September 10, 2011: Open Doors, Open Minds.
Councilmember Todd Gloria opens the conference
Open Doors, Open Minds on September 10, 2011
On Saturday September 10, 2011 two nonprofit organizations, United Women of East Africa Support Team (UWEAST) and Voices of Women (VOW) partnered to stage a conference of conciliation, communication and convergence. Entitled Open Doors, Open Minds, the conference was held at the San Diego Workforce Partnership in City Heights. Councilmember Todd Gloria opened the conference, and commented on the need for this type of unification in the community to assist understanding among diverse cultures and customs. The 140 participants at the conference applauded Councilmember Gloria's declaration that must be the "first annual Open Doors, Open Minds conference."
Six panelists representing six different community organizations delivered their messages of hope for greater harmony in the community. The retired executive director of the Anti-Defamation League, Morris Casuto, was the first to speak and he talked about the power of reconciliation. Tehseen Lazzouni of the San Diego Islamic Speakers' Bureau who wove positive messages from the Koran throughout her presentation followed Mr. Casuto. The final speaker from this group of panelists, Michelle Murphy Kive of the Network for a Healthy California involved the audience in an exercise that illustrated how alike we all are.
VOW Board Director Carol Clarke and UWEAST leader
Sahra Abdi with the middle school recipients of the
Essay Competition prizes.
After a break, three new panelists addressed the audience. First to speak was Dr. Wanjiru Golly of Child Welfare Services who discussed the importance of teaching appropriate lessons to our children. Dr. Golly was followed by Asad Mohamed of the San Diego Police who stressed the importance of teaching leadership to youth in the community. Agin Shaheed who heads the Race/Human Relations/Advocacy department for the San Diego Unified School District closed the panel by describing the importance of unity and understanding in the community.
Attendees at the conference from the refugee and service provider communities were seated together at tables. Each table discussed an issue that had been raised during the panel presentations. These issues included Culture, Discrimination, Employment, Finance, Healthcare, Housing, Religion, Schools and Education, Social Services, and Youth. Each table selected a spokesperson that delivered the solutions from the discussion to the whole assembly. These issues have been tabulated and will be utilized to move the community forward in increased tolerance and understanding.
At the conclusion of the conference, 19 middle school children from the refugee community were invited to the front of the room. Each was presented with a certificate and a small monetary award for his or her entry in the essay competition entitled: If I Could Change my World. The young people addressed diverse issues that ranged from teen pregnancy to the environment.
A table at the conference.
Three young East African girls closed the conference with statements addressing: What I am Made Of that illustrated their assimilation from their native culture to their new life in the United States. The statements clearly showed that young people from our global community share similar ideals for a better world and that these ideals have the hope of being realized if we keep our minds and our doors open.
