Harvard exhibit! And if you'd like to help ensure Jayu's mission continues, you can contribute to their Kickstarter campaign: more on that soon.)

We also heard from Aruba Mahmud and Rezan Mosa, two Muslim women who shared with us their experiences of wearing the hijab and niqab in Sarnia. Both clarified that choosing to cover themselves in public has nothing to do with oppression: instead, both understand their decision to veil themselves as a sign of their freedom to make their own choices and follow their faith. 

Our second keynote speaker of the night was Leo Johnson, a graduate of McMaster University and one of the final five in the CBC's Next Great Prime Minister competition. Leo is now at work on Empowerment Squared, an organization that's working on many important projects, including opening the first post-war library in Leo's native Liberia. Leo challenged us to consider the ways in which our (mis)perceptions of Africa and of each other shape our actions. 

Thank you to Ruth Geurts, Amy Weiler, and the organizational team that made this evening such a success. Thank you to our speakers and sponsors, and to the food vendors who prepared such a delicious dinner. And thank you, especially, to the students. So many Lambton College students volunteered to run cultural tables, sharing details of their traditions and beliefs; other students helped to prepare the room, to serve dinner, and to clean up afterwards. 

This college is a better place for our diversity. 

Global Citizenship Summit 2015

Right now, more than three hundred Lambton College students are gathered together to learn about intercultural communication. They're hearing from two captivating speakers: Gilad Cohen and Leo Johnson.

If you'd like to join in the conversation, join us tonight at the Lambton Inn for the second annual Global Citizenship Summit! Dinner starts at 4:30, and the speakers begin at 6:30. For more information, check out our website!

Unleash the Stress!

This week, the members of the Jack Project have encouraged all members of the Lambton College community to "unleash the stress." It's a busy time around here, as students push their way through tests and assignments to reach the end of term. The stress can start to bring us down if we're not careful.

To help keep us balanced, the team behind Lambton's chapter of the Jack Project has organized a free pancake breakfast, visits with therapy dogs, drop-in yoga, a car smash event, a flash mob surprise, and, yesterday, a mental health walk.

Lambton students, staff, faculty, and our mascot, Pounce, post at the end of our
walk in the sunshine.

The walk--which took us to RBC and back--was a wonderful break in the middle of the day, and a chance to chat with friends and colleagues. It was also an important reminder that good mental health doesn't happen automatically: we have to set time aside for ourselves if we want to stay healthy.

If you'd like to learn more about Lambton College's amazing Jack Project team, you can check out their facebook page.