Archive for July, 2010

SABF News

Interview to REAC

General Editor & Ex-participant

By means of this interview we kindly invite you to join and get to know what’s REAC, a Network of Entrepreuners and Change Agents that crosses frontiers and is formed by participants of SABF 2008 y 2009: Andrea Yriberry Saavedra, Guillermina Müller, Daniel Ponce Gandarillas, Felipe Valencia-Dongo, Patricia Soledad Fernández Bugna and Guido Weber.

SABF: What’s REAC?

Guido: REAC (Red de Emprendedores y Agentes de Cambio/Network of Entrepreuners and Change Agents). REAC is a philosophy of constant change searching for common welfare and sustainable development in the regions where we live. It’s the meeting space of people who are committed to act as change agents ensuring a better quality of life for current and future generations. With REAC we pretend to play a more active role inside our societies. By means of the motivation towards the entrepreneurial culture and the joint actions of each of its members, we are willing to become real agents of change and progress creators. We want REAC to be the starting point for high profile projects of different issues, like, for example, social, business, environmental and others. The premise is the creation of opportunities based upon the interaction of the members by means of a trustworthy network grounded with values of respect, honesty and fraternity.

SABF: How did REAC started and how have you been developing it?

Guido: REAC finally begins after a long thread of emails and exchange of ideas regarding what could we do to promote change. The idea starts with a pair of students who got to know each other during SABF 2008. Andy, Guille, Dani, Feli and myself gathered in Skype more than a year ago and started dividing the tasks so that the project became something real. We never hesitate when saying SABF achieved it’s commitment: Empowering agents of change. This group, with the members from different nationalities gathered round to contribute to that so wished change, for one and each of us. Some time before finally launching the project, Pati (SABF 2009 participant), joined the group and provided us with the required energy we needed for REAC to burst out with more strength.

SABF: What did your SABF experience provided you with in terms of the project and your personal lifes?

Guido: Well… SABF shows that things are possible, the change begins with ourselves and it is necessary to play an active role as change agents so that “things happen”. Personally speaking, all issues related to resources and the environment became really important to me, but, what moved me the most was the “democratization” of knowledge; the fact and need of making it more public and as viral as possible so that all common people get to know about the situation we are going through, now.

SABF: How come youngsters get involved?

Guido: Sharing ideas and telling us their “Successful Cases”. If they are working for a better world, any single sand granite contributes to the overall results we need. We are interested in knowing those stories and, what’s even more important, diffusing them.

We kindly thank all SABFERS who are willing to write WITH us to contact us. :)

Uncategorized

Are we ready?

Economist & Freelance Journalist

One of the strongest debates that was held in SABF’s last edition was, as a matter of fact, after the forum ended. In December 2009, one of the typical chain mails generated an interesting but revelling discussion.

It was about an article sent by one the participants. The main topic was a massive marriage of underage girls taking place in Gaza. Later, one of the participants of this debate raised the remarkable tendency of the article’s author. In this way, he nullified the true veracity of the information provided. Nevertheless, the discussion was installed. The fear to different ideas shone in the mud of the “politically correct” arguments.

Another similar strike from SABF 2009 was Douglas Casey’s presentation. This American speaker, who defines himself as “liberal, nihilist and anarchist” revolutionized the debate like no other had done it before. During the three days of forum, he managed to include his name and ideas into all participants’ dialogues. Most of them, attacking him. Why?

These are two situations of a certain reality. We are not ready to get out of our comfort zone and to go beyond it. Fear to ideas which are different from ours, and the difficulty to put oneself into the others’ position are some of the common factors among us, the human beings. However, our challenge lies in overcoming them.

If we really want to believe in the possibility of becoming future leaders, of working for a better society and in our capacity of being agents of change, we must be conscious that the road  ahead of us is far too long. This experience is just the beginning.

I would like to close this article with a personal recommendation for the 100 Sabfers 2010: do not close yourselves to your own ideas, even what is different can help you move forward.

Current Affairs

Pay it forward

This week I read the book “Pay it Forward”, written by Catherine Hyde whose film was entitled Pay it forward. I really liked the writing style, flashback, final surprise and the story itself. But what I most appreciated was the message given by Trevor McKinney’s teacher of social studies who proposed:”Think of an idea to change the world and put it into practice”. The eleven year old boy presented an original idea perhaps rather idealistic. He wanted to help anybody in need but this person didn´t have to pay it back but help three other people, this is to say, pay the favour to a third one. This chain would increase exponentially at a great scale. All these actions would contribute to help humanity.

The teaching is clear, with the simple wish to help somebody; no matter how small it may be, one can contribute to change the world. Is it only possible in Hollywood stories?

On the other hand, in the real world, there is a forum that deals with fulfilling a dream to a hundred people who are cheered to apply that knowledge on behalf society. It is worth to mention that nobody obliges people to take ideas into practice, but they are inspired. What is the forum´s mission? To generate a responsible behavior on the future leaders to achieve a sustainable development.

Would it be an utopia to think a little more on others than on oneself? That´s why it´s useless to hope great changes from others, the change begins from ourselves. Our words and our ideas can transform reality.

Miscellaneous

My experience at the World Bank International Essay Competition

SABF 2009 Participant

María de los Ángeles Lasa has taken part in SABF 2009 and is a SABF Delegate at Universidad Católica de Córdoba. This year she decided to participate at the World Bank International Essay Competition 2010 and was awarded with the second prize.

Here is my story: I finished my course of studies (International Relations at Catholic University of Córdoba, Argentina), and I started looking for a job but I didn’t find anything, so I started to feel depressed and worthless. Unfortunately, the situation did not seem improve, but then I remembered a story I had once read: The Princess’s Hand.

I would like to share this beautiful story with you, but I prefer you to read it by yourself. Meanwhile, I want to continue telling you that the Princess´s story helped me to change my perspective, and motivated me to start this social project to help me and other young people in the same situation as I was. That´s when Todo Jóvenes was born, an informative website that publishes academic and work opportunities for youth between 15 and 30 years old, and that today has six volunteers, including three SABFers I met in the SABF Fifth Edition: Karina Cáceres, Patricia Fernández Bugna and Mariana San Martín.

Towards the end of last year, the website –in spite its meek design–, received more than 200 visitors each day, and we received letters from young people telling us how Todo Jóvenes had helped them to improve their academic and employment situation. Because of this, when in January the World Bank opened the call for submissions for the International Essay Competition 2010, I thought it would be a good idea to tell my story. I entitled my essay Todo Jóvenes: from a nearsighted Princess to a change in focus.

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