In the hands of students

Making the world a better place should start on campuses according to former US President Bill Clinton, who thinks a better world must come from young people willing to set out to change it.

In the third University version of his Clinton Global Initiative (CGI U), which finished last night after three days of inspiration-fueled events, Clinton aimed to push for a new generation of civil society activists.

“Being a good citizen in the 21st century will require people to involve themselves in NGO work to try to solve the problems that are left when the private sector produces what it can and the government provides what it can, there are always gaps,” Clinton said.

CGI U, this year hosted by the University of Miami, was not a strictly open-to-all event. Students, organisations and administrators were required to develop their own Commitments to Action, described by the CGI U website as “a specific plan of action that addresses a pressing challenge on their campus, in their community, or in a different part of the world.”

The participation requirement signalled Clinton’s belief not only in pushing young people to take a long term interest in the non profit world, but also for the development of social enterprise type outlooks. “Transforming good intentions into practical solutions” was the event’s leitmotiv.

Sessions sought to bring out ideas and debates.

The plenary session took the form of a discussion on how to ignite the social imagination with panelists including Sam Adelsberg, founder of LendforPeace.org and musician Pharell. Meanwhile, a networking event was provided for participants to exchange ideas and best practices related to their various commitment topics.

Clinton’s philanthropic summit for students grew out of his annual Clinton Global Initiative, which has brought together business leaders, humanitarians and celebrities in New York for the past five years to address global challenges.

He created the initiative after growing frustrated while president from 1993 to 2001 at attending conferences that were more talk than action.

“It ought to be a part of every young person’s education,” said Clinton. “I also want them to believe that they can do things that will make a real difference in other people’s lives even if they don’t have a lot of money.”