Sorry I'm posting this a week after the fact (is anyone else seeing a common theme here?) but the truth of the matter is I've been absolutely swamped. But anyways--who cares about me on this blog, we're hear about SID.
Last Wednesday SID was honored with a guest visit from Matt Higginson, our ONE Campus Senior Executive Guy (I'll admit it--I forget his exact title. He used to be our regional director but he has since been promoted to something cooler with Senior in the title) and Michael Gerson, columnist for the Washington Post and former speech writer for former President George Bush. Mr. Gerson helped fight to put AIDS on President Bush's agenda and is currently on a year-long fellowship with ONE. If the ONE Campaign is a foreign concept to you, fear not! I encourage you to read my blog entry explaining who ONE is, what they do and how you can get involved.
Mr. Gerson talked about his own path to politics--from graduating in Bible Studies and Theology from Wheaton College to writing speeches for President Bush, acting as a senior staffer in the White House. He went on to explain that after 9/11 it was evident that America was facing threats that originated in what he called "hopeless parts of the world." He said that in response, the government doubled overseas development assistance, tripling assistance in Africa, taking preventative action to help develop less stable countries and further secure our own nation.
Mr. Gerson also talked about efforts to combat AIDS, explaining that although AIDS interventions are expensive, it is hard to achieve any of the MDGs if the rising generation of leaders is being killed off by the deadly disease. He said that his best experience during his time in the White House was sitting in the Oval Office in 2002 when President Bush decided to approve the donation of $15 billion over a period of five years towards fighting malaria.
"Boldness matters," he told students, "Being ambitious matters," he advised. Mr. Gerson counseled SIDers to get involved in the debate, educate ourselves on the issues and be vocal about our concerns. "Intentions are not enough, we need to be rigorous," he advised, calling for development work to be "rooted in a moral vision of dignity," explaining that as we help others we also help ourselves.
After a short Q&A session Matt Higginson spoke briefly about ONE Campus, explaining that we share a common goal of awareness. He explained that awareness can often feel abstract, not really grounded and somewhat confusing but that ONE wants to do more than just hold up a sign. ONE seeks to influence policy makers and policy, ensuring that our nation's foreign policy includes development. Rather than sending people to the field, one partners with hundreds or different organizations while keeping their focus on advocacy by engaging with elected leaders and with those in office. He explained that we, as students hold a key and unique political power
that politicians are dying to tap into. He encouraged us to use that power to promote the adoption of good foreign policy and international development practices. He encouraged us to become more involved with ONE Campus by participating in ONE's three campaigns for the semester. He told us to first holding a screening of the Lazarus Effect, a movie made by ONE's sister organization RED about AIDS treatments. ONE Campus is also having a Halloween Flier Campaign, "What's Really Scary This Halloween"--check the ONE Blog for details. The final campaign for the semester in the ONE Vote '10 platform drop-off. He also challenged us to become involved in the ONE Campus Challenge next semester and take action to earn points for our school. Matt also recommended applying for ONE internships, especially for Fall and Winter semesters.
Oh and by the way....
Mr. Gerson also gave a Kennedy Center Lecture at noon last Wednesday. Luckily for those of us who had class at the time, the Kennedy Center tries to film all of their fabulous lectures. You can check out Mr. Gerson's lecture here on the Kennedy Center website or by subscribing to the Kennedy Center Podcast available on iTunes.
What's Really Scary This Halloween
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