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Symposium
Overview
PURPOSE
The intention of the Symposium is to make Americans aware
of the actions they can take – individually and collectively – that
will be part of the solution in achieving a peaceful, just
and healthy world for all.
To
do so, the program highlights the major global issues,
how these issues affect our local communities, and how
we can make a difference by participating in action campaigns
and adopting more sustainable lifestyles.
The mission of the Symposium is to:
Educate – fostering
an understanding of the most critical
issues of our time
Motivate – connecting
people to the issues, making them urgent & personal
Facilitate – enabling
people to take action for change in practical
ways
FORMAT
The program of the first Symposium was given as a one-day
conference, most of which in plenary, with a set of breakout
sessions
in the
afternoon. It took place on June 19, 2004 at St. Mary’s
Cathedral Conference Center in San Francisco. It ran from
9:00 am to 6:30 pm, and featured a dynamic Saturday evening
performance. Approximately 500 people attended.
45 exhibitor booths were set up in the hall outside
the main presentation auditorium, providing further
access to resources and solution-oriented projects. Also,
a special experiential area called Ubuntu Culture Cafe
featured on-going performances and a place to chill during
the event.
The program combined short speaking presentations, powerful
documentary video excerpts, panel discussions and an accompanying
40-page Sustainable Living SourceBook. The SourceBook is
an on-going resource for action-oriented solutions. It
summarizes the program contents, gives a list of non-profit
organizational resources for getting involved, and outlines
daily and strategic actions to make a difference.
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| CONTENT (see
Program) |
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| Environment
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Society
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Economy
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Each
broad issue area was examined by the corresponding panel:
what the current situation is internationally and what
is
the
trajectory,
giving
us a broad picture of what the probabilities are for
the near future. Viable alternatives were then discussed,
along with inherent challenges and obstacles to implementation.
Video footage helped turn statistics into an experiential
and often visceral sense of the problems—as well
as painting a picture of possibilities.
There are many actions we can take, both individually and
collectively, that will help to turn the tide. At the local
level, we can make our personal lifestyle choices in a way
that supports the environment and human rights – everything
from our choice of toothpaste to our choice of investments.
At the regional, national, and international level, we can
support organizations that are working to create more powerful
networks and wise use of the internet to further focused
campaigns and create stronger political and social forces
of positive change.
RECORDING & DISTRIBUTION
A digital broadcast-quality video recording
has been edited using footage from
the event, using a two-camera
shoot. We have a 5-minute Symposium "demo" giving a flavor
of the event (available shortly for download from our website),
along with a highly
condensed
45 minute overview DVD version, and a 2-1/2 hour
DVD version. The 45 minute DVD will be broadcast on Free
Speech TV in the fall, reaching a potential audience of several
million.
FACILITATION
OF THE SYMPOSIUM IN OTHER U.S. CITIES
Based
on our experience producing the Symposium, a Producer's
Kit (including the SourceBook, documentary video excerpts,
etc.) will be created and made available at cost to public
interest organizations in other cities (following the
next Symposium in May of 2006), This will make it easy
to produce their own version of
the
Sustainalbe
World Symposium, inviting local speakers and non-profit
groups. If they choose to take the next step, they can
also distrbute the SourceBook and Symposium video package
to high schools and colleges in their state. In this
way, the Symposium has the potential to educate and inspire
many thousands of people across the country.
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