Welcome from John Roberts

Director of the International School of Kenya

In a world of challenges and inequities, action is imperative! And who better to act than students?

Jean-Francois Rischard has been proved right about the power of passionate people, working together, to effect change; of informal networks of activists pooling their skills and collective commitment to make a difference.

But Rischard has also been wrong. There are more than twenty global issues, and fewer than 20 years to solve them. In fact, according to Rischard’s timeline, we have fewer than ten years to resolve the most critical of those issues.

But we can still be hopeful. Change has been occurring in many parts of the world as a direct result of committed people working together. In most cases, those successes have started with one or two people with an idea. The ideas have inspired others and, together, a growing group of people actually made a change. Those many, many small, local changes are starting to make a difference on a large scale.

The power of the Global Issues Network is that it is not an organization per se. It is an affiliation – a dynamic, quick adapting network of passionate people. Interdependent. Mutually Supportive. Inter-connected.

The Global Issues Service Summit is both a celebration and a new starting point. Students from around this amazing, diverse, challenged continent will come together to share their success, but will also be re-fueled for continued action and infused with new ideas and partners for taking action.

John Roberts
Director
International School of Kenya

http://www.isk.ac.ke