2020 GlobalMindED
The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable
GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
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Kendall Martin, Senior at University of Tennessee, Chattanooga represents one of the many enterprising young leaders who are making the most out of the COVID-19 and racial revealings that this summer has brought to every household. He is an example of a committed, proactive young man who will climb any mountain, literally and metaphorically, to create access and opportunities for himself and others. The climbing gyms, among every other location and sport, needs to be diversified and he can reach the thin air of the summit without oxygen.
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Tell us about your personal story and how your efforts brought you to this moment in time.
It is always tough to talk about yourself because you never know where to start, but what I will do is talk about the events, unbeknownst to me, that lead up to me having a passion for climbing and helping the community.
I grew up in a middle-class family in Tallahassee, Florida since I was two but moved to Chattanooga when I was seventeen. Both of my parents helped and were involved in the community in some shape or form; my dad was a Motivational Speaker for students and teachers, and my mother was an Event Planner that specialized in helping Nonprofits. Ever since I could walk my parents had me doing something, whether it be sports (baseball, basketball, karate, and others), volunteering at events that my mom was planning, or being involved with music and the arts (my second love). Despite being black, I had a relatively privileged life in comparison to some of the friends that I had, and some of the friends that I would eventually meet. I went to private school during my elementary years, except for my 5th-grade year, and a charter school during my Middle and High School years, except for my senior year. Throughout those developmental years, I always had a diverse group of friends and, to be honest, it was not until I came up to Chattanooga that my friends turned into a monolithic group of people. Growing up with friends from diverse backgrounds I understood the importance of having cultural differences but personal similarities, which gave me insight on hearing new perspectives and trying new things.
As I mentioned before, my parents always had me try new activities to see what would stick, and ironically, they took me “rock climbing” a few times, granite it was the walls that people threw up at large festivals, but it was climbing nonetheless. With that said, my parents did take me to a rock climbing gym one time before I started climbing officially. Despite the fact that I had this innate ability to climb things easily and thoroughly enjoyed the activity, which my parents saw, no one in my circle of friends climbed or really did anything “outdoorsy” other than your prototypical school sports; also, we lived in Florida. Even though I had a love for rock climbing before I was aware of it, I attribute my lack of pursuit in the sport due to the simple fact that I was completely unaware of the popularity of rock climbing. I believed at the time that the rock climbing gym was just a gym, I didn’t know about competitions, I didn’t know about training for outdoor climbing, I simply didn’t know about the climbing community at all. I would like to believe that if I knew what I know now, I would have asked my parents to sign me up on a climbing team and the rest would have been history.
With that gambit of information, you could hopefully see why I have a passion for introducing kids to rock climbing. If I was unaware of the opportunities in climbing and outdoor recreation, how could kids in impoverished neighborhoods even be able to get introduced to something as simple as hiking? Moreover, if they do not see themselves represented in a sport or activity of course they are not going to see themselves participating in that sport. My goal for the nonprofit that I want to start, We Climb, is beyond taking kids outside and to the gym to climb. I want them to experience the outdoors and see what opportunities lay beyond climbing, such as mountain biking, trail running, kayaking, etc. I want kids to see what business opportunities lay in the outdoor community because if it was not for climbing I probably would not be interested in pursuing a career in the outdoor business world. We Climb would be a mentorship program that uses climbing to uplift kids and provide them new experiences. More importantly, what I like to tell my friends all the time is that “It’s easy to make a great climber, but it's hard to make a great person.”
How has COVID-19 impacted your life and your college choices? How are you making the most out of this time?
It has actually impacted it a lot. I was originally supposed to graduate this upcoming fall semester but because I am paying for school out of pocket it has postponed me being able to afford to graduate, in the best-case scenario, this upcoming spring semester. Despite the fact that we are dealing with COVID at the moment, my school decided to keep tuition at the same price which means I am in a state of limbo of being able to pay my rent or go to school, due to the fact that I have lost my second job I am not able to pay for school. On a positive note, if it was not for this extra time that we have, I would not have been able to focus and build connections with people who are interested in helping me get WeClimb off the ground. Furthermore, the extra time has given me much needed time to rest because for the past five years I have held two jobs, gone to school, and consistently rock climbed.
You are a young entrepreneur. Tell us about your business, the challenges and the way forward as you weather this tough economic time.
We are not officially a business yet, WeClimb is in the process of getting donations that will allow us to apply for a 501(c)3, and for a business license for the social venture that we are going to start that will be dedicated to keeping WeClimb afloat. Despite the fact that many nonprofits use this source, crowdfunding sites are more influential than I gave them credit for, they are a great tool if you are looking to establish funds and get something off of the ground. One of the greatest challenges that I have faced was staying self-motivated simply because I was trying to do everything by myself for the longest time. If you are pulling 50 pounds across the floor, no matter how strong you are, you are eventually going to get tired but if you have someone help you, you will be able to go for longer. To me, that is an extremely simple concept but to put it into action is tougher than I realized. It took some mental fortitude for me to be comfortable asking people for help because that is something that I struggle with every day.
As a young African American leader, what are your greatest hopes and dreams for the U.S. and the world as we go forward during this important time in our nation’s history?
My greatest hopes and dreams would be for people to not make it harder for someone to live. Life is tough enough as it is, don’t make it tougher on an individual just because you view them a certain way without even getting to know them. In the best-case scenario, I would love everyone to help one another in trying times but in the worst-case, I would want people to not make it tougher for an individual. The fact that I am afraid to go on a run in my neighborhood because of the way that it may be perceived is making my life tougher in an unnecessary way. Just to reiterate, if you are not going to help me, do not make my life tougher because of the insecurities that you possess. Another hope and dream that I have are that people simply listen to opposing arguments, no matter how extreme it may be. It may sound crazy, but even in stupidity, you can learn something. How are we going to know how to respond and make changes to the problems that we see in this country if we do not even understand the opposing side’s viewpoint. I am not saying to entertain their ideas but to listen and to understand why they think that way. People get too tied into someone’s beliefs while not realizing that it is heavily influenced by the culture that they were raised in. People do not realize that we are all feeling similar emotions to many things that are happening in this country but we are simply looking for two different solutions. Sadly, many people view compromise as a bad thing while not realizing that compromise is what led to the civil rights movement to gain so much traction, compromise is what led workers to have benefits at jobs, despite corporations many flaws, and compromise is what has, what I believe, has kept this country from splitting apart for so long.
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Rural areas have been hit hard by COVID-19, job losses, and racial unrest that mirrors in many ways the rest of the nation and in many ways that are unique to rural communities. Join us as we bring voices from Western Governors Association, Native and Indigenous organizations, Government, and Department of Education together for an impactful week of sessions serving this critical population of learners, workers, educators and leaders.
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Monday August 3, 2:00 - 3:00 PM Mountain Time
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Tuesday August 4, 2:00 - 3:00 PM Mountain Time
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Wednesday August 5, 2:00 - 3:00 PM Mountain Time
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Thursday August 6, 2:00 - 3:30 PM Mountain Time
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Friday August 7, 10:00 - 11:00 AM Mountain Time
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THE FLYOVER NATION
Energy's Role in a Troubled Heartland
By J.C. Whorton
A unique and timely discussion of the challenging issues facing the country’s troubled Heartland.
Since the beginning of westward expansion into the Heartland’s vast regions, natural resource development has played a historic role in shaping its communities. Today, domestic oil and gas development offers one of the strongest prospects for the Heartland’s present and future prosperity as well as the nation’s re-emergence as a dominant player in the global energy economy.
The U.S. is now the world’s largest producer of crude oil and natural gas, two circumstances that are universally disrupting international geopolitical order. The earth has a finite supply of natural resources and a rapidly growing and over consuming population.
As America positions itself for a very uncertain and constantly evolving global marketplace, will the Heartland become America’s “great connector” or “great divide”?
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J.C. Whorton is a senior level energy and financial professional with over forty years of essential experience. Having a ranching and Native American heritage, Mr. Whorton is a strong advocate for rural education and economic development initiatives.
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Links to read about Inclusive Leaders, many of whom are African American and people of color:
Curated sessions from GlobalMindED 2020 YouTube channel:
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From the Center for Positive Organizations:
From the Economist:
From Forbes:
From Harvard Business Review:
From the World Academy of Art & Science and UN; Geneva Global Leadership in the 21st Century econference:
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Listen
here
for an interview with Pam Newkirk, GlobalMindED speaker and author of
Diversity Inc.: The Failed Promise of a Billion- Dollar Business.
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Responding to Crisis
The 30-Day Justice Plan
As the reset of America is underway, understanding the role you can play in a system of change can be difficult, but we encourage you to listen, learn and be active. To start, instead of, say, a juice cleanse, feed your brain and move yourself with this practical plan over the next month.
Here's our guide
of what to read, watch, listen to and do in order to be part of the solution.
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Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)
Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!"
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GlobalMindED and the SDG Impact Fund are delighted to announce
GlobalMindED's Donor Advised Fund
.
2020 is the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations and the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Women's Declaration and Action Platform. Many from around the world are thinking of 2020 as the gateway to our most vital decade for delivering equity, the Sustainable Development Goals, and a world where all can thrive. Our key time for these outcomes is 2020-2030.
GlobalMindED DAF and the SDG Impact Fund are a powerful combined force for good as the 2019 year comes to a close and we reflect on the gratitude and the commitments we make to the causes we care most about. The DAF offers immense power and flexibility for giving prior to the year's end as you plant seeds of generous intention for 2020 and the decade ahead.
When you contribute to GlobalMindED, you support First Gen students. We have served more than 400 students by connecting them to role models, mentors, internships and jobs. Your generous support will allow us to take our work 10x and reach these talented students at scale who lack the resources and support we provide. Your support also helps teachers who can't afford the conference fees, faculty at colleges which are under resourced and students who persist at those universities despite food insecurity and/or housing insecurity.
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Meet GlobalMindED Founder, Carol Carter as interviewed by Tim Moore on his podcast Success Made to Last: From Success to Significance
Listen
to Part 1 of Carol's interview
Listen
to Part 2 of Carol's interview
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Recent GlobalMindED Newsletter Profiles:
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Since 2006 when the flagship TGR Learning Lab opened its doors in Anaheim, CA, TGR Foundation has had a lot to celebrate, including its most recent milestone of one million students impacted by
TGR EDU: Explore
, alone.
Developed in partnership with Discovery Education, TGR EDU: Explore is a free digital resource library that offers interactive web experiences, lesson plans, training videos and tools for educators, students and families to explore new disciplines and gain skills for a modern and expanding workforce.
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As you start the New Year, are you looking for ways to re-engineer your classroom culture? Check out
Designing the Future: How Engineering Builds Creative Critical Thinking in the Classroom
. The associated website has lots of activities, projects, and resources you can implement immediately. Our fall workshops using the book as a roadmap for change have been highly successful. Start designing the future today - try using the customized
Study Guide
for a book study in your PLC. Or contact
ProjectEngin
or
Solution Tree
to learn how you can bring professional development based on Ann's book to your school, district, or conference.
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