“Our learning village keeps getting bigger. You are now part of this extended family and the larger village that supports and loves one another to help you grow. I am very honored to be part of your village”
-John Zeigler, Senior Director of Programs, Goldin Institute.
After an enriching eight-month journey together, full of learning, collaboration and heart-felt conversations, 20 grassroots leaders and activists from around the world marked the end of their Global Fellows program. On Nov 14th, 2024 they celebrated the culmination of activities with a graduation which was full of art, culture, and togetherness.
Beginning in March, Fellows spent each week interacting with each other and the co-facilitators reflecting and testing ideas from the Gather platform. Gather is both a mobile platform for shared learning and a curriculum for people who want to build on the talents of their neighbors and the assets of their communities to make real and lasting change.
The graduation ceremony was a chance for Fellows to reflect on how far they have come and the new connections they developed. It was also a chance for everyone to share hopes for the future.
“Congratulations for getting to the graduation, this is not goodbye, this is welcome. You are now part of the Goldin Family. Each one of you is committed to your communities and you have other communities that are committed to you represented here on this event.”
–Burrell Poe, Director of the Goldin Institute’s Mutual Aid Collaborative.
The graduation event featured speeches from invited guests, testimonies from participants, dance, songs, and poems. Showcasing their talents, Fellows used creative approaches to express their joy and excitement for the future. The celebration started with a song from Duti Syeda Ashfah Toaha, a Fellow based in Dhaka Bangladesh, which holds a timeless message about spiritual introspection, existential wonder, and the human quest for connection and meaning.
“Why there is so much injustice happening in the world, and it makes no sense. But we can partly begin to understand by looking within. Just like the song depicts, we all live inside the house of mirrors, we must look within to find the answer.”
-Duti Syeda Ashfah Toaha, 2024 Global Fellow, Bangladesh.
Fellows shared highlights of their learning journey. Duti presented a video from her Community Visioning Summit, showcasing how she gathered neighbors to identify local assets and envision a renewed community. The video captures key moments from the summit.
Another Fellow from Zambia, Sabetha Zulu, shared her new skills empowerment initiative (Ku’wala’) which was inspired by the Gather course: “My Community Visioning Summit led me to uncover critical issues experienced by young girls in my community. Thanks to the Goldin Institute’s support and my participation in Gather I was able to merge my long-time experience in promoting menstrual health hygiene, my expertise in cosmetology and a strong desire to empower girls and young people to register and launch the Ku’wala initiative.”
A summary presentation on achievement was shared by Haftee Wako, a Fellow based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: “Naturally as human beings we like to focus on what we lack; we like to compare ourselves with other people. But Gather changed my life and that of my community when I learned about the Asset Based Community Development approach.”
Furthermore, Marielle Villasper, a Fellow from The Philippines shared additional learnings that Fellows experienced together. “I am grateful and hopeful for this collaboration to continue. The profound relationships and a sense of community in Gather has motivated us to do more for our respective communities and contribute ideas to support other Fellows int their countries as well.” Marielle said.
Rachel Biel, 2024 Global Fellow from Paducah, Kentucky, shared her new initiative to connect people in the creative sector through a dynamic directory, Creative Place Makers. Rachel was inspired by the Asset-Based Community Development conversations and decided to work on this initiative as part of her peacebuilding project.
Faisal Ilyas, a Fellow from Pakistan reflected on how he was able to develop supportive relationships with stakeholders in his community by bringing them together in asset-mapping, discussing aspirations and hosting a press conference. “Special thanks to the Goldin Institute for guiding, inspiring and guiding me to host a press conference in my Pakistan to advocate for peaceful co-existence. What I learned from Gather is that we are together to bring peace in the world”, Faisal said.
Two creative projects by Iranian Fellows, Sara Sasani and Zohreh Solati, were also showcased. Both curated exhibitions as part of their peace building projects. Sarah’s exhibition revolved around the theme of war and its devastating impact on communities particularly women and children “War in War with War”. Zohreh presented her creative exhibition centered around environment and women’s rights theme entitled “Eco-feminism”.
Inspired by her learning journey, Arrey-Echi Egbo Ndakaw, from Cameroon, presented a powerful poem and thanked everyone for being inclusive and kind to her that she felt part of this inspiring community.
Thinking ahead to the future, Celine Oswuku, from Nigeria, concluded presentations by sharing hopes. In her statement, Celine thanked all Fellows for their care and love and encouraged everyone to use the knowledge obtained from Gather to bring about a new world where communities are inclusive of every individual person, and where we build on existing talents and gifts to achieve desired goals.
As the graduation ceremony concluded, Diane Goldin thanked Fellows for their commitment and presented certificates of accomplishments to Fellows. “I am overwhelmed by the power conveyed in your creative presentations and testimonies. I welcome you to our growing family, congratulations and enjoy the journey” she remarked.
Fellows celebrated their achievement with special traditional dances from Iran and Pakistan where Zohre (Iran) performed her unique choreographed dance and Dr. Jahan (Pakistan) danced a popular song in Pakistan called Ho Jamalo that celebrates a local hero named Jamalo.
Lissette Mateus Roa, co-facilitator of the Global Alumni Network, left us with an important reminder, that we are stronger together. Please know that we are going to continue to be available for you even after the end of the course. Anything you need, we are here for you because you are now part of our network and our family.
