I've been putting off blogging about the Digital Earth Summit, and then I'd forgotten for a bit about blogging it here. But I figured that it'd be better to start something about it than say nothing on it at all.
So without further ado, away I go...
I went along to the pre-conference weekend with another ninety-something youth of Aotearoa to find out exactly what a 'Digital Eath Summit' was and what we would be expected to do at the conference.
I was also there to meet people and expand my network of contacts because the prospect of meeting new people - who were all bent on a good cause - and being exposed to different perspectives and various cultures and backgrounds was just too much of an incentive for me!
So the first day, arriving at the venue and looking around at the youth that were there already was a bit of a blur. I couldn't tell you who they all were - even though I probably know most of them by now!
Seeing a couple of familiar faces - one was a surprise, the other being a long ago school friend who actually heard about the Summit from me (yiah, AotearoaMaori in the whare even! :P) - was a comfort. I was looking forward to having this experience with others who were already in my circle of friends, y'know what I mean? People who you've already made a connection with and who know where you come from/who you are in 'real life' that you can later talk to about the experience and know that they UNDERSTAND where you're coming from because they were there!
So I was excited about that prospect. :D
And then meeting a couple of new people then and there while waiting was a good start too. Oh yeah, I had an intention to meet/speak to/introduce myself to as many of the other Youth delegates as possible.
Getting on with it, the day finally started and we all herded - like the many sheep that our country is known for - into the elevators and up to Level 7 of the building. A table that was set up directly opposite the elevators was where we made a beeline to and carried on finding our names through the many other 'identities' that were placed on the table. Having done that, we continued to find a place in the room.
What followed was as each workshop was introduced and done, so were we introduced to each youth leader present. Five of them in all. A few whose names I remembered from the emails and it was good to finally be able to put faces to the names!
I also got to finally meet Cherrie (yay!) sometime during the day as well which was awesome. :D
We were divided into groups of 5-6, these people were to be our 'homegroup buddies' to whom we would get to know and work with more than usual. My group had some dynamic individuals! :D The youngest being a 16yr old active advocate for sustainability, to the oldest at 26yrs - who we playfully called 'grandpa' - with a strong sense of values. There was also one other who was very passionate about the environment and wildlife - dolphins and whales in particular - as well as another who seemed to be quite connected to all living things and the word 'harmony' comes to mind when thinking about this person.
Then there's me with no real idea on what sustainability really is/was and what it really meant...which I think completed our group!
Each of us brought something to the group...a real balance. :D Yeah, I learnt a lot from them.
And that is how the day went, with workshops, activities and games all about getting to know each other and what we were committed to and what we wanted to create for the conference, and what we wanted to create for the future.
There was this one workshop that had us all in one big circle. Papers and pens were placed in the middle.
So by the end of Sunday, there was a real sense of community and self-determination in most (if not all) of us and it was just really awesome to see the connection we as a group had, even though some of us had yet to meet others and whatnot. As a collective, we knew what we were about and knew what we wanted to get out of the conference as well as the future.
It seemed my vision was coming into fruition though I didn't realize it then.
