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New Fellows Join Third Cohort of Japan-India Transformative Technology Network
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New Fellows Join Third Cohort of Japan-India Transformative Technology Network
By: Salzburg Global 

40 Fellows will meet regularly online before convening in person at Schloss Leopoldskron in May 2024

Salzburg Global Seminar and the Nippon Foundation are excited to welcome 40 new Fellows to the Japan-India Transformative Technology Network.  

The new Fellows, who completed a competitive application process, will meet regularly online between November 2023 and May 2024, and convene in person in May 2024 at Salzburg Global's home, Schloss Leopoldskron, in Salzburg.

The Network, which began in 2020, connects and empowers outstanding changemakers from India and Japan to create positive change through people-centered technology in the three challenge areas of health and healthcare, mobility and inclusion, and liveable communities.

From 2020 to 2022, 30 Fellows successfully participated in the first convening of the Network. Following the success of the first convening, 60 more Fellows came together for the second convening of the Network in 2023. Fellows from all three iterations of the program will have the opportunity to meet and work together to expand and accelerate their projects, allowing for cumulative impact from the work of all the groups.

Together the Fellows will build their collective leadership capacity by learning from each other and expanding ideas and ways of working to support the use of technology for positive social change. As the Japan-India Transformative Technology Network progresses, Fellows will collaborate through project work and other activities to create new narratives and influence policy and institutional change in the three challenge areas identified above.

The Japan-India Transformative Technology Network participants represent a variety of sectors and backgrounds, with interdisciplinary approaches fundamental to the program's design. The group is evenly split between representatives from India and Japan, and just over half of the participants are female.

The new Fellows joining the Network are:

  • Rahul Arora, Creative Designer, Alstom Transport India Ltd, India 
  • Neha Arya, PhD Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology, India  
  • Sanchari Chandra, Associate Research Strategist, Maven Magnet, India  
  • Hayoung Choi, CEO, medical geek Inc, Japan 
  • Satoko Fujioka, Designer, ReDo/ Orange Medical and Social Group, Japan  
  • Romita Ghosh, CEO, iHeal HealthTech Pvt Ltd, India  
  • Subhojit Goswami, Senior Program Manager, The Leprosy Mission Trust, India  
  • Harshita Jamba, Program Manager, WRI, India  
  • Sanika Jawalkar, Senior Operations Research Scientist Shell PLC, India  
  • Atoka Jo, Founder, Himeji Jogakuin Liberal Arts Summer Program, Japan 
  • Himanshu Joshi, Director, NITI Aayog (AIM), India  
  • Shinya Kawada, Senior Manager, Mitsubishi Estate Co, Ltd, Japan 
  • Naho Kawashima, Social Innovation Coordinator, Entrepreneurial Training for Innovative Communities, Japan 
  • Imran Khan, Chief Engineer, Pacific Consultants Co. Ltd, Japan  
  • Kana Kitaoka, Partner/Independent Researcher, Dukana Solutions, LLP, India  
  • Ramprasad Kulkarni, Senior Technical Program Manager, Netradyne 
  • Shiv Kumar, Co-founder & Director, Kidaura Innovations Pvt. Ltd, India  
  • Roli Mahajan, Independent Journalist and Consultant, Development and Cooperation Magazine, India  
  • Meheresh Masanpally, PhD Candidate, IIT Kharagpur, India  
  • Daisuke Masubuchi, CTO Nobishiro, Nobishiro, Japan  
  • Nikhila Menon, Permaculture Design Consultant, Permaculture Centre, Japan 
  • Manabu Miyazaki, CEO, Aristol INC, Japan  
  • Shizuka Nagahama, Leaving Media, Marketing and Business Development, Tonari, Japan  
  • Suzuki Noriko, Auto Energy and Electronics Leader, IBM Institute for Business Value, Japan.  
  • Asahi Obata, Doctoral Student, Rice University, Japan  
  • Yojiro Onaru, Senior Manager, Public-Private Smart City Project, Japan 
  • Himanshu Panday, Co-founder, Dignity in Difference, India  
  • Durgesh Pathak, Member of Legislative Assembly, NCT of Delhi, India  
  • Nandini Paul, Associate Consultant, IQVIA, India  
  • Meghana Prakash, Co-founder, CTO and Product Strategist, Edgame, India  
  • Amrutha Rathina Sampath, Scientist and Research Scholar, Technology Information Assessment and Forecasting Council, India 
  • Karthik Rampalli, Venture Capitalist, Beyond Next Ventures, Japan  
  • Shameer Rishad, Founder, Javed Abidi Foundation, India  
  • Harisanker Santhosh Kumar Bindu, Executive Audiologist, HealthNet Global, apollo Telehealth, India  
  • Amit Kumar Singh, Advocate and PhD Scholar, Bar Council of India/Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi, Japan  
  • Siddharth Sinha, India Public Policy Lead- Geo, Climate and Sustainability, Google, India  
  • Shoko Takemoto, Urban Analytics Assistant Manager, Woven By Toyota, Japan  
  • Mami Takesada, Manager, Code for Japan, Japan 
  • Keisuke Tanaka, Managing Director, Global Japan AAP Consulting Private Limited, India 
  • Naoki Uozawa, Innovation Officer, Adaptation Fund, Japan 

Learn more about the Japan-India Transformative Technology Network and the projects that have resulted from it. 

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New Fellows Join Third Cohort of Asia Peace Innovators Forum
New Fellows Join Third Cohort of Asia Peace Innovators Forum
By: Salzburg Global 

49 Fellows will meet regularly online before convening in person at Schloss Leopoldskron in May 2024

Salzburg Global Seminar and the Nippon Foundation are excited to welcome 49 new Fellows to the Asia Peace Innovators Forum.  

They join after the successful convening of 60 Fellows of the Asia Peace Innovators Forum in 2023 who continue to collaborate on various projects. Previously, the first cohort consisted of 90 Fellows who convened between 2020 and 2022

The new Fellows, who completed a competitive application process, will meet regularly online between November 2023 and May 2024, and convene in person in May 2024 at Salzburg Global's home, Schloss Leopoldskron, in Salzburg.

Together the group will build their collective leadership capacity by learning from each other and expanding ideas and ways of working to support peacebuilding in their local contexts. As the Asia Peace Innovators Forum progresses, Fellows will collaborate, both formally and informally, to create new narratives around peace and conflict and to work towards institutional and societal change for peace.

Fellows from previous iterations of the program will have the opportunity to meet and work together, allowing for cumulative impact from the work of all the groups.

The new Asia Peace Innovators Forum Fellows represent 16 countries from five geographic categories: four priority Asian countries (Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines), other south- and east-Asian countries, and relevant countries from the rest of the world.

The new Fellows joining the Forum are:

  • Andy Alegre, National Church Partnerships Lead, International Justice Mission, Philippines  
  • Martha Amadalo, Court Annexed Mediator, Lawyer, The Judiciary of Kenya, Kenya  
  • Robert Budianto, Executive Director, ASEAN Region India-Peru-Indonesia Cross Border Initiative, Indonesia     
  • Coline Esther Cardeno, Doctoral Researcher, University of York, England/Philippines  
  • Haironesah Domado, Doctoral Student, George Mason University, United States/Philippines 
  • Mohammad Jamalul Giducos, Legal Consultant, Bangsamoro Transition Authority, Philippines  
  • Oshan Gunathilake, Consultant, Arigatou International, Sri Lanka 
  • Brian Harding, Senior Expert for SouthEast Asia and the Pacific Islands, US Institute of Peace, United States
  • Zainab Hassen, CYPAN Coordinator, Commonwealth, Sri Lanka  
  • Tin Maung Htwe, Research Fellow, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
  • Bactol Jerome, Program Policy Officer, Project Manager SBCCUN World Food Program, Philippines  
  • Worrawan Jirathanapiwat, Managing Director, FN Educon Co. Ltd, Thailand  
  • Nonglak Kaeophokha, Senior Program Officer, Spirit in Education Movement, Thailand  
  • Salina Kafle, Executive Director, Human Rights and Justice Centre, Nepal 
  • Nilushika Sandamali Katukoliya Gamage, Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Education, Southern Province, Sri Lanka 
  • Maw Maw Khaing, Founder and Educator, New Education, Myanmar 
  • Nishchhal Kharal, Executive Director, Freedom Studio, Nepal 
  • Khine Thazin Wai, Program Coordinator, BadeiDha Moe Organization, Myanmar 
  • Aung Thura Ko, Independent Researcher, Myanmar 
  • Suyheang Kry, Executive Director, Women Peace Makers, Cambodia 
  • Thilina Madiwala, Co-founder and Director, Social Transformative Action Network for Development, Australia/ Sri Lanka 
  • Maeum Han, Soldier, Army, Republic of Korea 
  • Staci Martin, Assistant Professor of Practice, Portland State University, United States
  • Aliya Mudmarn, Child Protection Officer, UNICEF, Thailand  
  • Kishoth Navaretnarajah, Co-founder, Dreamspace Academy, Sri Lanka  
  • Thi Hong Nga Nguyen, Regional Project Manager, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Southeast Asia, Vietnam  
  • Nurliadian Paramita, National Coordinator, People's Voter Education Network, Indonesia  
  • Mohit Pant, Juris Doctoral Candidate, University of Canberra, Australia/Nepal    
  • Risa Pieters, Deputy Director of Global Programs, Asia Pacific Obama Foundation, United States
  • Chayanit Poonyarat, Lecturer, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, Thailand  
  • Tshegofatso Pearl Ramatsetse, Operations Officer, Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre, South Africa 
  • Prattana Samransuk, Assistant Consultant, Kenan Foundation Asia, Thailand      
  • Priyanthi Sepalika Sarkara Velappan, Senior Project Officer, Sri Lanka 
  • Rajendra Senchurey, Analyst/Information Officer, Nepal 
  • Fareeda Shaikh, Community Counselor and Teacher, Pakistan 
  • Nichan Singhaputargun, Lecturer, Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand      
  • Sithen Sum, Executive Director, Sunflower Film Organisation, Cambodia  
  • Lynnette Grace Tagalo, Project Officer, forumZFD Civil Peace Service, Philippines  
  • Phasiree Thanasin, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Wocation Co Ltd., Thailand 
  • Pyae Phyo Thant, Joint Permanent Secretary, National Unity government, Myanmar 
  • Shanmugapriyah Thiyagarajah, Deputy Director, Save the Children International, Sri Lanka  
  • Kiruthika Thurairajah, Digital Peacebuilding specialist, Search for Common Ground, Sri Lanka  
  • Cherry Tun, Researcher, Tagaung Institute of Political Studies, Myanmar 
  • Hamsa Vijayaraghavan, Chief Operating Officer, Migration and Asylum Project, India  
  • Ma Erlinda Vila, Peace Program Officer, Philippines  
  • Lalita Yawangsan, Senior Field Coordinator, Save the Children, Thailand  
  • Yosuke Nagai, CEO, Accept International, Japan 

Learn more about the Asia Peace Innovators Forum and the peacebuilding projects that have resulted from it.

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The Mortimer Dialogue - Reinterpreting the Responsibility to Protect
A photo of Gideon Rachman and Shashi Tharoor sitting on chairs on a stage at the Mortimer Dialogue.Gideon Rachman and Shashi Tharoor
The Mortimer Dialogue - Reinterpreting the Responsibility to Protect
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Shashi Tharoor, MP for Thiruvananthapuram, India, and former under-secretary-general at the United Nations, spoke with Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times

A new event dedicated to the memory of Salzburg Global Senior Fellow Edward Mortimer launched in London, UK, last month.

On June 12, the first-ever Mortimer Dialogue occurred with guests invited to consider the topic of "Reinterpreting the Responsibility to Protect," the UN's doctrine of humanitarian intervention.

Shashi Tharoor, MP for Thiruvananthapuram, India, and former Under-Secretary-General at the United Nations, sat with Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times, to explore the origins and importance of the Responsibility to Protect and its controversial implementation in countries such as Libya.

Nearly 100 people attended the Dialogue at the Aga Khan Centre, an event held under the auspices of 21st Century Trust in partnership with Salzburg Global Seminar – Austria.

Edward Mortimer, a Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, was also senior vice-president of Salzburg Global from 2006 to 2012 and chair of the 21st Century Trust from 2011 until his death in 2021.  

Tina Micklethwait, a trustee for the 21st Century Trust, who initiated and sponsored the Mortimer Dialogue, told guests, "It's just wonderful to see so many of Edward's friends here, his family, and some new friends as well. Thank you so much for coming."

Before introducing Shashi and Gideon, John Lotherington, director of 21st Century Trust and a program consultant for Salzburg Global, described Edward as "the most astonishing friend and colleague and inspiration for around 30 years" that he had the enormous privilege of knowing and working with.

He added, "He wasn't just a brilliant writer. He wasn't just a brilliant speaker. He was a brilliant listener. He loved this sort of thing because he always wanted to encounter new ideas or take old ideas and interrogate them afresh.

"And one of the ideas he was so committed to - one of the doctrines he was so committed to - was the Responsibility to Protect. It meant so much to him intellectually, morally, and in terms of a view of the way the world should be."

Earlier in his career, Edward worked at the Financial Times between 1987 and 1998, where he served as chief foreign affairs columnist. From 1998 to 2006, he served as chief speechwriter and director of communications for UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. In 2005, he drafted the speech for Kofi announcing the Responsibility to Protect. Edward worked closely with Shashi, who headed the UN Department of Public Information.

During Shashi and Gideon's conversation, the audience was left to consider several questions. Is the Responsibility to Protect past its sell-by-date? Was it discredited by the intervention in Libya in 2011? As a result of current geopolitics and public opinion, is the principle even operable?

Or are there new sources of normative response coming from smaller and medium powers we can consider? While answering one of Gideon's questions, Shashi suggested there could be a gradation of responses, starting with sanctions, embargoes, or diplomatic isolation.

During the Dialogue, Shashi also suggested the principle was a product of a particular historical moment. In his last question, Gideon asked Shashi whether the principle was also the product of an unusually effective UN secretary-general or one who had a certain charisma.

Shashi said, "I believe so. I mean, [Kofi] certainly liked to think outside the box, push the envelope, [and] all these cliches.

"In fact, when [Kofi] decided to make a speech on intervention, the very first one that Edward wrote, we had some real questions about whether this was a wise thing for a brand-new secretary-general to attempt to do. But [Kofi] was clear in his mind that if at all there was anything to be said for the notion of the moral authority of the office […], then it meant raising some of the uncomfortable questions.

"We talked about Edward's draft at the time. [Kofi] was quite clear in his mind that this was worth saying and that he would say it. I was in the audience, and there was a sort of frisson through the hall as he spoke. There was this real sense of something, a sort of new door had been opened, or at least a window, that was letting [in] an awful lot of light and fresh air that we would somehow have to come to terms with."

Salzburg Global Seminar – Austria and the 21st Century Trust would like to express its warmest appreciation to those who made this event possible.

Watch the Mortimer Dialogue on YouTube

Listen to the Mortimer Dialogue on "The Rachman Review," a podcast by the Financial Times

 

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Salzburg Global Seminar Hosts Fellow Leigh Turner for Live Reading
Salzburg Global President and CEO, Martin Weiss (left) and Leigh Turner (right) with his new book, Hitchhiker´s Guide to Diplomacy.
Salzburg Global Seminar Hosts Fellow Leigh Turner for Live Reading
By: Anna Moore 

Former ambassador Leigh Turner presented his newest book, Hitchhiker’s Guide to Diplomacy

Salzburg Global Fellow and former ambassador turned writer Leigh Turner hosted a live reading for his newest book, Hitchhiker’s Guide to Diplomacy, at Schloss Leopoldskron earlier this month.

Leigh spoke at a sold-out event on Tuesday, April 18, in the Max Reinhardt Library.

Leigh is a former ambassador from the United Kingdom, whose career spanned just over four decades and was assigned to work in multiple countries, such as Russia, Ukraine, and Austria. 

His relationship with Salzburg Global Seminar began in 1987 when he attended a program called The International Negotiation Processes. At the time, he served as the second secretary political at the British Embassy in Vienna.

Turner uses his newest book to detail many political occasions he witnessed and worked on, spanning from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. 

During the event at Schloss Leopoldskron, Leigh said his book explains “what the world did wrong, what it did right, and what Vladimir Putin does not understand.” He analogizes diplomacy to hitchhiking, indicating both require “a tolerance of uncertainty,” relationship-building, earning goodwill, and influencing people. 

Reflecting on his book, he emphasized the question, “Can we apply lessons from diplomacy to life in general?” He added that the book also explores how major political events can impact our decision-making in our lives, “from careers to family life, business, politics, decisions on stopping work, prioritizing friendships or burying dead bodies.” 

Leigh examines how the lessons and skills he has learned as a diplomat, such as creative thinking and interpersonal skills, can be useful outside of a diplomatic career. 

Through this retrospection of diplomatic life, Leigh provides advice for diplomats, ambassadors, and everyone else. For more information on purchasing the book (currently only available in German) or to read Leigh’s blog, please visit rleighturner.com 

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Introducing Cohort 2 of Public Policy New Voices Europe
A graphic featuring head shots of Fellows who have been selected to join the second cohort of Public Policy New Voices Europe, as well as the logos of Salzburg Global Seminar and Public Policy New Voices Europe
Introducing Cohort 2 of Public Policy New Voices Europe
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Fellows are based in 11 countries and represent 21 nationalities

Salzburg Global Seminar and The Walt Disney Company are delighted to announce Public Policy New Voices Europe's second cohort.

Thirty applicants have received places to participate in this year's program and join the Salzburg Global Fellowship.

The program allows Fellows to build their capacity through virtual and in-person meetings, peer learning, mentorship, networking, and internship opportunities.

Fellows have been chosen for showing a passion for using public policy to build inclusive communities where diversity is valued.

In addition, they have shown support for communities where all citizens are respected, have full access to resources, are treated equally, do not experience discrimination, and are engaged in the decision-making processes that affect their lives.

Faye Hobson, program director for Culture, said, "We're thrilled to have confirmed and welcomed our second cohort of Public Policy New Voices Europe, and we're excited for the year ahead.

"In addition to The Walt Disney Company, we'd like to thank Squire Patton Boggs for their support for this year's program.

"We've already held two on-board meetings, and getting to know our new Fellows better has been fantastic. In the upcoming year, we look forward to helping them find ways to achieve their personal and professional goals and introduce them to the wider Salzburg Global Fellowship."

Between February and September, Fellows will meet online regularly to listen to thought leaders and discuss how they can apply knowledge shared. They will then meet in person at Schloss Leopoldskron in October to identify solutions to challenges in their communities.

Fellows in the second cohort are based in 11 countries and represent 21 nationalities. These Fellows include:

  • Damilola Adeniran, International Support Specialist on Digital Transformation, ctrl QS, Germany
  • Emmanuel Baba Aduku, Master of Public Policy Candidate, Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, Germany
  • Hafsa Ahmed, Operations Associate, Effective Ventures, UK
  • Chidinma Chikwe, Master's Student, University of Lodz, Poland
  • Noshin Chowdhury, Executive, Brunswick Group, UK
  • Marina Csikos, Project Assistant, Phiren Amenca International Network, Belgium
  • Felix Dade, Student, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
  • Manuela Engelbert, Public Health Officer (Health Protection), Birmingham City Council, UK
  • Ghislaine Gill, Forest Biodiversity Specialist, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations, Italy
  • Tetiana Herasymova, Director, Fight For Right OPD, Denmark
  • Idrissa Kaba, Consultant, Stone Soup Consulting, Belgium
  • Edwin Kwong, Master of Public Policy Candidate, Hertie School, Germany
  • Ying Liu, Project Manager (Volunteer), Chinese Women in the City, UK
  • Sophia Tawonga Longwe, BSc Global Studies Student, Maastricht University, Netherlands
  • Salwa Mansuri, Graduate Candidate in International Social & Public Policy, London School of Economics & Political Science, UK
  • Gopalas Michailovskis, Student, Central European University, Austria
  • Abdul Moiz, Junior Account Executive, Unitas Communications, UK
  • Kondwani Happy Ngoma, PhD Student, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Anne Atieno Odongo, Master of Social Policy Student, JKU, Austria
  • Tobiloba Osogbiye, Student Experience and Engagement Officer, The University of Birmingham, UK
  • Gabriela Pajuelo, International Relations Intern, SEAT S.A., Spain
  • Shilten Joseph Palathunkal, Special Advisor (Deputy Chief of Staff), Federal Chancellery, Austria
  • Adriano Rodari, Junior Policy Analyst, FiscalNote, Belgium
  • Monique Sundree Rodgers, Equity, Diversity & Inclusivity Consultant and Decolonization Researcher, Monique Sundree Rodgers, UK
  • Riccardo Saccà, External Ph.D. Candidate & Seconded National Expert, Maastricht University and European Medicines Agency, Netherlands
  • Oleksandr Stoietskyi, Communication Manager, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Ukraine
  • Aqsa Suleman, Advocacy and Equalities Specialist, The Racial Equity Index, UK
  • Neeraj Tom Savio, Research Assistant, Hertie School, Germany
  • Cherukéi Wobo, Policy and Advocacy Junior Officer, Plan International, Belgium
  • Elaine Yeung, Social Media Manager, Humboldt Forum (Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss), Germany

Read our Fellows' biographies, and learn more about them. Find out more about Public Policy New Voices Europe.

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Introducing Our 2023 Writers in Residence
From left to right, photos of Rena Deitz, Franco Mosso, and Hoang Viet Nguyen.From left to right - Rena Deitz, Franco Mosso, and Hoang Viet Nguyen
Introducing Our 2023 Writers in Residence
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Salzburg Global Center for Education Transformation to welcome three writers in 2023

Salzburg Global Seminar, through its Center for Education Transformation, is proud to announce the three writers in residence for 2023: Rena Deitz, Franco Mosso, and Hoang Viet Nguyen.

Having been selected from more one hundred applicants, these writers were chosen for their innovative ideas to contribute to education transformation and research. As part of their residencies, they will spend up to three weeks at Schloss Leopoldskron, home to Salzburg Global Seminar, to further their work.

With the writing residences, the Salzburg Global Center for Education Transformation seeks to create an inspiring environment for learning, creativity, and collaboration to challenge current and future leaders to shape a better world.

Rena Deitz, SEL in Conflict

Rena is a doctoral student in international education at NYU. Her research interests focus on education in humanitarian contexts, especially those affected by conflict. She studies how social emotional learning (SEL) manifests across cultures and is influenced by international aid.

During her residency, Rena will write about the rise and transfer of SEL as a response to provide for young people affected by crisis and conflict. The study aims to understand why SEL has not achieved its potential for improving well-being and learning in conflict-affected settings by understanding potential “interruptions” in the translation of SEL across cultural and contextual boundaries.

Franco Mosso, A New Purpose and A New Approach to Education

Franco is the CEO and co-founder of Enseña Peru. He is also a co-founder of Ayni, which brings together more than 1,300 leaders in education from all roles to reimagine education. In addition, he has served as a member of the Network Advisory Council of Teach for All and has been a jury member in several national teacher prizes in Peru.

Franco suggests if communities don't find ways to shift the purpose of education, kids will grow far from a thriving life and without agency over their personal, professional, planetary, and citizenship lives. He adds that the narrative in Peru is mostly "get a job, pay the bills." But without innovative practices, Franco believes communities have no clue what a new education story could look like. Therefore, he will highlight the necessity of combining a new purpose and a new approach to innovation in education. He intends his writing to reach leaders worldwide who can promote a different narrative about how to pursue education transformation.

Hoang Viet Nguyen, Transforming Schools Through Regenerative Education

As social justice educator, Viet has been spending a decade working relentlessly with children and youth in different settings in Vietnam, using education as a tool for the empowerment and liberation of individuals and communities. He is the founder and current director of Dream&Do School for Future Changemakers, an education center that practices and promotes pedagogies for socio-ecological transformation.

Taking on the personal experience of being a social justice educator and restorative justice practitioner in Vietnam, Viet will write about how restorative-based pedagogy can transform school climate, build up community, resolve conflicts, address social injustice in education, and eventually empower teachers and students to change the world beyond the classroom walls. Furthermore, his writing is expected to explore an opportunity to envision a new global consensus on transforming education for sustainable and regenerative futures.

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New Fellows Join Japan-India Transformative Technology Network
Japan-India Transformative Technology Network logo
New Fellows Join Japan-India Transformative Technology Network
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Fellows will regularly meet online before convening in person at Schloss Leopoldskron in June 2023

Salzburg Global Seminar and the Nippon Foundation are delighted to welcome new Fellows to the Japan-India Transformative Technology Network. 

The new Fellows, who completed a competitive application process, will meet regularly online between January and June 2023, and convene in person at Salzburg Global's home, Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg, in June 2023.

The Network, which began in 2020, connects and empowers outstanding changemakers from India and Japan to create positive change through people-centered technology in the three challenge areas of health and healthcare, mobility and inclusion, and liveable communities. 

From 2020-2022 thirty Fellows successfully participated in the first convening of the Network. Fellows from the first and second iterations of the program will have the opportunity to meet and work together, allowing for cumulative impact from the work of the two groups.

Together the Fellows will build their collective leadership capacity by learning from each other and expanding ideas and ways of working to support the use of technology for positive social change. As the Japan-India Transformative Technology Network progresses, Fellows will collaborate through project work and other activities to create new narratives and influence policy and institutional change on the three challenge areas identified above.

The Japan-India Transformative Technology Network participants represent a variety of sectors and backgrounds, with interdisciplinary approaches fundamental to the program's design. The group is evenly split between representatives from India and Japan, and just over half of the participants are female.

The new Fellows joining the Network are: 

  • Parul, Architect & Urban Practitioner, India
  • Aishwarya Agarwal, Senior Associate, OMI Foundation, India  
  • Ashish Airon, Founder, CogniTensor, India  
  • Atiya Anis, Independent Consultant, Strategy and Communications
  • Tejaswini Atluri, Deputy Manager, Bosch Limited, India  
  • Sanjay Bhattacharji, Founder & Director, Teplu Learning Pvt Ltd, India  
  • Ankita Bose, Executive, Corporate Social Responsibility, Larsen & Toubro Ltd., India  
  • Sruta Keerthi Chepuri, Additional Superintendent of Police, Police Department, India  
  • Rami Niranjan Desai, Distinguished Fellow, India Foundation, India
  • Manik Dhingra, Co-Founder & CEO, Shoonya Environmental Solutions, India  
  • Max Frenzel, Business & Service Assistant Manager for Healthcare, Woven City, Woven Planet, Japan  
  • Arundhuti Gupta, Founder & CEO, Mentor Together, India  
  • Rajat Gupta, Investment Consultant, Invest India, India  
  • Meri HiroseCo-Founder/President of NPO - Yes, Deaf Can, Japan  
  • Tomoko Imai, Director of Educational Strategy Office, Jiyugaoka Gakuen High School, Japan  
  • Naoki Inoue, Chief Producer, NHK, Japan  
  • Anil Jaggi, CEO, Conscious Ventures, India  
  • Nanda Kumar Janardhanan, Research Manager - Climate and Energy & South Asia, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), India
  • Tomo Kawane, Senior Researcher, India Japan Laboratory, Keio University, Japan
  • Anushka Kelkar, Co-Founder, Therapize, India
  • Naim Keruwala, Program Director, CITIIS National Institute of Urban Affairs, India
  • Nidhi Khurana, Global Health Professional, India
  • Rina Komiya, PhD Candidate, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Japan  
  • Haruka Kudo, CEO, SHIN4NY Inc, Japan / Program Coordinator, Center for International Youth Exchange, Japan
  • Lei Lei, Research Fellow, IDE-JETRO, Japan  
  • Satyam Mohla, Project Lead - UX & Data Solution Div, Software Mobility Unit, Business Dev HQ, Honda Innovation Lab Tokyo, Japan
  • Yumiko Mori, Board Chair, NPO Comachiplus, Japan
  • Huma Mursaleen, PhD Student, The University of Tokyo, Japan
  • Kaede Nagashima, Solution Consultant and Innovation Evangelist, Tata Consultancy Services, Japan
  • Kanako Nakamura, General Manager, Digireha Inc,, United Kingdom
  • Makoto Noda, Global Relations Manager, NEC Corporation, Japan
  • Mio Nozoe Parsons, Head of Resilience, United Nations World Food Programme, Sudan
  • Karthik Pai Nejigar, Regional Finance, Gojo & Company Inc, India  
  • Pranay Patil, MPP Candidate, Harvard University, United States
  • Arvind Patil, Sr. Manager, Design & Programs, Good Business Lab Foundation, India  
  • Gautam Prakash, Co-Founder, Reap Benefit, India
  • Rajnish Prasad, Programme Specialist - HIV/AIDS, UN Women, India
  • Peggy Prosser, Co-Founder/Vice President of NPO - Yes, Deaf Can, Japan  
  • Abdessalem Rabhi, Senior Program Coordinator, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan
  • Anand Radhakrishnan, Head of Digital Products, Franklin Templeton Investments, India
  • Rajarshi Rakesh Sahai, CEO, Biliti Electric (EMEA), Netherlands
  • Pranay Samson, Director, Innovative Finance, Plan International Canada, India
  • Minoru Sasaki, Business Development, ExaWizards Inc., Japan  
  • Paras Sharma, Co-Founder & Director, Kidaura, India  
  • Aiko Shimizu, Head of North Asia Public Affairs, Booking.com, Japan
  • Monika Shukla, Co-Founder, LetsEndorse, India  
  • Priyansha Singh, Co-Founder, Chalo Network, and Partnerships Lead, India Migration Now, India
  • Mano Soshi, CEO, BonBon Inc, Japan  
  • Natsuki Sugai, Special Project (Founding Member), Gojo & Company, Inc, Japan  
  • Remo Sugimoto, COO & Project Manager, OHANA Co., Japan
  • Madoka Teramura, Systems Engineer, Cisco, Japan  
  • Sudebi Thakurata, Associate Dean and Member of Faculty, Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology and Co-Founder, D.epicentre, India
  • Sayuda Tomomi, Design Researcher, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan  
  • Ena Tsutsumi, Junior Engineering Consultant, Pacific Consultants Co., Ltd., Japan  
  • Yasumasa Yamamoto, Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Kyoto University, Japan
  • Ayaka Yamashita, Co-Founder and Director, EDAYA, United States of America
  • Koki Yanagiya, CEO, TEIOS LLC, Japan
  • Shigeko Yoshimura, Member, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan  
  • Sugano Yusuke, Associate Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Learn more about the Japan-India Transformative Technology Network and the projects that have resulted from it.

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New Fellows Join Asia Peace Innovators Forum
Asia Peace Innovators Forum Logo
New Fellows Join Asia Peace Innovators Forum
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Fellows will regularly meet online before convening in person at Schloss Leopoldskron in June 2023

Salzburg Global Seminar and the Nippon Foundation are excited to welcome 60 new Fellows to the Asia Peace Innovators Forum

They join after the successful convening of 90 Fellows of the Asia Peace Innovators Forum between 2020 and 2022. The sixty new Fellows, who completed a competitive application process, will meet regularly online between January and June 2023, and convene in person at Salzburg Global's home, Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg, in June 2023. 

Together the group will build their collective leadership capacity by learning from each other and expanding ideas and ways of working to support peacebuilding in their local contexts. As the Asia Peace Innovators Forum progresses, Fellows will collaborate, formally and informally, to create new narratives around peace and conflict and to work towards institutional and societal change for peace. 

Fellows from both iterations of the program will have the opportunity to meet and work together, allowing for cumulative impact from the work of the two groups. 

The new Asia Peace Innovators Forum Fellows represent 16 countries from five geographic categories: three priority Asian countries (Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines), other south- and east-Asian countries, and relevant countries from the rest of the world.

The sixty new Fellows joining the Forum are: 

  • Navras Aafreedi, Assistant Professor (History), Presidency University, Kolkata, India
  • Kaltumi Inya Abdulazeez, Founder, Ladies Empowerment Goals and Support Initiatives (LEGASI), Nigeria
  • Jhabindra Prasad Adhikari, Project Coordinator, Forum for Protection of Public Interest (Pro Public), Nepal
  • Kamilas Alexsanthar, Director, Pakalavan Media, Sri Lanka
  • Akanchhya Aryal, Consultant, Amnesty International South Asia Regional Office, Nepal
  • Ne Lynn Aung Aung, Research Director, Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security, Myanmar
  • Garie Briones, National Programme Officer, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Philippines
  • Maruf Chebueraheng, Director, Digital for Peace Foundation, Thailand
  • Mellisa Dajay, Community Mobilizer, UN-Habitat, Philippines
  • Dani Dani, Individual Specialist/International Consultant, Youth, Peace & Education, UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace & Sustainable Development, India
  • Quy Thi Ngoc Dinh, Senior Programs Manager CNCF, Vietnam
  • Jovanie Espesor, Professor, Mindanao State University General Santos, Philippines
  • Gelie Erika Esteban, Attorney V, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippines
  • Nukila Evanty, Executive Director & Lecturer, Women Working Group (WWG) & University of Veteran Jakarta, University of Mahendradatta, Bali, Indonesia
  • Nur Faridah, Senior Business Operations Manager, Ruangguru, Indonesia
  • Byar Myar Gay, Project Manager, ACTED Myanmar, Myanmar
  • Heira Hardiyanti, Board of Director, ICDS aka LSP2I, Indonesia
  • Fredyl Hernandez, Senior Artist-Teacher Philippine Educational Theater Association, Instructor University of the Philippines Diliman, Philippines
  • Hang Hybunna, Head of Program, Partnership and Impact, Plan International Cambodia, Cambodia
  • Raymond Hyma, Conflict Transformation Adviser, Women Peace Makers, Cambodia
  • Ma. Laurice Jamero, Resilience Coordinator, Manila Observatory, Philippines
  • Anju Jha, Chairperson, Mandwi, Nepal
  • Kamal Kandel, Trustbuilding Program Manager, Initiatives of Change, Nepal
  • Rohit Karki, Senior Project Officer, Asia-Pacific Unit, DCAF-Geneva Center for Security Sector Governance, Switzerland
  • Surya Karki, Co-founder and Executive Director, United World Schools Nepal, Nepal
  • Dana Yudha Kristiawan, Lecturer, Universitas 17 Agustus 1945, Banyuwangi Indonesia, Indonesia
  • Watcharapon (Sia) Kukaewkasem, Founder and Senior clinical social worker, Freedom Restoration Project, Thailand
  • Pratik Kunwar, Founder and Managing Director, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Nepal
  • Alex Wen Jie Lew, Digital Marketer, Asia Internet Coalition, Singapore
  • Afthon Lubbi, Program Manager, Center for The Study of Religions and Cultures (CSRC) State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta Indonesia
  • Khuzaimah Maranda, Executive Director, Thuma Ko Kapagingud Service Organization Inc., Philippines
  • Melinda Martinus, Lead Researcher, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore
  • Kara Medina, Gender and Disaster Resilience Specialist, Philippines
  • Ahamed Sanoon Meera Mohideen, Executive Director, FrameOut, Sri Lanka
  • Wyclife Ong'eta Mose, Lecturer/Executive Director, Kenyatta University/Oasis Peace Web Organization, Kenya
  • Rajendra Mulmi, Regional Director, Asia Search for Common Ground, Nepal
  • Mochamad Mustafa, Program Director, The Asia Foundation Indonesia, Indonesia
  • Yosuke Nagai, Founder and CEO, Accept International, Japan
  • Neha Nair, Director, Global Trust & Safety, Radix TLD, India
  • Mduduzi Ntuli, Educator & Development head, Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, South Africa
  • Himanshu Panday, Co-founder, Dignity in Difference, India
  • Misni Parjiati, Community Organiser, Lembaga Kajian Islam dan Sosial/Islamic and Social Studies Institute (LKIS), Indonesia
  • Rachel Pastores, Managing Counsel, Public Interest Law Center, Philippines
  • Kasun Pathiraja, Sri Lanka Country Coordinator, FHI 360, Sri Lanka
  • Nirasha Piyawadani, Pinnawala Appuhamilage, Journalist/Programme Officer, Center for Media & Information Literacy, Sri Lanka
  • Lihini Ratwatte, National Project Officer, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Sri Lanka
  • Razcel Jan Salvarita, Founder – Director, Baryo Balangaw Creative Initiatives, Philippines
  • Uthpala Dishani Senaratne, Founder/Project Director, Writing Doves, Sri Lanka
  • Rina Shahrullah, Universitas Internasional Batam, Indonesia
  • Bijay Shrestha, Head of Program, Japan International Support Program, Nepal
  • Biplabi Shrestha, Programme Director, The Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Malaysia
  • Annu Singh, Consultant, TRI, India
  • Sinath Sous, Grants Manager, Cambodian Living Arts, Cambodia
  • Anna Christi Suwardi, Lecturer, General Education, School of Liberal Arts, Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand
  • Gaurav Thapa, Co-Founder & Managing Director, FINLIT Nepal, Nepal
  • Trishna Thapa, Senior Program Officer, Nagarik Aawaz, Nepal
  • Ayessa Tin, Programme Analyst, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Philippines
  • Isti Toq'ah, Founder and Chairperson, PANDAI (Indonesia's Peace Education), Indonesia
  • Nirmal Kumar Upreti, President, Forum for Nation Building Nepal, Nepal
  • Kaush Weerakoon, Program Lead, Center for Development Research and Interventions, Sri Lanka

Learn more about the Asia Peace Innovators Forum and the peacebuilding projects that have resulted from it.

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Salzburg Global Seminar Hosts "Children in War" Photo Exhibition
From left to right - Yuliia Kravchenko, Martin Weiss, and Olena Prokopenko at the "Children in War" photo exhibitionFrom left to right - Yuliia Kravchenko, Martin Weiss, and Olena Prokopenko at the "Children in War" photo exhibition
Salzburg Global Seminar Hosts "Children in War" Photo Exhibition
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Exhibition curated by Salzburg Global Fellow Olena Prokopenko is on display in Schloss Leopoldskron's Max Reinhardt Library

A photo exhibition highlighting the lives and experiences of children in Ukraine affected by war is now on display at Salzburg Global Seminar.

In cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute of Public Diplomacy, the "Children in War" exhibition was launched on December 14 in Schloss Leopoldskron's Max Reinhardt Library.

The exhibition, which has also been on display in Belgium, the US, Israel, and the Vatican, was curated by Salzburg Global Fellow Olena Prokopenko.

On Wednesday, Olena was present at Schloss Leopoldskron to launch the exhibition alongside fellow Salzburg Global Fellow Yuliia Kravchenko. Olena said, "The heroes of this exhibition sleep under rocket fire and live in the midst of destroyed schools and houses. All of them have their own tragic history."

Earlier this year, Olena and Yuliia both attended the Salzburg Global program, "Connecting and Supporting Ukrainian Civil Society in Time of War." An output of this program was theSalzburg Statement of Ukrainian Civil Society, a document that outlines the crucial role of civil society and rethinking Ukrainian reconstruction.

The program followed an initiative by Salzburg Global, which saw around 100 refugees accommodated in the Meierhof following Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the beginning of 2022.

Martin Weiss, president and CEO of Salzburg Global Seminar said, "Our future will be decided in Ukraine, you can't look the other way here...  Looking at these young faces [at the "Children in War" exhibition] shows the immediacy of what is happening. It's about much more than a war on a battlefield. The future is being taken away from a whole generation here.”

The exhibition is open to the public on December 22 and January 3 and 4, between 14:00 and 16:00. If you are interested in attending, please register first by emailing events@schlossleopoldskron.com.

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Salzburg Global and World Urban Parks Launch Second Cohort of Emerging Urban Leaders
Head shots of Fellows who have joined the second cohort of Emerging Urban LeadersThe second cohort of Emerging Urban Leaders
Salzburg Global and World Urban Parks Launch Second Cohort of Emerging Urban Leaders
By: Vitoria Martin Delgado 

Salzburg Global's newest Fellows will meet between September 2022 and August 2023

Salzburg Global Seminar and World Urban Parks are excited to launch the second cohort of the Emerging Urban Leaders program.

For a second time, this initiative brings together a diverse, cross-sectoral, and international cohort of practitioners and change-makers to help implement innovative, practical interventions to tackle the problems facing our urban environments.

With a focus on increasing well-being, access to green space, and equity in the city, the Emerging Urban Leaders program will tackle inequality and improve the quality of life for all urban space users.

Fellows will discuss with and be mentored by a wide range of established leaders from urban design, conservation, civil society, government, and health sectors.

The first cohort began on March 17, 2021, and this second group of Fellows will run from September 2022 to August 2023. Through this time, the program will be augmented with regular sessions with an assigned mentor and opportunities for exchange with the wider Salzburg Global and World Urban Parks’ communities.

To be able to achieve the objectives of this program, it consists of multiple elements:

Two-Hour Monthly Meetings

  • One hour of discussion with an influential leader.
  • One hour of group discussion, peer-peer advice sharing, reflection, and project progress reports.

Project Development

  • Each Fellow undertakes a practical project over the course of their participation in the program. Project ideas were submitted as part of the application process.
  • Ongoing support to implement the projects is provided in the form of mentorship, peer advice, and regular goal-setting and feedback sessions.

Mentorship

  • Each Fellow is assigned a mentor-based (where possible) on their preferences to support them in implementing their project.
  • Mentor and mentee meet regularly over the course of the year-long program.

Thought Leadership

  • Fellows have the opportunity to submit articles to the ICLEI Cities with Nature Buzz monthly newsletter, Salzburg Global, World Urban Parks, and the Diplomatic Courier, as well as present their work on the Futures Cities Podcast and the World Urban Parks congress.

Fellows in the second Emerging Urban Leaders cohort include:

  • Bianca Abud, Biologist, Park Manager, Urbia Gestao de Parques, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Suramya Bansal, Student, Rock Art Research Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Matt Boyce, Ph.D. Candidate, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States of America
  • Lucia Caves, Landscape Architect and Parks Project Manager, Thrive Spaces and Places Ltd. Christchurch, New Zealand
  • Elizabeth Chege, Festival Director, Africa in Motion Film Festival Glasgow, United Kingdom
  • Gábor Csapó, Google Nest, Taiwan
  • Temuulen Enkhbat, Researcher, GerHub NGO, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • Anas Sanusi Gusau, CEO, Golden Star Development Initiative, Sokoto, Nigeria
  • Mayu Ferrufino, Executive Director, Cuscatlán Park Foundation (FUNDAPARC)
  • Catie Hastings, D.E.I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Coordinator, City of Coral Gables United States of America
  • Matias Honour, Project Director, Fundacion Mi Parque, Santiago, Chile
  • Christina Jang, Program Manager of Technical Assistance, 10-Minute Walk Program, Trust for Public Land, New York, United States of America
  • Zairah Khan, BlueO2, The Hague, The Netherlands
  • Venus Kashyap, Assistant Professor, Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women, New Delhi, India
  • Naim Keruwala, Program Director, CITIIS National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi, India
  • Anna Mathis, Natural Resources Manager, City of Chattanooga, USA
  • Nalini Mohan, Parks Program Coordinator, City of Calgary, Canada
  • Paula Moreira, Project Management Office, Niterói City Hall, Brazil
  • Irene Nagudi, Team Lead, Kichini Gardeners Initiative, Wakiso, Uganda
  • Chúk Odenigbo, Directeur fondateur, Future Ancestors Services, McLennan, Canada
  • Emilia Oscilowicz, Research and Community Relations Coordinator, Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability Barcelona, Spain
  • Ayanda Roji, General Manager: Research and Knowledge Management, City of Johannesburg Parks Agency, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Mateja Rot, CEO and Founder, City Says and Head of international relations SUUW, City Says / Slovene Union of University Women SUUW Ljubljana, Slovenia
  • Renelle Sarjeant, Urban Planner and Designer, Public Space Global, Earth Medic Foundation for Planetary Health, La Romain, Trinidad, and Tobago
  • Rasha Sayed, Professor in Architecture Engineering and Landscape Architecture, Birmingham City University
  • Treasure Sheppard, Analyst, Los Angeles County Development Authority Alhambra, United States
  • Christy Spier, Adaptive Communities Coordinator, Green Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
  • Masamichi Tamura, Co-Chair / Doctoral Student, World Urban Parks (Ageing, Well-being & Parks committee) / Tokyo Institute of Technology (architecture), Tokyo, Japan
  • Matthias Weber, It’s the Glue, Hamburg, Germany
  • Gavin White, Director of Planning and Projects, Riverlife, Pittsburgh, United States of America
  • Savit Willmott, Chief Executive, The Natural History Consortium, Bristol, United Kingdom
  • Alexander Wray, Project Coordinator, ParkSeek Canada, London, Canada

Find out more about theEmerging Urban Leaders program and World Urban Parks.

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Inaugural Cohort of Public Policy New Voices Europe Revealed
Head shots of the 29 Fellows chosen for the inaugural cohort of Public Policy New Voices Europe, plus the logos of Salzburg Global Seminar and Public Policy New Voices EuropeThe inaugural cohort will focus on how public policy can build inclusive communities that are welcoming to diverse groups of people
Inaugural Cohort of Public Policy New Voices Europe Revealed
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Fellows are based in 23 cities, spanning 10 countries, and represent 16 nationalities

Salzburg Global Seminar and The Walt Disney Company are excited to reveal the inaugural cohort of Public Policy New Voices Europe.

This dynamic year-long fellowship program will provide Fellows with opportunities to build their capacity through virtual and in-person meetings, peer learning, mentorship, networking, and internship opportunities.

Each annual cohort of the Fellowship will work towards addressing a big-picture public policy challenge.

The inaugural cohort will focus on how public policy can build inclusive communities that are welcoming to diverse groups of people.

These groups include, but are not limited to, seniors, youth, children, LGBT* people, immigrants and newcomers, persons with disabilities, people experiencing mental health challenges, and low-income populations.

The associate program director responsible for Public Policy New Voices Europe, Faye Hobson, said, “We are thrilled with the interest and quality of applications we received. We want to thank everyone who took the time to apply and put their name forward.

“The group of Fellows we selected are representative of many types of diversity and working in different fields including the corporate sector, academia, NGOs, and government. We are excited to work with each of them and help support them in their personal and professional growth.

“Next week, we will host two online sessions for the Fellows where they can co-design the goals of the network and become better acquainted with one another. We can’t wait to get started.”

Fellows in the inaugural cohort are based in 23 cities spread across 10 countries. They also represent 16 nationalities. These Fellows include:

  • Alifya Akberali, Programme Coordinator, READ Foundation UK
  • Alia’ Al-Wir, Head of Business Development, AIESEC, Austria
  • Jessica Antonisse, Policy and Project Assistant, The ONE Campaign, Belgium
  • Sarah Arfeen, Trainee, Council of the European Union, Germany
  • Najib Obaid Babakerkhail, Director and Founder, French Refugee Council France
  • Lennard Bartlett, Masters Student, Kings College London, Switzerland
  • Rebecca Bassey, Senior Programme Specialist, The Ormiston Trust, United Kingdom
  • Claudia Batz, Policy and Projects Coordinator, World Obesity Federation, United Kingdom
  • Christopher Nex Benas, Research Associate, Leibniz Center for Science and Society, Germany
  • Evelina Dimitrova, Board of Directors, Roden Dvor Association, Bulgaria
  • Chougher Maria Doughramajian, President, Voices of Young Refugees in Europe, United Kingdom
  • Etinosa Erevbenagrie-Johnbull, Managing Director, Generation for Change CY, Cyprus
  • Sude-Meryem Fidan, Student of Political Science, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Germany
  • Roquia Gonçalves Guerra Camara, Ph.D. Student, Aix-Marseille University, France
  • Nadia Hafedh, Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns, Save the Children UK, United Kingdom
  • Mariam Harutyunyan, Strategic Advisor, Innovation - Marketing - D&I, KinArmat and A Seat At The Table, Belgium
  • Lauri Heikkinen, Freelance Disability Policy/Accessibility Consultant, Finland
  • Alexander Holmes, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, The Diana Award, United Kingdom
  • Alexander Kuch, International Parliamentary Scholar (IPS) – German Parliament, Germany
  • Leila Laing, Account Executive, Hanover, United Kingdom
  • Constantin-Alexandru Manda, Vice-President, Group of European Youth for Change, Romania
  • Consolata Ndungu, Transformation Programme Officer, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
  • Nomaqhikiza Nkala, MPhil in Public Policy Candidate at University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
  • Olatunji Offeyi, Freelance Journalist, United Kingdom
  • Kebesobase Onen-Ifere, Barrister and Solicitor, United Kingdom
  • Hannelore Pourier, Master Student, Maastricht University/United Nations University, The Netherlands
  • Diana Raiselis, Research Lead, VibeLab, Germany
  • Safiullah Safi, Student, Cambridge University, Norway
  • Great Udochi, Master Student, Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, Germany
  • Diana Zsoldos, Communications and Logistics Officer for International Cooperation, European Disability Forum, Belgium

Read our Fellows' biographies, and learn more about them.

Find out more about Public Policy New Voices Europe. Keep up to date with further developments at Salzburg Global by registering for our newsletter.


* LGBT: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender. We are using this term as it is currently widely used in human rights conversations on sexual orientation and gender identity in many parts of the world, but we would not wish it to be read as exclusive of other cultural concepts, contemporary or historical, to express sexuality and gender, intersex and gender non-conforming identities.

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Music, Land, and Language
Separate photos of Lazaros Damanis and Sacramento Knoxx on a gray backgroundLazaros Damanis (left) attended the Cultural Innovators Forum in 2014 and is now collaborating with Sacramento Knoxx (right)
Music, Land, and Language
By: Shiba Melissa Mazaza 

Athens-based Cultural Innovator Lazaros Damanis discusses his cross-hub collaboration with Detroit-based Sacramento Knoxx

Athens is a vivid city and one of the most historically influential Greek city-states. It carries values from the classical age that blend, bend and sometimes break with the modern era of social media, social capital, and social shifts. History speaks of philosophers on hills contemplating the meaning of life, the source of creativity, olive branches exchanged in moments of interrelatedness, and our ability to alter our worldviews once those connections are fully explored. Yet, so often, words like “democracy,” “compassion,” and “philosophy” are bandied about without much substance. Still, today, two Salzburg Global Fellows aim to ensure this trend doesn’t continue.

At the moment, cultural and societal turbulence is at the epicenter of an ongoing transformation in Greece. Musician, artist and activist Lazaros Damanis believes resilience and adaptation lead the way to stay flexible enough to change with the surrounding world. In 2014, he became a Fellow of the Cultural Innovators Forum. His time at Salzburg Global reassured him he needed to further embrace global shifts. This assurance was reaffirmed when he met Sacramento Knoxx, a Detroit-based music archivist participating in the program. Thus, a seed was planted during his time at Schloss Leopoldskron that is still bearing fruit today.

“We met for the first time around noon; this was during a workshop that allowed us to introduce ourselves and share some views, mainly from our musical background. Since Knoxx is a songwriter/musician and I am a sound engineer/festival organizer, the path was already there. Knoxx is like a gentle mountain, calm and decent until he starts playing music. From this point, he transforms into a very vivid persona.

“For me, his character and the way he writes his lyrics... the passion for change with music as a tool made me feel quite close to his mindset. We both speak the universal language of music that feeds the soul and ultimately changes the world.”

In 2020, Knoxx, also known as Christopher Yepez, produced a track called LVNDBVCK during heightened tensions worldwide in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a police officer. The likelihood that two cultures so far removed from one another would be able to see eye to eye appeared to be small, but this was not true for the two creators.

Supported by the Cultural Innovators Forum and the Kresge Foundation, Knoxx and Damanis developed an idea for a joint project that emulated their connection. The project brought forth a combination of reverence for pre-colonial mother earth in the US, and the introspective nature of ancient Greek life, with the two finding common ground among the rubble 2020 had wrought.

The project was initially named “Waawiiyatanong,” a word that means “returning to the ways in which the people flourished here.” It is also the Indigenous name for what we understand today as Detroit. The pair were inspired by the idea of hearkening back to push their hopes for the future forward. Until the 1970s, it was illegal for Indigenous people to have any ceremonies in the US. Now they hope to host events that will break new ground for the people who know the land as it was before and can be going forth.

Athens is still, according to Damanis, “developing its transformational thought-culture.” Meanwhile, Detroit’s rich indigenous history, along with developing protest music in house and hip hop as havens for black and indigenous people, teach us more about cultivating a heritage of acceptance and respect, which can, in turn, translate to opportunities for reparations and growth in today’s cultural arenas.

“It is well known that music as a form of expression and furthermore as a universal language can involve different cultures and create connections amongst people. Our main goal is to preserve the cultural heritage of such a vivid area [in Detroit) using music as the main vehicle of our cultural exchange in order to create a multi-cultural cluster with an open-source philosophy.”

This idea involves three days of hybrid workshops, exhibitions, performances, and participation from both sides. Still, the pandemic has thus far prevented them from seeing the full extent of their dreams:

“Implementing the project as it was conceptualized is a bit difficult because we both believe that nothing can replace human contact,” says Damanis. “Having in mind that in Detroit, everyday living has a lot of unpredictable parameters, a purely online project may not have the same impact as it was planned.

"Living and working in Athens - and in other rural areas of Greece - under the scope of a country that works on resilience during tough socio-economic times, one of key factors that led us to a premature stability was the focus on our behavioral roots, bringing up values such as empathy, acceptance, courage and moreover to re-establish solidarity through participation and active citizenship.

“My aim is to apply in a different context methodologies and ideas that worked in my home, having the belief that it can be fruitful for the native arts and culture in Detroit, and of course for the people who are the real actors, acting as catalysts of change.“

As it stands, their project is still in production, but the two continue to think of ways to carve out a new path together, whether digitally or on the ground. In the meantime, Knoxx has released a new album called ‘Medicine Bag,’ which details his passion for Waawiiyatanong and the balance of mind, body, and spirit. Stream the deluxe version on Bandcamp.

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Daniel Mminele Joins Salzburg Global’s Board of Directors
Daniel Mminele attended the Salzburg Global Seminar program, Financial Services in the Post-Pandemic Era: An Opportunity for a Green and Digitally Enabled Recovery, in 2021
Daniel Mminele Joins Salzburg Global’s Board of Directors
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Former deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank keen to increase educational opportunities for the next generation of rising African leaders

Salzburg Global Seminar is delighted to announce Daniel Mminele has joined its Board of Directors, effective as of June 17, 2021.

Until April 2021, Daniel served as group chief executive at Absa Group Limited. Before joining Absa in January 2020, he was a deputy governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), where he served two five-year terms.

Daniel also served as the G20 Central Bank deputy for South Africa and the Chairman of the Deputies for the International Monetary Financial Committee.

Commenting on his appointment, Daniel said, “I am excited to join the board of Salzburg Global Seminar given the history of the organization and what it aims to achieve in shaping a better world.

“The challenges we have been experiencing as a global community highlight the importance of organizations such as Salzburg Global Seminar in bringing together leaders to find solutions to increasingly interconnected challenges that require global and integrated responses.”

Victoria Mars, Chairman of Salzburg Global, said, “We are very pleased to welcome Daniel Mminele to Salzburg Global Seminar’s Board of Directors. Daniel has served his native South Africa as Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank and was previously chief executive officer of ABSA Group. He clearly brings a wealth of experience in the financial field and is already involved with Salzburg Global Seminar through his active participation in our Finance Forum.

“In line with our mission of ‘Challenging current and future leaders to shape a better world,’ Daniel is especially interested in increasing educational opportunities for the next generation of rising African leaders.”

Read Daniel’s bio in full. 

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Salzburg Global's Main Seminar Room Renamed Fellows Hall
Photo collage of Fellows Hall, featuring a wide shot of the room, a close-up of two chairs, a picture of a sign that says Fellows Hall, and a photo of a window that looks out onto the lake.Fellows Hall, a space which will remain at the heart of our programs
Salzburg Global's Main Seminar Room Renamed Fellows Hall
By: Benjamin Glahn 

On Salzburg Global Day, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Benjamin Glahn reveals new name for room formerly known as Parker Hall

Happy Salzburg Global Day!

Today we recognize the anniversary of our first program, which began on 15 July 1947, and we celebrate you, the Fellows and friends of Salzburg Global Seminar. On this day each year we reflect on how much we have to be thankful for - especially for the continued commitment and desire to shape a better world among our global fellowship.

As we look ahead to our rapidly approaching 75th anniversary, we are initiating a year of opportunities to celebrate and honor all of our Fellows. We could think of no better way to begin than by sharing the news that we have renamed our main seminar room from Parker Hall to Fellows Hall.

Fellows Hall has long been at the heart of our programs. It is where many of us first met colleagues and started new friendships. It is where we heard innovative ideas, wrestled with challenging problems, and shared emotional stories. It is where we work with one another to consider different approaches, explore issues from multiple perspectives, and initiate change processes that continue to have an impact for years into the future.

We have not held in-person programs at Schloss Leopoldskron since March 2020, but we have used this period to renovate many of our historic rooms – including Fellows Hall. We are grateful to our generous donors who have helped finance this work.

We appreciate that Salzburg Global, at its heart, is all of us, and we are proud to have renamed one of our most important spaces to reflect that. We eagerly await the chance to have Fellows again here in Salzburg to bring the new Fellows Hall to life!


PS - As we look forward to our 75th anniversary in July 2022, let today mark the beginning of a celebration in your honor! We encourage you to mark this day however you wish to: organize an online call with friends made at a Salzburg program; share a memory on social media using #SalzburgGlobalDay; or, catch up with Salzburg Global’s latest news or take a look at our upcoming programs. Today is your day!

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Salzburg Global Pilots New Leadership Initiative
From top row, left to right, headshots of Jihyun Park, Isabelle Weber, Allison Maier, Yohan Lee, Ga Young Imm, and Aaisha Dadi Patel(From top row, left to right) Jihyun Park, Isabelle Weber, Allison Maier, Yohan Lee, Ga Young Imm, and Aaisha Dadi Patel
Salzburg Global Pilots New Leadership Initiative
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Impact Fellows will perform a variety of roles within Salzburg Global and take part in cross-cultural learning and capacity building

Salzburg Global Seminar is piloting a new initiative to engage the next generation of change-makers.

The Salzburg Global Impact Fellowship hopes to create a unique career development opportunity for promising individuals from around the world to build their professional experience and skillset.

The goals of the Impact Fellowship program are to:

  • Offer unique, global professional development opportunities for promising younger individuals from around the world;
  • Help them build their international professional experience and networks;
  • And Integrate the knowledge, skills, and perspectives of a diverse group of next-generation leaders into the work of Salzburg Global and our partners.

Opportunities also exist for cross-cultural learning, peer learning, capacity building, and mentorship. Impact Fellows will perform a variety of roles including administration, operations, program, development, evaluation, and communications.

Salzburg Global will also provide Impact Fellows with support for their next steps in their careers.
Each Impact Fellow, for now, will work remotely for a minimum of three months with the possibility of an extension. This policy will be reviewed as and when travel restrictions ease.

In April 2021, Allison Maier and Isabelle Weber became Salzburg Global’s first Impact Fellows. Maier has worked on the Education Policymakers Network. Weber, meanwhile, has been assisting the Salzburg Global LGBT* Forum, the Emerging Urban Leaders program, and the Parks for the Planet Forum.

Aaisha Dadi Patel joined Salzburg Global’s Public Affairs Team as an Impact Reporter in the same month. Based in South Africa, Dadi Patel reports on programs and writes features for publication in print and online, focusing on Salzburg Global Fellows and their work.

At the beginning of June 2021, Salzburg Global welcomed three new Impact Fellows supported by the Korea Foundation: Gayoung Imm, Jihyun Park, and Yohan Lee. Imm will work on Salzburg Global’s health programs, while Park will assist the Salzburg Global Finance Forumand the Salzburg Global Corporate Governance Forum. Lee will assist Maier on the Education Policymakers Network and programs that fall under the Culture, Arts, and Societymulti-year series.

Jennifer Dunn, program development manager at Salzburg Global, said, “We are excited that the Impact Fellowship will provide a valuable opportunity for young leaders to develop their professional skills and experience in the international non-profit sphere.

“Salzburg Global Seminar has always been committed to the idea of enhancing the careers of our Fellows, and the Impact Fellow program will take this a step further and embed this concept deeper into our working practices. We are looking forward to benefitting from the diverse perspectives and enthusiasm of the Impact Fellows and are delighted to welcome them all to the Salzburg Global team.”

Shaping A Better World

The Salzburg Global Impact Fellowship is just the latest example of the organization helping to challenge current and future leaders to shape a better world.

To date, Salzburg Global’s Internship Program has welcomed hundreds of young people at the beginning of their careers who have since become established professionals in different sectors worldwide. The organization has made every effort to select a diverse group of interns and align their general and specific assignments to maximize their learning experience and the contribution they can make.

Jinsu Park, a former Salzburg Global Seminar – Korea Foundation Intern in 2017, said his time in Austria was “very meaningful” and allowed him to experience a new culture for the first time. He said, “[At Salzburg Global I] was surprised that people can communicate with each other without any restrictions, even though they have different cultures, different backgrounds, and different positions.”

Before arriving, Park said he could not have imagined an internship like the one he did. He said, “Fellows come here to learn other’s perspectives. This is important. It is a good chance to see how people communicate with each other without any background, without any positions, and any emotional purpose. That is what I think is meaningful for me. It is more meaningful because it was like a window for me. I had never seen this kind of culture before…

“It motivated me to challenge myself to go abroad... I was not sure that I could communicate with people in Western society in our society. [At Salzburg] I realized that even though I was not that good [at speaking], I realized that I could listen to them. I can understand what they want, and I can understand what they are saying. So maybe I can be better. I got [more] confidence about my communication skills and ability: 'Oh, I think I can do more. I want to do more.”

In 2019, Park returned to Salzburg Global Seminar as a Fellow for the Parks for the Planet Forum program, “Partnerships for Urban Wellbeing and Resilience: Harnessing Nature and Protected Areas for the Sustainable Development Goals.” He was invited to attend in his capacity as a climate change consultant at Eco & Partners. He also served as a committee member for the 2050 low carbon society vision forum launched by the Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea.

Park said, “When I was an intern, I believed Fellows in programs talked to each other randomly. They also even tried to talk to interns or staff - everyone at Salzburg Global Seminar. When I was a Fellow, I realized that it is more random than I think. They just love to talk...”

“The reason why I came [to Salzburg] was to expand my perspective and my insight… diversity makes me more creative. From that moment, I started not to rush… I do not have the mind [now] that I have to be something, or I have to be someone. I can be anything – anyone – because there are tons of jobs that I can choose… I feel like I expanded my possibility because I did not have to try and be something. I just keep expanding my ability, skills, and network.”

In 2020, Salzburg Global Seminar and World Urban Parks launched the Emerging Urban Leaders program. As part of the application, candidates were asked to submit a project they would like to pursue. Park was selected to join the inaugural cohort after expressing his interest to look at the correlation between park utility and inequality in Asian cities.

Park is currently studying in London, England. He is majoring in environmental economics and climate change at the London School of Economics and Political Science. One benefit Park has had from interacting with other Salzburg Global Fellows is learning how change can be achieved all around the world. He said, “I realized that there are so many ways that I didn’t think about before.” Park’s interactions with Fellows have also made him more hopeful. He added, “Maybe it is our turn to change our society.”

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Salzburg Global Appoints Values Process Facilitators
Salzburg Global Seminar logo and photos of Greta Muscat Azzopardi (left) and Carl Swanson (right)Greta Muscat Azzopardi (left) and Carl Swanson (right) are part of the Cultural Innovators Forum
Salzburg Global Appoints Values Process Facilitators
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Carl Swanson and Greta Muscat Azzopardi will support an internal process to identify the organizational values that guide Salzburg Global Seminar's work

Salzburg Global Fellows will help Salzburg Global Seminar identify the organizational values that guide its work as part of a new internal process.

Carl Swanson and Greta Muscat Azzopardi have been appointed Values Process Facilitators to meet this objective and begin their work later this month.

Swanson is an associate director at Springboard for the Arts, a national leader in artist resources and artist-led community development based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Muscat Azzopardi is a facilitator, coach, and communications mentor based in Malta.

Both have attended programs hosted by the Cultural Innovators Forum and remain an active part of the network.

Salzburg Global recognizes that identifying organizational values for the entire institution, including Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron, is an important part of strategic planning.

Salzburg Global is committed to reviewing its purpose, practices, and policies related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. On the recommendation of staff, board members, and Fellows, the organization will undertake this internal process to help solidify and communicate its values.

Working with staff, Swanson and Muscat Azzopardi will help define the organization's values that will guide future programmatic direction, institutional business opportunities, and brand identity.

Swanson said, "As a Fellow, I've experienced the value of these programs and have fond memories of the connections and experiences at the Schloss Leopoldskron. Organizations are made up of people, and so the work that we do towards clearer understanding and communication together makes for more creative and responsive organizations. Greta and I are here to listen, to raise up the values that are present, and work with the staff to build [a] common language and common goals. It is a very exciting project with a very exciting organization."

Muscat Azzopardi said, "I worked in the past with a group of hotels, implementing brand guidelines born from the aspirations of a small group of executives in a design agency. I, therefore, know the pitfalls of failing to involve the people at the heart of operations. I am so happy to now be facilitating an inclusive values process to acknowledge, celebrate and build on what this organization's members already hold together. This process is an important part of building tools that feel right and stay alive in the coming years."

Both Swanson and Muscat Azzopardi will deliver the identification of three to five core institutional values, a draft values statement, an action plan for operationalization, and recommendations for internal practices and communication.

They will virtually meet with staff from Salzburg Global and Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron next month.

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Conceptualizing Mass Violence: Representations, Recollections, and Reinterpretations
Navras J. Aafreedi (left) and Priya Singh (right) and cover of Conceptualizing Mass Violence: Representations, Recollections, and Reinterpretations (Photo of Aafreedi by Joel Mason-Gaines at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)Navras J. Aafreedi (left) and Priya Singh (right) and cover of Conceptualizing Mass Violence: Representations, Recollections, and Reinterpretations (Photo of Aafreedi by Joel Mason-Gaines at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
Conceptualizing Mass Violence: Representations, Recollections, and Reinterpretations
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Salzburg Global Fellows contribute chapters to a new book exploring the varied memories of mass violence

Several Salzburg Global Fellows have contributed to a new book exploring episodes of mass violence from the twentieth century to the present.

Conceptualizing Mass Violence: Representations, Recollections, and Reinterpretations was published on May 14, 2021, by Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group.

Edited by Salzburg Global Fellow Navras J. Aafreedi and by Priya Singh, the book features essays by Salzburg Global Fellows Yael Siman, Srimanti Sarkar, Tali Nates, Güneş Murat Tezcür, and Stephanie Shosh Rotem. In addition, Charles Ehrlich, a program director at Salzburg Global Seminar, has also authored a chapter.

Aafreedi said, "The volume aims to encourage scholars, academics, and activists to come together to understand mass violence from a fresh perspective.  

"The primary intention is to comprehend how episodes of mass violence through history have been represented, reminisced, and reinterpreted with a view to rationalize the failure in preventing the same and consequently, what remedial measures can be adopted, such as Holocaust [and] genocide awareness and education, to restrict its occurrence in the future."

Conceptualizing Mass Violence: Representations, Recollections, and Reinterpretations is an edited collection including several papers presented at a conference Aafreedi organized in Kolkata in 2017 - Prevention of Mass Violence and Promotion of Tolerance: Lessons from History. Salzburg Global representation at that event included Ehrlich, Rotem, and Sarkar, as well as the late Edward Mortimer, then a senior advisor for Salzburg Global.

While Aafreedi has never directly experienced mass violence, an incident he had aged 13 left an impression on him. He said, "[I experienced] a curfew imposed in my hometown, Lucknow, in Uttar Pradesh, India, during the several months of Hindu-Muslim clashes in the aftermath of the demolition of the 16th-century Babri mosque in Ayodhya in 1992, which gave me a sense of threat to my life just because of what my communal affiliation was perceived to be.

"The fact that low-scale mob violence is cyclic in nature and intertwined with India's electoral politics triggered my interest in the subject of mass violence. I also noticed that in spite of the frequent occurrence of mob violence in India, there was no formal education about it at any level in Indian academia with the aim and objective of preventing it."  

Aafreedi said the absence of a memorial to lives lost during the partition of India in 1947 also caught his attention. He added, "The more I read about mob and mass violence, the more I realized how people in India could indulge in mob violence with a certain degree of impunity given the extremely low rate of conviction.  

"My desire to understand the causes of mass violence and what could be done for its prevention stimulated my interest in Holocaust studies. It, in turn, led to a desire to raise awareness of the Holocaust as I encountered a tendency to deny the historicity of the Holocaust or minimize its scale in certain sections of society."   

In 2009, Aafreedi organized a Holocaust film retrospective, the first-ever in South Asia. In 2012, he convened a workshop at Yad Vashem on how to educate Indians about the Holocaust. He has also attended events at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, including the Conference for International Holocaust Education in 2015. The graduate course on Holocaust and genocide studies that he started at Presidency University in Kolkata is the first of its kind in South Asia.

Within Salzburg Global Seminar’s Holocaust Education and Genocide Prevention (HEGP) series, Aafreedi has participated in the 2014 program, "Holocaust and Genocide Education: Sharing Experience Across Borders." In 2017, as part of the HEGP initiative “Combating Extremism and Promoting Pluralism,” he worked with other Salzburg Global Fellows to help advise on the establishment of a graduate degree program in "Conflict Resolution and Peace Governance" including a component on Holocaust education, in Morocco.

Essays in Aafreedi's new book "explore and deliberate upon the varied aspects of mass violence, namely revisionism, reconstruction, atrocities, trauma, memorialization and literature, the need for Holocaust education, and the criticality of dialogue and reconciliation."

The book, available as a hardback or eBook, would interest postgraduate students and scholars from the interdisciplinary fields of Holocaust and genocide studies, history, political science, sociology, world history, human rights, and global studies.  

Ehrlich said, "This book makes an exciting addition to the literature because it covers such a wide range of angles, geographically (across six continents) and thematically.  It examines not the mass violence itself but rather the memory of mass violence and how it is used for different purposes.  If we are to learn the lessons from mass atrocities, we need to remember them properly, and also learn the lessons from how they are remembered – this book illustrates these aspects across multiple contexts and disciplines."

Reflecting on his essay, "Holocaust, Propaganda, and the Distortion of History in the Former Soviet Space," Ehrlich said, "During my time working in the former Soviet Union and other post-communist countries, I witnessed the misuse of the Holocaust within current state (primarily Russian) propaganda and in false popular narratives in countries where the Holocaust took place.   

"Not only was a Jewish presence in Eastern Europe erased by the Nazis, but also the memory of that presence has been erased twice more: first by communists (later morphing into the current Russian narrative) and subsequently by countries regaining their independence from Russian occupation. My chapter thus addresses the distortion and misuse of history."

Tali Nates, founder and director of the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, said she was delighted to contribute an essay titled "New Developments in Holocaust and Genocide Education in South Africa."  

Nates said, "The essay looks at critical questions such as 'How do you teach about the Holocaust and genocide and use these histories as tools to understand human rights and democracy?' This is a key question in South Africa, a country still recovering from the devastating legacy of Apartheid. The essay looks at the opportunities and challenges that Holocaust and genocide education offers in South Africa, looking at the case study of the work of the... Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre."

Güneş Murat Tezcür, Kurdish Political Studies program director at the University of Central Florida, has co-written an essay with Tutku Ayhan titled, "Overcoming' Intimate Hatreds:' Reflections on Violence against Yazidis."  

Tezcür said, "The self-styled Islamic State (IS)'s violent campaign against the Yezidis, a historically marginalized community, in northern Iraq in August 2014 was an unmitigated disaster for the community. In our contribution… Tutku Ayhan and I demonstrate that the relationships between Yezidis and their neighbors, mostly Sunni Muslims, exhibited complexity and countervailing tendencies that could not be accurately captured by a prism of minority victimhood.  

"At the same time, religious stigmatization transmitted across generations fomented anti-Yezidi violence and provided justifications for extreme practices. We reached a paradoxical conclusion: what is most unprecedented about the IS attacks is the growing international awareness of Yezidis and acceptance of them as a faith group entitled to rights, recognition, and dignity."

Srimanti Sarkar, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at West Bengal State University, has written an essay titled, "The Genocide of 1971 in Bangladesh: Lessons from History."

Sarkar said, "History is constructed. The history of genocide in Bangladesh, too, is constructed. For drawing a reasonable lesson out of such a 'constructed' history of genocide, one must cautiously de-construct and subsequently reconstruct the widely professed historiography.  

"The chapter [I have written] highlights some of the immanent challenges within the Bangladeshi polity that prevent one from drawing an encompassing lesson from a history of genocide."

Yael Siman, associate professor of social and political sciences at Iberoamericana University, co-wrote a chapter with Daniela Gleizer, a researcher at the Institute of Historical Research, National Autonomous University. Their chapter is titled, "Holocaust survivors in Mexico: intersecting and conflicting narratives of open doors, welcoming society and personal hardships."

Siman said, "We have been working on the experiences and the narratives of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Mexico since a few years ago. Our research has been largely based on oral history, although we have also analyzed historical documents from the National Institute of Immigration and family archives of Holocaust survivors.

"As we listened to the survivors' testimonies, we were puzzled by their stories, especially because they contrasted with the narrative of gratitude… still widely shared in Mexico. This narrative has been officially promoted by the government (through different administrations), museums, and the local Jewish community. But the testimonies of survivors tell a very different story: Holocaust survivors came to Mexico mainly because they had family in this country.  

"Even if their first encounters were warm, they faced various hardships that included difficulties to learn the language, find a job or pay for their education, obtaining a work permit, facing a numb community that did not want to listen to their trauma, and not being able to become citizens. Readers of this chapter will learn about the transnational histories of the Holocaust in Latin America while becoming aware of the hardships experienced by many survivors who, like other victims of mass violence, have been forced to leave their countries of origin and face structural obstacles, stigma and uneasy relationships in the new places of destination."

For more information on the book and to buy a copy, please visit Routledge.com

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Salzburg Global Revisited: Building Healthy, Equitable Communities
A close up of people placing their hands on a branch.
Salzburg Global Revisited: Building Healthy, Equitable Communities
By: Joseph Caron Dawe 

Fellows from 2018 program reconvene online for follow-up discussion

In a continuation of the 2018 program, Building Healthy, Equitable Communities: The Role of Inclusive Urban Development and Investment, Salzburg Global Fellows reunited to discuss their experiences and further share their expertise across multiple areas of interest, with a specific focus on how COVID-19 has both impacted and will further shape the development of healthier, more equitable communities.

Addressing key questions such as how built environments have affected the severity of the pandemic and the inequities in its impact, and what the priorities in its aftermath should be, participants shared various examples of the opportunities COVID-19 had forced open for advancement.

Key Takeaways

  • Community-based leadership will be critical in creating healthier and more equitable communities.   
  • Listening to community-embedded organizations and individuals will help speed up and advance government-level responses to important issues around development and investment.
  • A more holistic view of how health and equity are connected to the built environment and community design will be central to dealing with post-COVID 19 challenges.

Shifting Perceptions of Public Health and Development as a Direct Result of the Pandemic

A recurring thread of the discussion was that a shift in perception around public health and development in the wider policy-making field meant, in many cases, public health was now at many tables it had not been at before. This has led to a greater acknowledgment of its importance in creating more inclusive strategies and being deferred to as a leading voice in the pandemic recovery.

How people think about public health and what it can do is something else that has changed with the impact of the pandemic. One example highlighted was the recent dissolution of Public Health England, the functions of which would now be moved into a more central government department where links with other departments would be much stronger.

Other comments from participants delivered a common theme that the built environment had been elevated in conversations in a way it had not before, but the challenge moving forward was to now keep people engaged.

A shift in the confrontation of privilege and power from being a fringe concept to something that is now front and center of public discourse, along with equity and inclusivity being central themes, were also surfaced throughout the discussions.

Opportunities To Listen to People and Develop Community Leadership Infrastructure

Inspirational community leadership has touched many areas of modern society as it continues to deal with the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.

In one case study put forward, participants heard about an initiative of the Healthy Neighborhoods Research Consortium at the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston, MA, which focuses on inequitable development and how communities need to be central to remedying this.

At the onset of the pandemic, at-risk groups were quickly identified by the consortium, which included key workers, public transit employees, and other vulnerable parts of the community, and impact research was conducted. Recommendations were made to policymakers to help inform decisions around critical measures such as paycheck support, well ahead of federal government intervention.

This powerfully highlighted the importance of listening to people living within communities, the essential value in community-based leadership being able to act earlier, and a need to consider creating an infrastructure for community leadership to be able to implant public health not as good practice but as essential and critical for equity.

Holistic Views Are Needed Moving Forward

A more holistic view of how health and equity are connected to the built environment and community design will be central to dealing with the challenges that need to be navigated as we emerge from the pandemic. Health challenges will continue to evolve, and so will our connection to the environment in which we live. 

Some cities are already taking holistic and inclusive approaches to strategy and have been for some time. Utrecht in the Netherlands was highlighted as one such city, where COVID-19 provoked questions on how it could become even more people-oriented and further develop into a sustainable city.

One example of how the city is adapting to address inclusivity was a student initiative in which a bike pathway painted in rainbow colors was created to draw attention to the acceptance, equality and safety of all people from the LGBT* community.

* LGBT: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender. We are using this term as it is currently widely used in human rights conversations on sexual orientation and gender identity in many parts of the world, and we would wish it to be read as inclusive of other cultural concepts, contemporary or historical, to express sexuality and gender, intersex and gender non-conforming identities.

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Salzburg Global Revisited: Halting the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
A colorful selection of fruits and vegetables on a table, as seen from above.
Salzburg Global Revisited: Halting the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
By: Joseph Caron Dawe 

Fellows from 2019 program reconvene online for follow-up discussion

Salzburg Global Fellows reconvened for a further session of the Halting the Childhood Obesity Epidemic: Identifying Decisive Interventions in Complex Systems program, held initially in December 2019, to share experiences and explore ways to move forward from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Takeaways

  • Voluntary and community-led efforts were crucial in delivering food security to children during the pandemic and will continue to be.
  • How food security is framed in public and policy discourse as a rights issue will have a huge impact on any progress in addressing inequality.
  • The acceleration and reinvention of how services are delivered, and a more holistic approach to child obesity and nutrition, will be central to strategies that will combat the issue.

Adaptation of Community-led Programs To Help Tackle Food Poverty

The responses of communities worldwide to the pandemic’s impact on food supply and access was a topic that came to the fore during the session.

In Canada, there is no centrally funded scheme for school meals, but two large charities and many smaller organizations work within schools to ensure children receive healthy meals. During the pandemic, two million children missed school meals due to lockdowns. School meal programs in many neighborhoods were rapidly adapted to provide food support for families losing work and income.

Despite being underfunded, school meal programs in the country proved to be one of the most resilient structures during COVID-19. Participants put forward similar community activations in other parts of the world during the discussion, with stories of community organizations stopping their normal activities to participate in food security and provision.

This huge voluntary and societal effort will be key in tackling food insecurity moving forwards as the intrinsic link between food security, increased risk factors for childhood obesity such as ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status, and the impact on the food supply chain were all reflected on.

Opportunities will now arise to accelerate or reinvent how services are delivered. A more holistic and collaborative approach between agencies and sectors will be required to find true equity in a post-pandemic world.

Framing of Messaging and Legislation Around Food During COVID-19

How food provision is approached and legislated is also a key factor in tackling child obesity.

In Mexico, the ministry of health held daily televised press conferences at the onset of the pandemic, communicating key information and reinforcing the importance of food in the challenges posed by COVID-19. At the same time, frontal labels on food packaging with nutritional information were widely implemented.

This constant transmission of a clear message had a profound impact on the national subconscious, and bills have recently been approved in some states that prohibit the sale of unhealthy food and beverages to children. In the state of Oaxaca, junk food has also been banned in schools.

One of the outstanding points around the Mexico example was framing the bills as enacting children’s rights rather than as preventative measures. The role of schools not only being educators but providing nutritious food was another key theme to come through in discussions around ways forward in healthy post-pandemic practices.

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Salzburg Global Revisited: Healthy Children, Healthy Weight
Children playing in the woods
Salzburg Global Revisited: Healthy Children, Healthy Weight
By: Joseph Caron Dawe 

Fellows from 2018 program reconvene online for follow-up discussion

Salzburg Global Seminar’s Healthy Children, Healthy Weight program saw Fellows reunite virtually for a session to share and discuss their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and how learnings from this can be best utilized to optimize children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive health and well-being.

Key Takeaways

  • The nurturing of relationships between caregivers and other support services in children’s well-being will be central to a more holistic and inter-disciplinary approach to child welfare post-pandemic.
  • Children need to be involved in conversations about their health and well-being.
  • Data on vulnerable groups not previously been tracked pre-pandemic can help professionals to understand the context better and lead to more effective collaborations between policymakers and community-level organizations.

A More Holistic Approach to Child Well-being

When participants left Salzburg following the 2018 program, the intent was to affect a shift in child well-being to being more holistic and inter-disciplinary.

A significant part of achieving this comes from looking at the circle of care and the influence of systemic racism, and how it impacts child welfare. At the same time, the nurturing of relationships between caregivers and other support services in children’s well-being will be crucial.

Building Equity of Child Wellness and Into Systemic Changes

Inequities have widened during the pandemic, meaning children with fewer benefits have suffered the most.

The link between the focus on vaccinations during COVID-19 and the impact of this on child well-being during COVID-19 was highlighted in discussions, with a general misguided belief that children are less vulnerable to the virus resulting in a decreased attention on younger children in some instances. This needs to be redressed with a building of equity of child wellness into any systemic changes being pushed post-pandemic.

Part of this systemic change needs to involve children being brought into conversations in an equal manner to adults. In addition, the value of community work on the ground and empowering families on the needs of their children will be hugely important in optimizing measures to improve children’s all-round well-being.

The discussion also focused on the importance of maintaining focus on social issues and not being too drawn into the biomedical, as more change around social determinants such as social health need to be implemented.

New Ways of Collaborating 

Participants heard how the use of new in-depth data by the Amsterdam Healthy Weight Program, which brought forward information on vulnerable groups of children previously not covered, had helped professionals understand they were not reaching everyone.

Better collaboration between policymakers and community-level organizations using such data can help improve work around child well-being. In addition, the pandemic had opened the door for pulling together expertise from across sectors as evidence-based work gained traction, noted other participants.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was mentioned as one national measure during the pandemic that will have an impact on child poverty, albeit temporarily. At a more local level, participants were told how the London Recovery program in the UK has had a direct impact on the previous Healthy Children, Healthy Weight program, with young people a specific area of focus in the nine key missions outlined in the white paper.

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Bright Simons Joins Salzburg Global’s Board of Directors
Bright SimonsBright Simons attended the Salzburg Global program, "Innovating for Value in Health Care Delivery: Better Cross-Border Learning, Smarter Adaptation and Adoption" in 2011
Bright Simons Joins Salzburg Global’s Board of Directors
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

President of mPedigree and Salzburg Global Fellow to help guide Salzburg Global’s programs and business practices

Salzburg Global Seminar is delighted to announce Bright Simons has joined its Board of Directors, effective as of March 18, 2021.

Bright is the president of mPedigree, a social enterprise working on three continents to spread innovative technologies that secure communities from the harmful effects of counterfeiting in health, agriculture, cosmetics and automotive sectors.

He is a Ghanaian technology innovator, social entrepreneur, and policy activist. He has worked in many countries on multiple continents for nearly two decades to instill and enhance trust in markets, the public sector, and civil society.

Commenting on his appointment, Bright said, "Few organizations in the world today are as committed to the ideals of global public diplomacy as Salzburg Global Seminar.

“Recognition that rigorous and respectful dialogue is essential for the mindset revolutions the world requires to turn the curve represented by the current crisis of confidence in 'global action' is only the starting point of Salzburg Global Seminar's deep commitment to catalyzing groundbreaking action through the networks of established and emerging leadership it discreetly cultivates around the world."

Victoria Mars, Chairman of Salzburg Global, said, "We are thrilled to welcome Bright Simons to our Board of Directors. He represents a new generation of African entrepreneurs supporting social good through sustainable enterprise.

“As a Salzburg Global Fellow, Bright personifies our mission in motion: 'Challenge current and future leaders to shape a better world.' He will help guide our engagement across the African continent and support the next generation of innovators and social entrepreneurs."  

Read Bright's bio in full.

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Salzburg Global Fellows Selected for WISE Emerging Leaders Program
Headshots of Andrea Fahed (left) and Wairimu Mwangi (right), plus WISE's logoAndrea Fahed (left) and Wairimu Mwangi (right)
Salzburg Global Fellows Selected for WISE Emerging Leaders Program
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Andrea Fahed and Wairimu Mwangi among 23 leaders chosen for 2021 cohort

Following a “very competitive” application process, two Salzburg Global Fellows have been selected to join the 2021 WISE Emerging Leaders cohort.

Andrea Fahed, project manager at Lebanese Alternative Learning, and Wairimu Mwangi, founder and CEO of the Literature Africa Foundation, will join 21 other leaders from 12 countries for this year’s program.

Over the next 12 months, Fahed and Mwangi will participate in a series of collaborative and interactive modules on topics including ethical leadership and social innovation.

The program aims to cultivate the next generation of systems leaders in education with the tools, skills, community, and mindset required to transform their communities and change systems.

WISE hopes to empower a generation of education development leaders through combining knowledge with practical experience. The program is built on the conviction that empowering and mentoring young talent in education is integral to supporting and elevating innovation in education.

In addition to completing three residential training sessions (two virtual and, depending on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, one in person) provided by WISE, fellows will contribute to their organizations by applying their new skills to a project developed in partnership with Salzburg Global.

Fahed first attended a Salzburg Global program in 2019, taking part in Education and Workforce Opportunities for Refugees and Migrants. In her role at Lebanese Alternative Learning, she helps develop free digital support programs and access solutions for underserved communities.

Her project will focus on putting field workers at the core of the process and is developed in response to Fahed’s experience that many projects created by professionals working behind their desks are imposed on field workers. Often those projects do not meet the specific needs of the beneficiaries and impose more stress on field workers. Many times, they are not culturally adapted.

The project will focus on finding ways for teachers/field workers to help design solutions in future project proposals. As the project develops, Salzburg Global will work with Fahed on a 2022 program around teacher-centered innovation.

At the Literature Africa Foundation, Mwangi helps provide access to education and economic empowerment opportunities to vulnerable young people living in rural areas and informal urban settlements of Kenya. This mission is achieved through academic and literacy support, skills training, and mentorship.

For her project, Mwangi will work with teenage mothers and young girls in community high schools in Kilifi County, Kenya. The Girls Sexual Reproductive Health & Education and Empowerment Project will promote a more inclusive environment for girls to access quality education by equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to safeguard their health and dignity.

Mwangi participated in the Cultural Innovators Forum (CIF)in 2020 and is a member of the Nairobi CIF Hub. Salzburg Global will support Mwangi to organize a girls’ summit towards the end of the project, which will share best practices from the project to an invited audience of Salzburg Global Fellows from non-profit, governmental, and educational institutions working on similar issues globally.

This is not the first connection between the WISE Emerging Leaders and Salzburg Global. Faye Hobson, a program manager at Salzburg Global, is a 2020 Emerging Leaders cohort member. Commenting on Fahed and Mwangi’s inclusion in the 2021 cohort, Hobson said, “We are delighted to have been able to support the nomination of these two outstanding Salzburg Global Fellows to the WISE Emerging Leaders program. They will have access to a supportive peer group, mentoring masterclasses from members of the WISE global network, and an opportunity to explore how their work links to systems change.”

Dominic Regester, Salzburg Global’s program director responsible for education programs, said, “Salzburg Global Seminar and the WISE (World Innovation Summit in Education) have been working together on a number of initiatives since 2019. Salzburg Global was a knowledge partner at the Doha Summit in November 2019 and the two organizations co-organized the Education Disrupted, Education Reimagined online conference series that started in March 2020.

“Almost 4,000 people participated in the different convenings in the series and the e-book published in September 2020 has been downloaded more than 19,000 times. Salzburg Global is also very proud to co-convene the WISE Agile Leaders of Learning Innovation Network (ALL-IN) and to act as the Advocacy Lead. We are delighted that this partnership is further strengthened by the selection of two Fellows in the 2021 cohort of the WISE Emerging Leaders and would like to offer many congratulations to Andrea Fahed and Wairimu Mwangi, who came through a very competitive application process.” 

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Salzburg Global Fellows Receive Intercultural Achievement Award
A mural designed by Ralph Eya and Katharina Kapsamer"Smile at a Common," A New Genre Public Art Project from the People and for the People, has resulted in the creation of murals in different parts of the Philippines, Manila, and Vienna.
Salzburg Global Fellows Receive Intercultural Achievement Award
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Ralph Eya and Katharina Kapsamer receive praise for their project, "Smile at a Common," A New Genre Public Art Project from the People and for the People

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Young Cultural Innovators Join Forces in Magazine Global Fundraiser
This is a photo collage of Usanii Magazine. It shows the Issue One front cover and two magazine features. These are bright and colorful features. The top right image shows performer Nviiri wearing sunglasses on a blue background. The bottom right image shows an interview with Maria Goretti, yellow and black text on a green background. The left image shows the magazine's front cover, featuring a large profile photo of Chemutai Sage.Image: Usanii Magazine
Young Cultural Innovators Join Forces in Magazine Global Fundraiser
By: Josh Wilde 

Salzburg Global Seminar Fellows Lai, Xochitl Calix, and Moira Villiard come together to crowdfund emerging artists’ magazine

Launched in April 2020, Usanii, the Swahili word for artistry, is a free magazine that features developing musicians, photographers, poets and more to raise awareness of their work and enable collaboration with established artists.

The magazine founder, Lai from the Nairobi Hub, participated in October's Young Cultural Innovators Forum (YCI) and wasted no time in joining forces with fellow YCI members Xochitl Calix and Moira Villiard, from the Detroit and Upper Midwest USA Hubs respectively. Their initial crowdfunding target is $10,000 to support his publication that showcases emerging artists from underprivileged backgrounds.

Embodying Salzburg Global Seminar’s mission to bridge divides, expand collaboration, and transform systems, Lai is now calling on more YCI Fellows to join his campaign.

“The whole idea of fundraising was really pushed by two YCI members, Xochitl and Moira,” he says. “They have been very instrumental in helping initiate what to look at and how to package the magazine. I have been reaching out to different YCIs from Europe, Australia, the US, Asia, and telling them about the magazine.”

Lai’s own story is inspirational. Growing up in the Kawangware slums of Nairobi, Kenya, his idea for the magazine started two years ago with just a pen and paper.

Saving up money to cover the cost of accessing a computer at an internet café, Lai produces the Usanii magazine and accompanying Conversations YouTube series, from interviews and design to editing and running the social media accounts.

“I cannot overstate how crucial [the crowdfunding] would be,” he explains. “I work as a music teacher. I earn around $6 per lesson. Out of that $6, I’ll probably use $5 at the Internet café. 60%-70% of my monthly income goes to the magazine.

“The fundraiser would allow me to buy a laptop most importantly, and a printer so I’m able to print the magazine myself at a lower cost.”

Still operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lai does not charge for the magazine, hoping its free accessibility will help the artists’ stories reach more people. Lai’s vision is to support global artists’ voices and provide opportunity for anyone who needs it.

Money raised will be used to buy essential equipment, hire staff and grow the publication. A percentage of funds will be donated to selected organizations that promote this fundraiser.

Villiard is working with Ugandan artist Steve Boyyyi to create paintings of African life which will be sent to those who give $150 or more. Lai says these donations will be split between Usanii magazine and Boyyyi, whose foundation supports Ugandan street children.

A painting of three zebras, in front of green foliage and a blue sky background      A painting of a person in blue and white clothing, walking with a dog by their side. They are holding some wood in one hand and carrying bananas on their head. The background is yellow and orange      A painting of two giraffes and two elephants by some water. One of the giraffes is having a drink. They are in front of a yellow, orange and red background

Images: Paintings of African life / Usanii Magazine

Should the crowdfunder reach Lai's ultimate target of $25,000, he hopes to utilize connections made through the YCI Forum to start monthly training and seminars from February 2021, where artists in Kenya will get a chance to interact and learn from YCI Fellows.

“We already have Fellows who have expressed interest in offering training in different fields throughout 2021,” he beams.

You can find out more information and donate to Usanii magazine through their GoFundMe page: https://gf.me/u/y8icmi 
 

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Literary Society Moves 45th Anniversary Celebrations Online
Members of the International Society for Contemporary Literature and Theatre meet onlineMembers of the International Society for Contemporary Literature and Theatre meet online
Literary Society Moves 45th Anniversary Celebrations Online
By: Oscar Tollast 

The show goes on for the International Society for Contemporary Literature and Theatre, a network founded by Salzburg Global Fellows

Members of a literary society formed in the aftermath of a Salzburg Global Seminar program have celebrated the network’s 45th anniversary.

The International Society for Contemporary Literature and Theatre (ISCLT) moved their celebrations online this year due to the spread of COVID-19.

ISCLT was established in 1975, two years after inaugural members met at what was then known as the Salzburg Seminar, during the program, Contemporary American Literature.

ISCLT usually holds an annual two-week conference in a different country in the second half of July. This year, members planned to meet in Solin, Croatia, to celebrate its latest milestone, but organizers postponed the event until July 2021.

Marina Catalano-McVey, ISCLT executive secretary and Salzburg Global Fellow, thought of alternative ways for members to stay in touch, work together, and contribute toward a booklet celebrating the 45th anniversary.

She said, “It was amazing to see the response. We met virtually once a week during the summer and continued organizing prose and poetry reading sessions.”

“This experience has been so valuable also because we could be in contact with several members who have not been able to attend for the conference for several years for several reasons.”

“We have also organized our traditional final banquet through Zoom. The membership showed such enthusiasm and interest that I have decided to keep organizing Zoom meetings from time to time during the year.”

ISCLT is continuing to welcome new members. Catalano-McVey said, “ISCLT has proved extremely vital and creative in spite of the present dramatic situation, and we do hope we can inspire new members who may wish to join us and provide the Society with new vital energy in the future.”

For more information on ISCLT, visit http://isclt.org/Home2.html or email Marina Catalano-McVey at catalano.marina14@gmail.com.

 

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Young Cultural Innovators Win Major International Award
Robert Praxmarer and Thomas Layer-Wagner smiling in an action pose with some game controllers.Photo courtesy of Polycular.
Young Cultural Innovators Win Major International Award
By: Josh Wilde 

Salzburg Global Fellows Robert Praxmarer and Thomas Layer-Wagner recognized with inaugural Olympics of Innovation Challenge Award

Robert Praxmarer and Thomas Layer-Wagner met while working at university where they turned dream into reality, co-founding the interactive design and technology studio Polycular.

They are now in dreamland once again after their company won an international Olympics of Innovation Challenge Award for Artistic Vision at the inaugural World in 2050 Awards.

Described as “a forum for our future,” Diplomatic Courier’s World in 2050 think tank recognizes outstanding organizations tackling significant challenges across seven classifications: Society, Humanity, Energy, Health, Travel, Off-World, and Artistic Visions.

Solutions from each category will be championed at major global forums including the Innovation Olympics Festival, the United Nations General Assembly and the G20 Summit.

“I couldn’t actually believe it,” Praxmarer told Salzburg Global. “If you read through the other winners – SpaceX by Elon Musk, Johns Hopkins University, Bird – the names couldn’t be any bigger. They are the world leaders in their field. Then it says Polycular which really feels uncanny. A small Austrian company with 12 people being given this prestigious award. It’s more than a surprise.”

The judges praised Polycular’s variety and quality of work. From sustainable, environmentally-focused projects such as EgoGotchi where they reinvented the popular 1990s’ Tamagotchi toy craze to encourage greener lifestyle choices, to visionary ventures such as Morbus Genesis which uses computer algorithms to show everyday inanimate objects degrading, in turn encouraging audiences to rethink their own mortality, grief and loss.

“The great thing about working with digital technologies is that to some degree you have a lot of power in shaping virtual reality,” Praxmarer described. “That can be thought-provoking and offer new perspectives to an audience. If you can establish this magic moment, they are interested and you can get them talking.”

This accolade is just the latest for Polycular with other honors including the 2018 Umdasch Research Award for Learning and Education, the World Summit Award Austria for Education in 2019, and the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Award.

“We made our mark in the local creativity and innovation scene,” Praxmarer added. “We haven’t won too many international awards so this is one that stands out and we are very proud.

“We were university professors in the field of game development, interactive art and augmented reality. We set out to start a company to use creative processes combined with art, technology and innovation to make interesting projects, ideally with an impact to society. They often revolve around sustainability and awareness building. We think education is foremost to train a younger generation with digital means and games to give them a new perspective on important topics.”

Both Praxmarer and Layer-Wagner are Salzburg Global Fellows after attending the annual programs of the Young Cultural Innovators Forum (YCI Forum) in 2014 and 2015 respectively. The YCI Forum is currently taking place virtually with this year’s program considering, A Global Platform for Creative, Just and Sustainable Futures.

“I had the chance to be part of it at the very beginning of our company,” Praxmarer explained. “It was one of the best mentoring programs I’ve ever attended. I’ve attended a lot of mentorship programs from accelerators all over the Silicon Valley and other places. Salzburg Global still stands out in terms of quality, mentors, location, the people and the caring. This special vibe you can’t really describe; you really have to be there.

“This network of young people aren’t just talking pipe dreams, they actually are smart and resilient enough to pull things off. You can learn so much in one week. It’s one of the greatest places and I told my co-founder [Layer-Wagner] he had to go there. It brings you forward in your own thinking. It’s well-spent time to step back and really reflect on topics of leadership, innovation and creativity.”

Salzburg Global is a partner of the World in 2050 Awards and Praxmarer thanked Faye Hobson, YCI Forum Lead and Salzburg Global Program Manager, who first nominated Polycular.

“Without her and Salzburg Global, we wouldn’t even have entered this kind of award,” Praxmarer acknowledged. “Coming from Hallein in Salzburg, this is something really special, which we had to work very hard for. Some organizations believed in us like Salzburg Global and we hope to pay back the people that helped us. We are super proud to put Austria, Salzburg Global and Polycular on the map.”

Hobson also wished to send her congratulations on behalf of Salzburg Global.

“The YCI Forum strives to empower the next generation of changemakers. Robert, Thomas and the whole Polycular team are great examples of what can be achieved when you work hard and dream big,” Hobson said.

“I was only too pleased to nominate them for this prestigious award and even more delighted to hear they had won. It is fantastic to see our Fellows named amongst the biggest and best in global innovation.”

Looking ahead, Praxmarer says Polycular’s future is bright as they strive to shape the future of learning.

“I hope we realize our dream to redefine education through digital means,” Praxmarer added. “Using playful discovery where it’s about challenging the learner. How kids learn when they explore a room or play hide and seek. We want to find new storytelling solutions for experiential and transformative learning.”

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Launch of a “Lockdown Mini-Opera” for Salzburg Global Fellow and Political Prisoner Osman Kavala
Osman Kavala (left) and Lore Lixenberg and Nadine Benjamin (top right), two snails (bottom right)Osman Kavala (left) and Lore Lixenberg and Nadine Benjamin (top right)
Launch of a “Lockdown Mini-Opera” for Salzburg Global Fellow and Political Prisoner Osman Kavala
By: Friends of Osman Kavala 

Artists from around the world – including several Salzburg Global Fellows – collaborate online to create a new mini-opera paying tribute to Kavala's courage

Osman Kavala, Turkey's best-known supporter of culture, philanthropist, human rights champion and bridge-builder, is approaching 1000 days in Turkey’s highest security prison on trumped-up charges.

To keep him company in solitary confinement, he adopted two snails he found in his lunchtime prison salad.

The snails are now free. Osman is still not.

His friends in the Arts around the world have taken this story to create a new mini-opera paying tribute to his courage and celebrating his extraordinary support for culture and democracy. The unique video opera, Osman Bey and the Snails, is released today. It is a gift by artists to a political prisoner who promoted culture to bridge divides between Turkey and other nations. #OsmanBeyandtheSnails is an appeal to #FreeOsmanKavala.

The making of the opera in the midst of a global pandemic is a story in itself.

It was produced by UK-based Opera Circus and its community of artists in four countries. When the prison guard opens the door of Osman’s cell and floods it with light, Andy is opening his kitchen door in Sydney, Australia, into Darren’s kitchen 12,000 miles away in Brighton, England.

The contemporary classical work was composed by Nigel Osborne (The Electrification of the Soviet Union, the Birth of the Beatles Symphony), who seeks to evoke the different musical cultures — Armenian, Greek, Kurdish - Osman worked with “and most of all of Sevda, the Balkan music of love.”

“The true story of Osman and his snail-friends is like a fairy story, but it presents all of the truths about the loneliness of imprisonment in isolation and about Osman’s compassion and love of nature and beauty,” Osborne said.

Osman Kavala was taken into custody at Istanbul Ataturk Airport on October 18, 2017. He was locked up in the Silivri high-security jail outside Istanbul on fantastical charges -- that he organised the 2013 demonstrations to protect Istanbul's symbolic Gezi Park from redevelopment so as to stage a "coup" against Turkey's government.

In February, after the European Court of Human Rights ruled the charges against Osman baseless, a court in Istanbul acquitted him and ordered his immediate release.

In jail in solitary confinement, Osman had enjoyed the company of the two snails served in his salad.

After the judges ordered his release, he took the two “humble gastropods” with him. But later that day, Osman was cruelly re-arrested on even more hallucinatory charges. He gave the snails to his lawyer for safekeeping. They were freed and he was not.

This is an extraordinary moment in global politics. Across the world millions of people are now joining their voices and employing their creativity to oppose violence, injustice, and discrimination.

Osman Kavala has fought for these issues throughout his whole career and went to jail for them.

We pay tribute to him and his humanity today (June 23) as he spends his 966th day in detention.

To learn more about Kavala's work, click here.

Watch Osman Bey and the Snails

The opera is also available in Turkish. To watch the English version on Vimeo, please click here. To watch the Turkish version on Vimeo, please click here.


Osman Bey and the Snails is produced by Friends of Osman Kavala. It was composed by Nigel Osborne (composer and aid worker), a by Robert Golden (filmmaker and photographer). The singers are Darren Abrahams, Nadine Benjamin, Lore Lixenberg, Andy Morton and Robert Rice; piano accompaniment by Anthony Ingle, sound by Mikael Hegelund Martinsen (Beats across Borders, Denmark). The producer is Tina Ellen Lee, Opera Circus’ Artistic Director. The librettists are Nigel Osborne, Anthony Barnett (openDemocracy), Susanna Seidl-Fox, Clare Shine (Salzburg Global Seminar), Christina Maranci, Thomas de Waal and Vincent Higgins. 

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Young Cultural Innovator Builds New Relationships in Detroit
Christopher Yepez received funding to organize several activities under his heartbeats:hood2hood project in 2017 and 2018Christopher Yepez received funding to organize several activities under his heartbeats:hood2hood project in 2017 and 2018
Young Cultural Innovator Builds New Relationships in Detroit
By: Oscar Tollast 

Christopher Yepez a.k.a. Sacramento Knoxx uses funding distributed by Salzburg Global to explore new methods of innovation and collaboration

A young cultural innovator based in Detroit, Michigan, has led a collaborative project designed to help improve the quality of life for future generations living in the city.

Christopher Yepez, a rapper, also known as Sacramento Knoxx, received support from Salzburg Global Seminar and The Kresge Foundation to organize several activities under his heartbeats:hood2hood project in 2017 and 2018. The project recognizes the powerful use of connection and technology to improve ecosystems.

Knoxx is a musician and filmmaker who helps direct the organization 'The Aadizookaan,' an indigenous-based multimedia arts collective. He received financial support after attending the third program of the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators in 2016. The project had several partners for different activities and events.

Three community concerts were held at high schools, reaching 120 students in the Detroit area. These concerts took place through a partnership with the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion.

Students were educated on race and housing in Detroit through music, performance, and the heartbeats curriculum. Knoxx said, "The partnership allowed us to combine Michigan Roundtable's mobile exhibit "We Don't Want Them," which focused on the history of race and housing in Detroit and how that impacts their current communities now, combined our literacy and cultural music work."

Knoxx and heartbeats also worked with We Found Hip Hop and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History to program their curriculum and help host Dilla Youth Day. This day inspired 250 young learners from across the city to explore science, technology, engineering, arts, and math disciplines through participatory design with interactive beat making and sound design.

During the project, Knoxx has been able to build relationships with architecture and design teams helping to reshape the fabric and development in Detroit. He said, "It's very important as we contribute our cultural work and community organizing to ensure an equitable Detroit with design and culture. As we face a high portion of displacement and discrimination in a city with a robust history of [the] racialization of space and now the spatialization of race, building those critical relationships with architecture is very important in shifting the culture where humans can live healthy with not only each other but the earth as well."

Knoxx sees many ways for the project to give back to the community, including by contributing resources and tools to help with storytelling and growing talent for youth, adults, and elders. He said, "We have fostered relationships with media technologists, architects, educators, designers, and practitioners of health and wellness to launch our heartbeats initiative with multiple Detroit community partners and individuals that will continue to build [a] legacy through the support of Salzburg."

His participation in the YCI Forum enabled him to connect the dots and develop the project. Knoxx said, "Visiting and hopping over cultural barriers across the globe with the YCI Forum sparked the motivation to make new approaches of connection and relationships in Detroit, which sparked the idea of heartbeats, like how all of us share a heartbeat, that operates our body and is important for life."

Moving forward, Knoxx said heartbeats would have the chance to expand into a couple of community-owned spaces for arts, culture, education, health, and wellness. Plans are also in place to work with other music-based programs in school and community organizations. He said, "With this challenge of building space and developing land, it sharpens us to emerge new leaders and new relationships for building community and innovating the culture with youth, adults, and elders."

Since embarking on this project, Knoxx has seen young artists emerging onto the arts and culture scene in Detroit with their individual styles. "We're continuing to support our collective efforts within many capacities, ranging from intimate builds to large scale productions. I would like to work within a heartbeats capacity across native communities and reservations across North America, bringing music technology and well-being together to create change and beauty," he said.

"We're also engaging in many grassroots activities, so when there is support like this to help us execute and carry on the vision, it is truly amazing and appreciated," said Knoxx.


The Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators empowers rising talents in the creative sector to drive social, economic and urban change. Launched in 2014, it is building a global network of 500 competitively-selected change-makers in "Hub" communities who design collaborative projects, build skills, gain mentors, and connect to upcoming innovators in their cities and countries.

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From One Generation to the Next: Documenting the Oral Tradition in Food
Yu Nakamura's fascination with "Grandma's Recipes" began five years ago in JapanYu Nakamura's fascination with "Grandma's Recipes" began five years ago in Japan
From One Generation to the Next: Documenting the Oral Tradition in Food
By: Carla Zahra 

Young Cultural Innovator Yu Nakamura brings Grandma's Recipes to Cajun community festival Cochon de Lait

Nothing smells quite as good as a grandmother's kitchen, and no one knows that better than foodie Yu Nakamura. As the co-founder of 40creations, Nakamura has been documenting oral traditions from grandmothers, a generation of women who provide a fresh perspective on cultures that have historically been dominated by male storytelling.

Throughout her journey, Nakamura has found the secret to cooking like our grandmothers lies not in the ingredients we use, but, instead, in the fragments of wisdom traditionally passed down from generation to generation.

Pieces of advice such as "The most important step in making this pumpkin jam is to stir the jam clockwise!" have frequently been passed on to Nakamura during her search for culinary wisdom. While this instruction would probably be left out of an ordinary cooking book, Nakamura believes these quirks are the "wisdom of living" that can only be inherited by cooking alongside our elders. As family structures change, then, inevitably, so will the direction in which jams are stirred.

"Families are often living apart, having fewer children than in the past, and moving towards the nuclear family type," says Nakamura. "The fact that we no longer live with our extended families means we are not taught to cook side-by-side with our grandmothers, so we lost the chance to pass on their recipes and tips."

Nakamura's fascination with "Grandma's Recipes" began five years ago in Japan. Since then, she has collected recipes from grandmothers all over the world, sharing documentaries on YouTube and publishing a book in Japan and Korea, never leaving out the little bits of wisdom she picks up along the way.  

After attending the third program of the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators in 2016, Nakamura found a network of likeminded creatives who encouraged her to continue pursuing her documentation of oral traditions. Among this group was Samuel Oliver, who she collaborated with in 2019 through a travel grant from Salzburg Global and the Kresge Foundation, traveling with her film crew from Japan to New Orleans to document Cajun food, culture, and history.  

During the trip, Nakamura attended the Cajun community festival, called "Cochon de Lait," which is organized by Oliver and his wife's family. Together with a local photographer who she met through Oliver, Nakamura interviewed different grandmothers at the festival, all in their 80s, who shared their traditional wisdom of Cajun and Creole cuisine.

"As soon as I heard the story of Samuel and his wife's family's festival, I really thought that this would be a great opportunity for an 'outsider,' as well as locals who don't live with a big family, to learn about the community's food customs and wisdom," says Nakamura.

Wherever Nakamura goes to learn about food culture, she is always pleasantly surprised by the similarities she finds in the different communities. "When I collect these recipes from grandmothers in different countries, it is strange to find that the similar things exist beyond the borders of the country," she explains. "For example, I always notice the grandmothers' ingenuity in feeding their families in the face of starvation, and their secrets to living happily even though they are poor."

Recounting the story of one Cajun grandmother who she met at Cochon de Lait, Nakamura says, "Mavis proudly told me that 'Cajuns don't waste anything.' She shared stories from her childhood with me, describing it as poor but truly, rich. Her parents were farmers, and Mavis had eight sisters, all raised growing cotton, sweet potatoes, corn, cows, horses, pigs, and dogs. Although they didn't have any money, they never went hungry as everything they ate was home-grown, and everything they wore was made by their mother from their own cotton.

"These situations are similar to what I discover in Japan, Thailand, and many countries in Europe too. They knew how to eat, how to live happily without money, and how to stay healthy. These stories teach us about the weaknesses of our own generation, which has not inherited this wisdom and has often overlooked it as trivial," she continues.

The most surprising trait that Nakamura uncovered during her time in New Orleans was the grandmother's love for drinking. "They have so much fun doing it while cooking!" says Nakamura. "But really, this trip has changed my perception of the Cajun community.

"Cajuns have large, close-knit families, and it seems like everyone loves to cook. At first, I thought it may be due to the influence of the Catholic religion, but I now realize the importance of their ingenuity and hard work to maintain those relationships. As Samuel's mother told me, there are three requirements to describe Cajuns: 'Who's your mom, are you Catholic, and can you make a roux from scratch?", says Nakamura.
 
It's all too easy to view Cajun culture through rose-colored glasses, Nakamura explains, especially when they open up their homes, slow-roast a pig from the early hours of the morning, and serve Cajun cuisine to more than 300 people while Cajun music fills the room.

"The truth is, Cajuns won't organize these festivals by themselves anymore as it's just too much work, so now it's up to the next generations to continue this tradition and add new colors to the mix," she says. "I realized that we need to continue to innovate our culture in order to pass it on to the next generation."


The Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators empowers rising talents in the creative sector to drive social, economic, and urban change. Launched in 2014, it is building a global network of 500 competitively-selected changemakers in "hub" communities who design collaborative projects, build skills, gain mentors, and connect to upcoming innovators in their cities and countries.     

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“The Show Must Go On” Iranian Online Festival Created to Show the Resilience of Festivals
Sepehr Sharifzadeh speaking during Atelier for Young Festival and Cultural Managers in Shanghai.Sepehr Sharifzadeh speaking during Atelier for Young Festival and Cultural Managers in Shanghai.
“The Show Must Go On” Iranian Online Festival Created to Show the Resilience of Festivals
By: Soila Kenya 

The coronavirus lockdown did not stop Sepehr Sharifzadeh from doing what he does best: bringing people together to celebrate the arts.

For Sepehr Sharifzadeh, the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic hit hard.

“My first passion in life is festivals; the whole fun of having festivals, gathering people, having the collective energy,” he said in an interview with Salzburg Global.

He was set to hold a festival in the historic Iranian city of Yazd, a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the beginning of March. He had been preparing for it for six months.

“We just got the permissions in February. I talked with many people to bring them to Yazd; six international groups… Two days before the festival was meant to start, they told us that due to the outbreak we cannot have the festival. We need to postpone it or cancel it,” lamented Sharifzadeh.

Sharifzadeh, whose first name means sky, is a theatre agent, producer and festival organizer. With an academic background in creative writing and puppet theater, at the age of 24, he co-founded the first Iranian international theater agency, Nowrouze Honar, the main goal of which is to facilitate the cultural exchange between Iran and the world through performances.

He was due to share his experiences at the now-postponed program What Future for Festivals? The program will now take place in October and Sharifzadeh will have yet more experience to share when he finally comes to Salzburg: how to continue a festival when you cannot physically bring people together.

He describes the devastation he felt after hearing news of the cancelation of the festival he had been organizing. After informing the performers of the cancelation, he was unable to answer emails for two days afterward.

“But then I got myself together,” he narrates. “Iranian people are very flexible and we’ve had enough of these kinds of situations to learn from. So this outbreak is only like another thing for us, you know. At least during the last year, unfortunately, we’ve had enough of death in different cities in Iran. We’ve had enough of people having troubles.”

It is this resilience in the face of adversity that got him out of his low mood to get together with two colleagues and co-create the Re-connect Online Performance Festival to be broadcast on Instagram Live. Along with Nima Dehghani, a San Francisco-based transdisciplinary artist who's the Founder and Artistic Director of Ctrl+Z Theater Group and Fariborz Karimi, Artistic Director of Theatricultural Residency and Co-founder of Bohemi Theater Group, Tehran, the three designed this festival in order to bring artists from all around the world together for solidarity against the recent pandemic panic.

“The whole concept of festivals is changing. And I was like, ‘No, this is keeping up your spirits,’ so the show must go on no matter what,” said Sharifzadeh.

For further diversity in content, his colleagues Meera Krishna from Prakriti Foundation, India, Liu Xiaoyi of Emergency Stairs, Singapore and Erica McCalman of the Australian Performing Arts Market (APAM), Australia are helping to curate shows from their regions.

They held the pilot edition of the festival March 25-30, with performances ranging from puppet theatre, acting and singing. Additionally, there were discussion panels held about a range of topics from the challenges of working on the “presence” from a distance to whether “digital theatre” can be considered as “immersive performance”. The main festival is being held April 5-12.

Panelists included Azadeh Ganjeh, playwright and theater director and assistant professor in the faculty of performing art and music at the University of Tehran, and Omid Hashemi, member of Rekhneh Collective, and pedagogical director of the Ecole International d'Acteur Createur, among others.

Sharifzadeh was able to draw performers and panelists together in this short amount of time to the point where the festival’s Instagram account has already gained over 1,800 followers.

More than just a way to bring joy to people in order to cope with the pandemic, Sharifzadeh is also greatly concerned for the mental health of the artists, and sees it as a way for them to network, and connect with one another.

Sharifzadeh says he looks forward to his time in Salzburg even more now. “I look forward to meeting people who have the same passion as me about the festivals. The program topic, ‘What Future for Festivals?’ is more relevant than ever because we came across a very specific situation in the world that we could actually divide the history into pre-corona and post-corona time,” he reveals.

In the meantime, he is dedicating his full time to the Re-connect Festival, whose page discloses their hope for the future: “Maybe if this festival was repeated in the following years, we would say to all that in February 2020, when the theaters were closed when the people were stuck at their homes when it was the Corona years, a group of artists came together through the internet and the festival started. We hope that all together, with joining forces we could take a step in the interests of society, the arts, and the human connections.”

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Salzburg Global's Cultural Innovators Expand Collaborations
Salzburg Global's Cultural Innovators Expand Collaborations
By: Salzburg Global Seminar 

Travel award scheme enables Salzburg Global Fellows to reaffirm existing connections and share new learnings

Salzburg Global Seminar has received financial support from the Kresge Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and Bush Foundation to offer travel awards to 20 Fellows for 16 projects.

Selected Fellows from the Cultural Innovators Forum have been backed to undertake new collaborative projects in 2020. The Fellows won travel awards after an internal call for applications, which received 22 submissions.

The awards will enable Fellows to travel to countries including France, Kenya, Malta, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, Spain, and the United States. In these countries, beneficiaries will connect with other Fellows of the Forum.

New Experiences

For several Fellows, this will be their first experience in a new continent. This includes Gabrielle Garcia Steib, Muna Mohamed, and Korina Barry, who will visit Asia for the first time. Traveling from the Upper Midwest in the United States, the trio will spend time with Ji Young Lee, deputy chief executive of Hwansang Forest Gotjawal Park.

The trio will visit Ji Young Lee’s village and surrounding communities on Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea. They’ll then host three workshops highlighting the importance of connection and physical movement in natural spaces. The trio will primarily work with women and girls in the community who lack opportunities to travel.

From Greece to the United States

Dafni Kalafati will also hold a workshop as part of her travel award. She will partner with Holly Doll to further explore Native American issues. She will travel from Athens, Greece, to Bismarck, North Dakota, to hold a week-long art therapy-based workshop for female artists. The Buffalo Fire Woman Project will see participants work with different techniques and materials to create a booklet of personal and tribal stories. The workshop will create awareness about native issues in the U.S. and Greece, as well as foster self-worth and self-esteem.

Lazaros Damanis, also from Athens, Greece, will travel to Detroit, Michigan, to work with Sacramento Knoxx, also known as Christoper Yepez. They’ll aim to showcase career opportunities through formal and non-formal learning within the frame of the music industry – including music creation, event managing, and digital communications. Small events are being planned, including workshops, live studio podcasts, street events, and open discussions. His goal is to preserve the cultural heritage of Detroit using music as the main vehicle of cultural exchange.

Sharing of Best Practices in South Africa

Meanwhile, Alissa Shelton and Julien Godman will swap Detroit, Michigan, for Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa. It will be Shelton’s first trip to Africa and Godman’s first trip to South Africa. Both want to host two exchange events for local YCIs and others. Attendees will cook together while sharing their works and practices. Considering Detroit’s history of redlining and current property systems disintegrating black neighborhoods, Shelton and Godman are also interested in learning more about Palesa and Siphiwe Ngweny’s work with the Maboneng Township Arts Experience and from South Africa as a whole, especially in regards to spatial and zoning practices that amplify segregation.

As part of a separate proposal, Palesa and Siphiwe will also be visited by Charly Pierre. Traveling from New Orleans, LA, Pierre will hope to create a new recipe for success. Two of his Culture Forums will take place in a slightly different format where attendees will communally create a meal while discussing their cultural taboos. At the end of the meal, each attendee will leave with a recipe card featuring someone else’s reflections.

Promoting Cross-Cultural Exchange

Pierre is one of several Fellows from the sixth program of the Forum to receive a scholarship. Another is Chino Carlo Aricaya, who will travel from the Philippines to the United States. In Minneapolis, Detroit, and Baltimore, Aricaya will bring his show “Artempus” and offer workshops to help connect people to their inner artist. The show was designed as an education vehicle for cross-cultural exchange about the ideas of time, space, and the spoken word. Aricaya will connect with Julien Godman, Joy Davis, and Carl Atiya Swanson.

Swanson, from Minneapolis, has also received a travel award to help Maria Galea launch a new network in Valetta, Malta. Artz ID will be a network for contemporary visual artists, organizations, galleries, and large institutions. Swanson will offer his expertise, as well as toolkits and resources created in Minnesota. The duo is planning a series of workshops that will encompass practical business skills for artists, workshops on network-building and collaboration, and opportunities to explore concrete projects.

Joining Swanson in Europe is Steven Fox from New York City, who has the opportunity to learn more about the old worlds of France and Spain. His eight-day trip will build on his previous work looking at the historical and cultural connection of the French and Spanish cultures with regards to Memphis and New Orleans. He aims to share experiential research and analysis of French and Spanish explorers and American-related conquests. He’ll write a book of poetry and will provide updates on social media.

New Opportunities for Co-Creation

Poetry is just one medium to share a message. Mariano Pozzi will shoot an artistic film in the United States for the first time. Working alongside Dina Mousa, he will create a 15-minute fictional film titled “Two Lands,” which will focus on native communities in both Argentina and the United States. One story will represent an Ojibwa character in St Paul, Minnesota, while another story will represent a Querandi character in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Both characters will discover the modernity of their cities and try to connect with their ancestors and cultural backgrounds.

Ralph Eya, from Manila, the Philippines, will also travel to Minnesota but to work alongside Adrienne M. Benjamin and the next generation leaders of Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe on a series of public murals. A facilitated workshop will accompany this. Through a process of co-creation, there will be art modules such as interactive portrait making and body mapping. Eya will also host a discussion with members of the Minnesota Hub about creative change-making frameworks and processes.

Also making the trip from the Philippines to the United States is Andrei Nikolai Pamintuan. He’ll travel to Memphis, Tennessee, to meet up with Lauren Kennedy. He’ll learn more about the UrbanArt Commission and how to use art as a tool for positive change in spaces, neighborhoods, and creative placemaking. He hopes to plant the seeds for a sister program that his organization – Pineapple Lab – and the UrbanArt Commission can collaborate on.

Memphis is also home to Orange Mound, the first African-American neighborhood in the history of America to be built by and for African Americans. Lucas Koski, from Minnesota, will visit the neighborhood to collaborate with Victoria Jones on how to use real estate strategies to generate wealth and equity, rather than extract it. He wants to understand how to be a better consultant and an expert in communities he is a foreigner to, particularly in relation to his role as an arts-based real estate developer for Artspace Projects. He will take part in multiple tours and discussions, hold a design charrette, and synthesize his learnings for a report.

Building Networks

Jones will also receive support for a separate travel award. She’ll travel to New Orleans, LA, to work with Sam Bowler, Nic Aziz, and David Baker. Jones wants to build infrastructure to support Black artists in Memphis. She will learn about Culturalyst from Bowler, the connectedness of galleries from Aziz, and how storytelling can transform these experiences from Baker. Rather than recreate the wheel, Jones wants to introduce existing technology to help push the conversation forward and improve connections in Memphis.

Bowler, meanwhile, is introducing Culturalyst to Makueni County, Kenya. With his travel award, he’ll set up an online artist directory for the county, which will be supported by a dedicated server, database, and frontend application. Upon arriving in Kenya, Bowler will meet with Esther Mbatha and plan events centered around educating artists about the directory and signing them up to be listed. He will be on hand to receive feedback from artists and make improvements to the Culturalyst network.

Traveling from Baltimore, Quinton Batts will visit Sioux Falls and Minneapolis to share his work and create further opportunities for growth. In Sioux Falls, he will meet with Zach DeBoer and assist him in painting a community mural. A day later, he’ll give a presentation about his social design research and projects at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) about human-centered design, pedestrian and bike-friendly cities, and urban farming to the local chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). He’ll then proceed to attend an Upper Midwest meet-up.


The Cultural Innovators Forum empowers rising talents in the creative sector to drive social, economic and urban change. Launched in 2014, it is building a global network of 500 competitively-selected changemakers in “hub” communities who design collaborative projects, build skills, gain mentors, and connect to upcoming innovators in their cities and countries.

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Zoe Chun: Art Community - A Salon of This Generation
Zoe Chun: Art Community - A Salon of This Generation
By: Zoe Chun 

Salzburg Global Fellow Zoe Chun reflects on her experience at the sixth program of the Young Cultural Innovators Forum

This article was originally published in the Seoul Art Guide.

Last month, I attended the 6th YCI Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria. Leaders, artists, and activists from nonprofit cultural and arts organizations from 50 countries around the world spent a week together to discuss their visions and values for creation. In hindsight, I would say the purpose of this international seminar was not so much to network as to pursue a series of coalitions. Commenting on these expressions, a 'coalition' aims at building and promoting a community, whereas to 'network' implies some kind of exchange—that is, connection. Perhaps the biggest difference in nuance would be that the concept of 'coalition' abstractly implies an ultimate continuity. In what ways, then, could such community ultimately impact the present cultural and artistic world, especially in the exhibition area of contemporary art?

About 50 participants covered various topics including humanitarianism, gender, and human rights based on multinational languages, cultures, and religious backgrounds. Through lectures, discussions, and workshops, we shared approaches to 'sustainability' (which are discussed at major nonprofit organizations), creative social movements for the underprivileged and minorities, and other unique artistic perspectives about local communities from extremely personal stories and experiences.

This community of young cultural workers that formed during a short period of time reminded me of the salon culture that prevailed in the 18th century. In fact, Schloss Leopoldskron, which was where the seminar was held and has been one of the major sites of the Rococo style, was founded in the 18th century. Later, in the early 20th century, an innovative playwright and director named Max Reinhardt founded the Salzburg Festival with leading intellectuals and artists of the time, such as a romantic composer Richard Strauss and a lyrist poet Hugo von Hoffmanstall, and the place became a prominent local cultural attraction.

From the Victorian era since the Reform Act of 1832 to the Nazi regime era in the 1930s to the present, the historical periods of wounds, oppression, and recovery had left their legacies in this space that are now giving young cultural innovators new inspirations and a will to challenge the contemporary perspectives. Perhaps because of this, the participants did not constrain themselves in method and format of their presentations as they played their music, showed short films they directed, and read poems of various sentiments inspired during this period. Coexisting alongside the romantic and emotional elements mentioned earlier were physical dynamics such as live music performances, b-boy dances, and yoga. It is no exaggeration to say that this week-long salon as a loose but united relationship, a free but inclusive environment, gave us all a sense of camaraderie at the level of a mere friendship.

Sadly, the past glory of the salon culture has deteriorated and disappeared as it faced, unlike its origin, limitations in transcending political flows and classes. Whether the attempt and purpose were experimental or aesthetic, the root of the arduous pursuit for aesthetics and philosophy at that time was a 'dialogue.'

Rather than simply telling stories, it repeats a cycle of life interaction, comfort for emotional and spiritual solidarities, courage, recovery, and challenge.

Furthermore, the 'dialogue' is a kind of phenomenal history that forms a memory with the space that was born itself, and a present that anticipates its future influence.

In 1961, at the Theater of Odéon in Paris, when a sculptor Alberto Giacometti was working on a skinny tree, preparing a stage for Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot,' Giacometti later recalled:

“It was considered as a tree. or a tree and a moon.
We worked all night experimenting with the tree. making bigger. and then smaller.
or sometimes making the branches thinner.
And then we would say to each other. 'well..'
(Dialogue into the VoId: Beckett & Giacometti. Matti Megged, 1985)

In this short three-part series, I would like to take the contemporary art that has sunk into the established order beyond an institutional exhibition and question the concept of an exhibition from a historic, cultural point of view. I hope that in contemporary art the concept of exhibitions can be redefined into ones where it can break from the extant isolated systems and structures to cultivate a healthy and sustainable community, where it can break from the distinctions between experts and non-experts to foster a real coalition of emotions and sensibilities. At the same time, I lay my hopes on my colleagues and artists who are already striving in where a real attention and interest is needed—the field outside the established order. 

Zoe Chun / Independent Curator & Director of The Great Commission
Translated by Minji Chun, Edited by Eugene Park


The Salzburg Global Seminar Program, Cultural Innovation, Leadership and Collaboration: A Global Platform, is part of the Young Cultural Innovators Forum annual program. The program is held in partnership with Adena and David Testa, Arts Council KoreaArts Council Maltathe Bush FoundationCanada Council for the ArtsJapan Foundationthe Korea Foundationthe Kresge FoundationLloyd A. Fry Foundationthe McKnight Foundationthe Nippon FoundationSalama Bint Hamdan al Nahyan FoundationShalini Passi Art Foundation, and World Culture Open.

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Confronting Resistance and Change Through Poetry
A front view of the zine Sanja Grozdanic created with contributions from Detriot writers on the theme "My Last Day on Earth."A front view of the zine Sanja Grozdanic created with contributions from Detriot writers on the theme "My Last Day on Earth."
Confronting Resistance and Change Through Poetry
By: Soila Kenya 

Salzburg Global Fellow Sanja Grozdanic engages with Detroit creative scene through travel scholarship

Would your last day on earth be ecstasy or grief? Sanja Grozdanic, a writer and editor from Adelaide, Australia, traveled to Detroit in the United States to explore the theme “My Last Day on Earth.”

Through a scholarship from the Kresge Foundation, she met up with Maia Asshaq, both of whom attended the third program of the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators in 2016.

Together, they organized a reading and poetry night on December 10, 2019, at the Room Project to provoke thoughts about the current socio-political anxieties in the world. “It encouraged writers to think about resistance as a daily practice – what we might take into the new decade, and what we must leave behind,” said Grozdanic.

During the evening, Detroit writers Scott Northrup and Cy Tulip performed original new works in response to the theme, along with performances from Grozdanic and Asshaq. Attendees were also invited to present their own contributions.

“It was a great turn out, ending with a beautiful durational performance by Cy Tulip,” said Grozdanic.

She added, “The Detroit artistic community was welcoming, open and receptive to the evening and theme.”

A zine that included several other responses on the theme was published by Grozdanic and made available for free during the event. On this accomplishment, she said, “I took the project much wider than I had originally planned, as I was very happy with the theme we chose. I am glad that a piece of the evening will continue to live on in this way.”

In the days following the event, the two Salzburg Global Fellows spent time exploring the creative scene in Detroit. “We went to a reading and screening at the Arab American Museum, where Maia also performed, to galleries, bookshops, and met with Leslie Perlman, who was one of the founders of the legendary Detroit Printing Co-op,” said Grozdanic.

Grozdanic is the co-founder of KRASS Journal, an independent arts and culture publication based in Adelaide but distributed internationally.

Based on the success of the event, she looks forward to bringing similar events to other cities. “When I return to my YCI Hub of Adelaide, I would be thrilled to host a poetry night on the same theme, with the zines available as well.”

She added, “I hope Maia and myself will continue to collaborate on projects large and small. I am aiming to re-print the publication I created for the event, for posterity, and because the work was of such a stellar standard.”

For Grozdanic, her participation in the YCI Travel Scheme provided the opportunity to connect with the Detroit creative community. “I was humbled and inspired by the ingenuity and experimentation I witnessed in Detroit. I have been reflecting on this since my return to Berlin.”


The Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators empowers rising talents in the creative sector to drive social, economic and urban change. Launched in 2014, it is building a global network of 500 competitively-selected changemakers in “hub” communities who design collaborative projects, build skills, gain mentors, and connect to upcoming innovators in their cities and countries.

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Gayropa – Portraying the New Reality Shaped by LGBT Refugees in Europe
British photographer Bradley Secker is capturing the stories of LGBT refugees across Europe, including Noel Inglessias and Faris Cuchi Gezahegn from Ethiopia and now in Austria, in his series Gayropa.British photographer Bradley Secker is capturing the stories of LGBT refugees across Europe, including Noel Inglessias and Faris Cuchi Gezahegn from Ethiopia and now in Austria, in his series Gayropa.
Gayropa – Portraying the New Reality Shaped by LGBT Refugees in Europe
By: Klaus Mueller 

Photojournalist Bradley Secker discusses his work documenting the lives of LGBT refugees in Europe


British photojournalist Bradley Secker has been working in Istanbul, Turkey and across the region for more than ten years. One of his long-term projects is a photo-led documentation of queer migration and asylum across Europe, documenting not only the difficult process of finding asylum, but also the new lives LGBT refugees build for themselves in Europe. Some of the refugees he works with are also fellows of the Salzburg Global LGBT* Forum.

Klaus Mueller, Chair & Founder of the Salzburg Global LGBT* Forum met with Secker to talk about the growing recognition for Bradley’s work, his project Gayropa in which he profiles the vastly different personal stories he captures by photo and text, and his future plans.  

Bradley, how did you come up with the title Gayropa for your new project?

“Gayropa” is a word often used by Russian authorities to refer to Europe, in a derogatory sense. By adopting the term for my project, I want to make a statement: Yes, Europe is indeed a place where LGBT people can live openly, even though it is not perfect and discrimination still exists. I want to reframe the term: Gayropa is a place where LGBT people can form their own communities, and I want to show their lives and faces. This includes the entire spectrum of LGBTI or non-binary people, and how someone defines themselves.

It is also personal for me. The stories I hear and the things I see do affect me. Collecting their stories takes time and I try to show how different refugees arrive and cope with their new environment, also of course depending on the country where they are. I am very impressed with how LGBT refugees I meet are dealing with the daily challenges of creating a life for themselves in a new country with a sense of purpose and, despite everything, joy.

In general, being LGBT often means that one has to migrate, from one small place to a bigger city, or escaping one’s country for safety reasons. I myself come from a small, dull and unwelcoming place where I was the “only gay in the village.”

After a first trip to Syria, you went back in 2010 with a focus on the situation for gay Iraqi men who had to flee from Iraq. Since your move to Turkey in 2011, you documented the story of Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian LGBT refugees. There was no editorial interest at that time. Now recognition and support seems to be growing. Can you explain?

I think the focus on LGBT human rights has become more international and because of huge numbers of refugees arriving in Europe since 2015, there is a wider interest by the public and also publishers. Social media has changed a lot, people can tell their own stories and form communities online, then bring them into actual physical spaces. It is helpful for my work as I can reach people more easily: networks are much larger than they used to be. On my first trip to Syria, it took me three months to connect. Now I can set it up remotely already through the net. My work on queer migration receives funding from the Pulitzer Center and other organizations, and also more recognition from LGBT networks like the Salzburg Global LGBT* Forum.  

You also work with Fellows you met at sessions of the Salzburg Global LGBT* Forum , for example with Faris Cuchi Gezahegn who is a refugee from Ethiopia. Can you share how you approach people you want to profile? How do you work?

For Gayropa, it’s a mixture of people I worked with in the past, or people I contact through friends and friends of friends, or social media. I want to cover as many countries in Europe as possible, and each refugee gives a glimpse into that country.

I met Faris – who identifies as a non-binary person and is using they/them as a personal pronoun – at the Salzburg Global LGBT Forum [in 2015]. Faris comes from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and now lives in Vienna. Faris was forced to seek political asylum in Austria after attending a program in Salzburg. The offices of their LGBT group in Ethiopia had been attacked, and their security became worse and worse. Faris was granted asylum in Austria in July 2017.

So we hooked up, and I visit Faris several times during a year whenever something really relevant happens. Only with time one can build a relationship that allows me to portray a person, their house, friends, and work. I give myself a whole year to complete the Gayropa project, and maybe I need to add more time.

When I first met Faris at the Forum, our relationship was one of activists. I presented my project later and we have been in a lot of conversations about the project, online and in Vienna, to explore comfort levels.  

How do you share your work?

Gayropa is soon to be a standalone website documenting stories of LGBTIQ migration around Europe (gayropa.eu), and already an Instagram page. I work also with various outlets like Politico.eu or Buzzfeed News. I hope to reach politicians and in general people who never met LGBT refugees and introduce them to the different lives of LGBT refugees. And of course our LGBT community and refugee communities.

I hope that the LGBT refugees are happy with how I capture their stories.

I’m not a big believer that photojournalism can change the world. I don’t think it’s that profound. Purely and simply I think the work I’m doing will just illustrate and educate people.

But together, as a more cohesive body of work, I hope it would stand as a documentation of queer newcomers to Europe for this period that I’m covering it.


Bradley Secker was a participant at the fifth annual Salzburg Global LGBT* Forum – Home: Safety, Wellness and Belonging.

* LGBT: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender. We are using this term as it is currently widely used in human rights conversations on sexual orientation and gender identity in many parts of the world, but we would not wish it to be read as exclusive of other cultural concepts, contemporary or historical, to express sexuality and gender, intersex and gender non-conforming identities.

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Salzburg Global Fellows Named Among Top 100 Influencers in Digital Government
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
Salzburg Global Fellows Named Among Top 100 Influencers in Digital Government
By: Claire Kidwell 

Fellows have been listed in Apolitical’s Top 100 Most Influential Persons in Digital Government

Two Salzburg Global Fellows have been included in Apolitical’s second annual list of the World’s 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government.

The list contains a variety of change-makers from around the world, including public servants, ministers, academic researchers and activists.

The two Salzburg Global Fellows are Susan Crawford, who attended Transnational Perspectives on Intellectual Property and Communication Law, and Carlos Santiso, who attendedMechanics for the Future: How Can Governments Transform Themselves?

For Santiso, his inclusion in the list provided him with another reason to celebrate. He was also recently invited to join the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Transparency and Anti-Corruption. Santiso said he was “honored and humbled” by both nominations.

Reflecting on his time in Salzburg, Santiso said, “My fellowship at Salzburg Global Seminar and participation in the Public Sector Strategy Network have been instrumental in achieving these recognitions, allowing me to interact with great minds and forward thinkers in the field from around the world.”

“For this, I am grateful to Salzburg Global Seminar for allowing me the space to think anew and afresh on new ways to think and tackle wicked challenges, benefiting from the insights of digital pioneers from around the world.”

The Public Sector Strategy Network equips governments to tackle complex challenges through improved foresight, innovation and implementation. The series is supported by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court in partnership with Apolitical.

Santiso works to create positive changes in his community. He’s currently in Colombia, setting up a new governance practice at CAF - Development Bank of Latin America, focusing on digital innovations in government.   

He said, “The digital revolution brings tremendous opportunities to improve lives in the digital age. It also carries considerable risks to mitigate. New technologies and data intelligence have become critical allies in the global fight against corruption. In this space, innovative gov-tech start-ups have a critical contribution to make. They need to be supported and nurtured.”

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YCI Forum Receives Support from Shalini Passi Art Foundation
Logos of Salzburg Global Seminar and Shalini Passi Art FoundationThe Shalini Passi Art Foundation will support Abhinit Khanna's attendance at this year's program of the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators
YCI Forum Receives Support from Shalini Passi Art Foundation
By: Oscar Tollast 

Foundation will support participation of Mumbai-based arts manager Abhinit Khanna

Salzburg Global Seminar is delighted to announce the Shalini Passi Art Foundation has agreed to support this year’s program of the Salzburg Global Forum for Young Cultural Innovators.

The Foundation will enable Mumbai-based arts manager Abhinit Khanna to attend this year’s program, Cultural Innovation, Leadership and Collaboration: A Global Platform.

Khanna, who has more than nine years of experience working in visual arts, design, and creative business development, will be one of 50 young cultural innovators from around the world taking part.

Participants will convene at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria, between October 22 and October 27.

The Shalini Passi Art Foundation endeavors to create a new paradigm for artistic expression in India, by supporting, educating, and encouraging experimental new practices in the field of arts that take inspiration from India’s rich cultural traditions to create a contemporary aesthetic for India.

Shalini Passi is the founder and director of the Foundation, as well as My Art Shalini (MASH) – an online arts platform that collapses the hierarchical distinctions between architecture, art, craft, design, and fashion, by eliciting a rich discourse around creativity in modernity.

Reflecting on his selection for this year’s program, Khanna said, “The prestigious Seminar empowers young leaders in the creative sector to drive social, economic and urban change. It is building a global network of 500 competitively-selected change-makers in ‘hub’ communities who design collaborative projects, build skills, gain mentors, and connect to upcoming innovators in their cities and countries.

“This year the program is specifically looking at empowering cultural leaders from the Global South and I’m delighted to know more about networking opportunities, support, and programming.

“I will be able to bring these knowledges to facilitate the setting up of 'The Fort Arts Center' - a non-profit arts organization in the heart of South Bombay, which I am currently working towards launching in 2020. I’m also looking forward to learn and exchange ideas with other important cultural workers from around the world.”

The YCI Forum sees the ability to network and communicate as one of its founding principles. The YCI Forum has young change agents from around the world representing a broad spectrum of cultural expression and artistic endeavor –  including visual arts, performing arts, literature, cultural heritage, foods, fashion, architecture, and design.

In addition to India, the YCI Forum has welcomed Fellows from Adelaide, Athens, Baltimore, Buenos Aires, Canada, Cape Town, Detroit, Japan, Malta, Manila, Memphis, New Orleans, Mekong Delta, Nairobi, Plovdiv, Rotterdam, Salzburg, Seoul, Slovakia, Tirana, and the Upper Midwest in the U.S.

Other members attending this year’s Forum have now been selected and informed. Their biographies will be made available on salzburgglobal.org in the near future.

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Kristalina Georgieva Announced as International Monetary Fund's New Managing Director
Kristalina Georgieva in Washington, D.C.Kristalina Georgieva in Washington, D.C. for the Salzburg Cutler Fellows Program
Kristalina Georgieva Announced as International Monetary Fund's New Managing Director
By: Oscar Tollast 

Salzburg Global Fellow to begin new role on October 1, 2019

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed Salzburg Global Fellow Kristalina Georgieva as its new managing director and chair of the executive board.

On September 25, the IMF confirmed Georgieva would serve a five-year term starting on October 1, 2019. She succeeds Christine Lagarde and becomes the first person from an emerging market economy to lead the IMF.

In a statement, Georgieva said, "I am deeply honored to have been selected as managing director of the IMF and grateful for the trust that the Fund's global membership and the executive board have placed in me. I want to pay tribute to my predecessor, Christine Lagarde, a great leader and a dear friend, whose vision and tireless work have contributed so much to the continued success of the Fund.

"The IMF is a unique institution with a great history and a world-class staff. I come as a firm believer in its mandate to help ensure the stability of the global economic and financial system through international cooperation. Indeed, in my view, the Fund's role has never been more important.

"It is a huge responsibility to be at the helm of the IMF at a time when global economic growth continues to disappoint, trade tensions persist, and debt is at historically high levels. As I noted in my statement to the executive board, our immediate priority is to help countries minimize the risk of crises and be ready to cope with downturns. Yet, we should not lose sight of our long-term objective – to support sound monetary, fiscal and structural policies to build stronger economies and improve people's lives. This means also dealing with issues like inequalities, climate risks and rapid technological change.

"For our readiness to act, safeguarding the Fund's financial strength is essential, and so are enhancing its surveillance and capacity development efforts. Working with my team, my goal is to further strengthen the Fund by making it even more forward-looking and attentive to the needs of our members.

"I look forward to working with all our 189-member countries, the executive board and staff, and with all our partners in the years ahead."

Georgieva previously served as CEO of the World Bank from January 2017 to September 2019. During this time, she also served as interim president of the World Bank Group for three months. She has also served as European Commission vice president for budget and human and resources. Before this role, she was commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response.

Arriving from Bulgaria, Georgieva first attended Salzburg Global Seminar in 1990 as a participant for Negotiation Theory and Practice: Environmental Disputes. She credited Salzburg Global for triggering a "huge change" in her professional life and said, "All in all, Salzburg defines who I am."

She came back to Salzburg in 2013 for the June Board of Directors Weekend. In February 2017, Georgieva was a guest speaker at the Salzburg Cutler Fellows Program. During her talk, she told participants, "I hope we do not have to learn in the hardest way possible that we are in this world together."

Watch Kristalina Georgieva's Salzburg Global Profile*

*This profile was posted in October 2013.

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Aiming for Exceptional Care, Accountability, and Results
Astrid S. Tuminez, president of Utah Valley University (Photo: UVU Marketing Communication)Astrid S. Tuminez, president of Utah Valley University (Photo: UVU Marketing Communication)
Aiming for Exceptional Care, Accountability, and Results
By: Oscar Tollast 

Former advisor to Salzburg Global Astrid S. Tuminez discusses her new appointment as the president of Utah Valley University and her memories of Schloss Leopoldskron

In 2018, Astrid S. Tuminez was appointed the seventh president of Utah Valley University, becoming the institution's first female president. Before joining UVU, she served as an executive at Microsoft and, before then, as the former vice dean of research and assistant dean of executive education at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the National University of Singapore. Tuminez is a Salzburg Global Fellow and former advisor to the organization. We recently spoke with Tuminez to learn more about her work and her memories of Salzburg Global.

You've been appointed the seventh president of Utah Valley University. Congratulations! How does it feel, and what do you want to achieve in this role?

It feels amazing to be the seventh and first female president of Utah Valley University (UVU), the largest university in the state of Utah. UVU has a long history - founded in 1941 - of being scrappy, gritty and relevant. In the current age of digital transformation, massive technology-driven change, and continuing - and, in some cases, rising - inequality, I feel that an institution like UVU is so promising. We have open admissions, and we believe in capitalizing human capital, wherever it comes from. Seventy percent of our students work, 18 percent are people of color, and 29 percent are 25 years or older. We offer vocational, career and technical education through the community college model, while also offering over 90 bachelor’s degrees and 11 master’s degrees. I am sometimes daunted by the responsibilities of being UVU president, but, every day, I am renewed and energized because the work is so meaningful. I work with a wonderful team of administrators, faculty, and staff. Together we can enhance thousands of students’ chances to get the education that will help them live productive, dignified and meaningful lives. That is what “student success” means to me, and that’s what I want to achieve in this role.
 
You have a vast amount of experience in academia, philanthropy, technology, and business. How will these experiences help you in your new role?

I am a rather untraditional university president, having worked in so many other fields - academic being only one of them - before coming to UVU. When I first applied for this job and did the interviews, I had the epiphany that everything I knew how to do and all the skills and experiences I had acquired could actually be put to good use at a university. I had done research, administration, sales and marketing, legal and compliance, fundraising, investing, peacemaking, etc.—and a university is the perfect place for applying all the lessons I’ve learned in these other fields. Although my Ph.D. is in political science and my undergraduate degree was in Russian literature and international relations, I have always wanted to be more broad than narrow. Today, when knowledge is no longer siloed, I think my experiences can be relevant to students who will likely have non-linear lives and many different careers in their lifetime.
 
Your profile on Chartwell describes you as an expert in leadership, state-building, nationalism, entrepreneurship, and negotiation. You have spoken on a range of subjects with different audiences. However, is there one learning or piece of wisdom which you always try to convey to others?

At UVU, I have articulated our foundational values as “Exceptional Care, Exceptional Accountability and Exceptional Results.” If there is one piece of wisdom that I have frequently shared, that is the importance of caring. We have to see people as they are, care about them, and be curious about their identities and life experience. If we build from a foundation of care, we can then follow with tough conversations. We can lead in ways that build people, not break them down.

If we focus on leadership, Salzburg Global challenges current and future leaders to shape a better world. In your opinion, what are some of the qualities you would recommend leaders across sectors to work on?

I would go back again to “Exceptional Care” as a foundation. I believe that leaders who are in the game only for power or their own egos will not necessarily shape a better world. Leaders should not believe their own propaganda. That is so unhealthy. The second value I have articulated at UVU is “Exceptional Accountability.” Do leaders walk their talk? Do they act as ethical and responsible stewards of the resources they do control? Are they honest? Do they have integrity?  Finally, at UVU, I have highlighted “Exceptional Results” as our third foundational value. Leaders who want to shape a better world should know how to execute, how to get things done, how to have impact.
 
I notice you've attended a Salzburg Global Seminar program on Asian economics, alumni events in New York and Singapore, and a Freeman Foundation Symposium. What can you remember about these experiences? Did they have an impact on your career or inspire new ways of thinking?

I have also visited Middlebury when the Seminar still had staff there, and I was an advisor to the Seminar for a few months, out of New York City. My first visit to Schloss Leopoldskron was magical. I made friends with whom I am still in touch today. I remember dancing to Abba’s “Dancing Queen” in the Schloss’ basement. It was such an amazing time of intellectual, social and even emotional renewal. I was thrilled to return a second time. And then I returned for a third time with my family to do one of Schloss Leopoldskorn’s Christmas specials. We had sleigh rides, and my kids roamed around the Schloss looking for hidden doors and passageways. We loved it. The impact on my career has included a deeper appreciation of cross-cultural and interdisciplinary dialogue and a keener understanding of the importance of networks - people and ideas. Amb. Frank Wisner, my mentor who first introduced me to Salzburg Global Seminar, remains my friend and mentor to this day.
 
In 2014, I understand you were a senior advisor on global strategy and programs for Salzburg Global, too. What motivated you to take on that role, and what was that experience like?

What motivated me to take on that role was the very positive experience and interaction I had had with Salzburg Global, with its Board of Trustees (I attended one meeting in Dallas, TX), with the new leadership under Stephen L. Salyer, and all the colleagues and friends I had met as a Salzburg Global Fellow. If I recall correctly, I was charged to think about new strategies to strengthen Salzburg Global’s programs, reputation, and fundraising. It was a very enjoyable assignment. Alas, it was short-lived!
 
In a documentary for UVU, we heard how you had a deep commitment to education and liked the idea of educational opportunities across a broad range. Education is the big break in life and frees the human spirit, as the narrator says. What can we do more to highlight the importance of education in the public and private sector and ensure more resources are invested in this area?

Access and affordability are two big buzzwords in the world of education. I believe both are important. I was very lucky as a child, growing up in the slums of the Philippines, to have been given access by Catholic nuns to a high-quality education. They exempted me from tuition, so it was affordable! That opportunity changed the whole trajectory of my life and paved the way to where I am today. I think governments around the world should do more to fund education and to ensure that education is delivered in both traditional and new modalities, meeting people/students where they are - face-to-face, online, hybrid, older students, off-ramp and on-ramp students and so on.  

I am concerned, in the U.S. in particular, that many bash higher education and denigrate its value. The fact of the matter is, without higher education, the United States will not be able to maintain its competitiveness; neither will it live up fully to its values as a democratic and equitable society.  In Asia, where I lived for 13 years, I was very impressed that the public sector in ambitious countries and territories was investing heavily in education, including K-12, university, and adult continuing education.

We are facing a lot of disruption today, and human welfare will depend very much on giving more people access to a quality, affordable education. As for the private sector, I believe in partnerships between industry and higher education institutions. There can be collaborations involving work experience for students [such as] internships [and] apprenticeships; curriculum design from non-academic certification to associate’s/bachelor’s/master’s degrees, and continuing education for those already employed. Nobody can afford to stand still today. We must be learn-it-alls, and the work of education needs support from universities, governments, and industry.
 
We like to ask Salzburg Global Fellows what inspires them to do their day-to-day work. With that in mind, what motivates you?
 
UVU students motivate me more than anything. Behind every number in the 40,000 students we have is a person, a story that is unfolding.  My interactions with UVU students replenish my energy. I work for them. When they succeed, I succeed. Nothing is more motivating than that.

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Reflecting on the Emerging Field of Geoethics
Salzburg Global Fellows Martin Bohle and Rika Preiser at Schloss LeopoldskronSalzburg Global Fellows Martin Bohle and Rika Preiser at Schloss Leopoldskron
Reflecting on the Emerging Field of Geoethics
By: Lucy Browett 

Salzburg Global Fellows co-author chapter in new book on exploring geoethics

It’s common for first-time participants at Salzburg Global Seminar not to know what to expect during a program. For Martin Bohle, an advisor to senior management at the Directorate General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, the one thing he did expect was to stand out.

“I was prepared to be the outsider – [an] official of the European Commission (Eurocrat) and STEM-loving,” Bohle said. “In that sense, it was true, but [it] did not feel like that after some initially very suspicious looks faded away.”

Bohle arrived at Schloss Leopoldskron at the beginning of 2018 for the Salzburg Global program, The Shock of the New: Arts, Technology, and Making Sense of the Future. The program, which ran from February 20 to 25, sought to answer questions about the arts, technological advancements, environmental preservation and defining the future.

Despite Bohle’s concerns of being an outsider, his experience at Salzburg led to a significant outcome: finding a new co-author for a book he had begun writing with his colleagues calledExploring Geoethics - Ethical Implications, Societal Contexts, and Professional Obligations of the Geosciences.

The co-author in question was Rika Preiser, a senior researcher at the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition at the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

Bohle and Preiser both spoke on the program panel entitled “Connecting Creative Foresight and Policymaking.”

As a result of meeting in Salzburg, both Preiser and Bohle co-authored the chapter "Exploring Societal Intersections of Geoethical Thinking."

Bohle said of the collaboration, “Her thoughts have enriched the book and strengthened the reflections about system dynamics and cultural contexts. In turn, she [has] discovered new ground that enriches her thinking.”

The book itself is a joint effort of Bohle’s colleagues, all of whom are experts in geoscience with different professional backgrounds to reflect on ethics in geoscience. He said, “We present the emerging field of geoethics, its potential, and limitations.

“This work is about how ethical subjects relate to professional duties, scholarly interests, activities in professional geoscience associations, or responsible citizenship in times of anthropogenic global change.”

Bohle and Preiser have since joined forces again to create the publication Handling GeoEndowments Geoethically for this year’s EGU General Assembly, which took place earlier this month.

Reflecting on his time in Salzburg, Bohle said, “Participating at [the program] strengthened my determination to think about ‘The Future’ from various angles.

“I got exposed to people and their ideas that otherwise I would not have met. In consequence, I understood deeper that geosciences have a cultural meaning, in an educational sense as well as in daily societal practices. That meaning needs to be expressed, what brings artists closer to my thinking - thanks to Salzburg Global. The book refers to arts in some places, but that relationship I have to explore further.”

How did the program impact him personally and professionally? Bohle said his network had been enriched and he had become exposed to different ideas. He added, “This [experience] has co-shaped what I did last year; the book is one example.”


The Salzburg Global program, The Shock of the New: Arts, Technology and Making Sense of the Future, was part of the multi-year Culture, Arts and Society series. The program was supported by the Edward T. Cone Foundation. More information on the program can be found by clicking on the following link: https://bit.ly/2Z6mcw0

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Creating a New Network in the “International Spirit” of Salzburg
Participants of Contemporary American Literature gather on the steps of the Schloss for a group photoParticipants of the Salzburg Seminar program, Contemporary American Literature, posing for a group photo in 1973
Creating a New Network in the “International Spirit” of Salzburg
By: Lucy Browett 

A story involving Salzburg Global Seminar and the International Society for Contemporary Literature and Theatre (ISCLT), a network established in 1975 still going strong today

When Marina Catalano-McVey attended the program Contemporary American Literature at the then Salzburg Seminar in July 1973, it would have been difficult for her to foresee a literature society founded by fellow participants of that program would be holding its annual conference this year, as it has done since 1975.

“I remember that meeting - so many people, all passionate about literature - was a very enriching experience,” said Catalano-McVey of the program. “The lectures were extremely interesting - for me, personally, like opening windows on different realities. In particular, the workshops were inspiring and motivating.

“I remember the beauty of Schloss Leopoldskron and Salzburg and the long, interesting conversations we had in our free time.”

After the program, Catalano-McVey collaborated with other participants, all of whom had the same goal in mind, to create an international society for those who are passionate about literature to meet “according to the international spirit of the Salzburg Seminar.”

The founding members came from a variety of countries, many of whom still regularly attend events. Founders include Professor Agnieska Salska, Gudrun Westing, Luisa-Fernanda Rodriguez, Hartwig Isernhagen, Joanna Cizek, Dr. Gordon Bennett, Dr. Maurice Engelborg, Professor Jessie Ball, Professor Robert Bellflower, Tony Bloomfield, Belma Otus-Baskett, Jerry Parks and Aage Buechner. Catalano-McVey, herself, is the current executive secretary of the society.

The international aspect of the program is something which has inspired Catalano-McVey in her personal life, as well as in the creation and continuation of ISCLT.

She said, “Meeting people from so many different countries helped us understand the differences existing in various cultures, which is still an extremely relevant aspect of my personal world. Friendship among many participants has bloomed and is still a strong bond.”

ISCLT has impacted Catalano-McVey’s career, too. She said, “ISCLT has been a huge support for me in developing my writing skills, and I owe many ISCLTers a lot. Thanks to their encouragement and suggestions, I have finally come to publish several books (novels and short stories).”

The society is still attended today and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015. An annual two-week conference is held in a different country every year in the second half of July.

Catalano-McVey detailed the nature of the conferences. She said, “We chose to deal with contemporary Literature and Theatre, limiting the books we present to the past 10 years. We decided moreover to give space to our personal production.

“In the morning, we have lectures on various authors relating to the previously chosen theme. We have workshops in the afternoon - poetry, prose, plays, creative writing, etc. We have readings and performances in the evenings.”

Additionally, excursions take place around the conference location. Locations are often selected based on the locality of a member who is willing to host, who also has good connections with the area and can offer insider knowledge.

This year’s conference will be held in Vicoforte, Italy from July 16 to July 30, with the theme “Memory in Contemporary Literature and Theatre.” ISCLT is on the lookout for new participants “who in our opinion would appreciate what we do.”

Catalano-McVey said, “Unfortunately, time elapses so quickly and most of the founding members and other members passed away. Therefore, it is necessary to find new younger people in order to allow this wonderful society to thrive in the future.

“In the course of the years, many new members joined in and enriched our conferences with fantastic contributions. Quite a lot of the newcomers are alumni from various Salzburg Seminars; others are friends, acquaintances or colleagues of the members.”

Further reflecting on the ways how the program in Salzburg impacted her life, Catalano-McVey said, “I was invited by my university professor Sergio Perosa. I am eternally grateful to him for the invitation, which represented for me an opportunity of personal growth and connected me with all the other founding members with whom a beautiful, long-lasting friendship began.”


For more information on ISCLT, visit http://isclt.org/Home2.html or email Marina Catalano-McVey at catalano.marina14@gmail.com.

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Revisiting the Salzburg Spirit and Opportunities for Connection
Elizabeth Power Robison at Salzburg Global SeminarElizabeth Power Robison at Salzburg Global Seminar
Revisiting the Salzburg Spirit and Opportunities for Connection
By: Oscar Tollast 

Elizabeth Power Robison, vice president of Center Advancement at the Milken Institute, returns to Schloss Leopoldskron and reflects on new project

Elizabeth Power Robison is no stranger to Schloss Leopoldskron. In addition to being a Salzburg Global Fellow, Robison is one of a few who can count the palace as a former home. Robison interned at Salzburg Seminar – the former name of the organization – in the summer of 1992. While she’s returned multiple times since this internship, this was her first trip in her role as vice president of Center Advancement at the Milken Institute.

Robison was one of more than 40 participants to attend Citizen Diplomacy at the Crossroads: Activating Networks for Change, a three-day immersive learning program hosted by Salzburg Global Seminar, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and the Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance.

Alongside others, Robison took part in workshops, panels, and case-study discussions. She said, “When Ben [Glahn] said how much had changed at the organization, I kind of smiled because from an outside perspective, I haven’t been back at the Schloss since 2005, and it feels like nothing has really changed. I say that in a very positive way in that the culture of the organization… the energy, the spirit of the team that [is] here, I think have those important Salzburg values.”

Robison suggested she may have been distressed if she had felt a change, as she expanded further on what the “Salzburg values” consist of. She said, “Interestingly, given the topic we have here, fellowship is, I think, a really core part of the Salzburg experience… I think connection both in our conversations and relationships here but [also] the interconnectedness of the world, especially at a time where our leaders are using rhetoric that’s so divisive…

“For me, the Seminar represents that coming together of that community, that fellowship, but also a willingness to speak in candor and transparency that you might not find in another setting. There’s something kind of like a truth filter that comes out here.”

Robison joined the Milken Institute in January 2018, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank “determined to increase global prosperity by advancing collaborative solutions that widen access to capital, create jobs and improve health.” Robison says it’s also referred to as an “action tank.” It has offices in North America, Asia, and Europe.

“My role there is quite broad but focused on what I’ve done for my whole career, which is raising funds and building relationships for the organization. It’s been great,” Robison said.

One of her latest projects has involved interviewing world leaders about their dreams of impact, where they’ve come from, what they’ve achieved, and what education has meant in their process. Robison said, “It really is uplifting to talk to people who have really achieved great things, and you realize the challenges everyone faces in the world.”

Robison was attracted to return to Salzburg to reflect on the idea of global leadership and the responsibility of organizations to cultivate global leadership through their fellowship programs. Speaking on the second day of the program, Robison said, “We haven’t even been here 24 hours, and people are friendly, communicative, [and] conversational. Everyone wants to engage. You don’t see anyone kind of drifting away. They’re in such a short time creating a connection and engagement, and it to me is spectacular. I feel like I’m right back in it.”

Robison was born in Massachusetts but grew up in Vermont. In high school, she went on American Field Service and was given the opportunity to study in Israel. After graduating from college, she moved to Salzburg for her second experience of living outside the US.

“I think the experience of Israel and then Salzburg, which are very different countries and cultures, really, I think gave me a sense of the diversity of the world, at least in the kind of European context.

“It’s always been important in my whole career, even if my career didn’t seem aligned. International travel and experience and global communication [were] very important to me, so even working in higher education for 25 years I built international programs, funded international travel opportunities, created faculty-led trips and have continued to be very active in that.”


The program Citizen Diplomacy at the Crossroads: Activating Networks for Change was held in partnership with The German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance, as part of the Global Leaders Consortium (GLC).

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Manjeet Kripalani - "Our Arrival Has Changed the Dynamics in the Think Tank World"
Manjeet Kripalani, pictured, is the co-founder of Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations (Photo: Gateway House)Manjeet Kripalani, pictured, is the co-founder of Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations (Photo: Gateway House)
Manjeet Kripalani - "Our Arrival Has Changed the Dynamics in the Think Tank World"
By: Oscar Tollast 

Co-founder of Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations discusses her work and her experience at Salzburg Global

Manjeet Kripalani is the co-founder of Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. She is also a Salzburg Global Fellow, having attended Mass Media in the Age of Globalization in October, 2000. At this point in her career, she was the bureau chief for Business Week magazine in Mumbai. Kripalani recently spoke with Salzburg Global to discuss the role of Gateway House, its successes, its challenges, and where its focus lies in the immediate future.

SG: Manjeet, thank you for taking the time to talk with Salzburg Global. To begin, can you tell us about Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations, and the purpose behind it?

MK: We are a foreign policy think tank in Mumbai, established to engage India’s leading corporations and individuals in debate and scholarship on India’s foreign policy and the nation’s role in global affairs. We are membership-based, independent, non-partisan and not-for-profit.

We are located in Mumbai for several reasons, to get a non-Delhi, non-landlocked perspective of India but also because Mumbai is India’s most international, cosmopolitan city, one with historical links to the outside world. Mumbai is also at the heart of the changing international matrix – globalization, terrorism, energy, environment, innovation, technology, nation-building, and the new geoeconomics. And it is home to the country’s leaders – corporate, financial, media, artistic and technological. Mumbai is, as our logo and brand depicts the gateway to India and our face to the world.

SG: As I understand it, you were inspired to establish Gateway House during your time as an Edward R. Murrow Press Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. What was it, in particular, that gave you that lightbulb moment?

MK: Three reasons: 1. The similarities between Mumbai and New York are obvious and were made even more apparent when I was at CFR. The pragmatic impact of business on America’s foreign policy is clear; it makes that country’s positioning and diplomacy more compelling and closer to the reality of people’s lives.

2. The participation of business, as members, of CFR, whether in meetings and discussions, in providing input on papers, in fund-raising and board positions, was active and impressive. I thought then – we can easily have a similar institution, a home for India’s internationalists, in Mumbai. As a business journalist who worked in both New York and Mumbai, I knew this was possible, and would be welcomed in India.

3. The time was right – India was changing thanks to the outsourcing of software, it was becoming a global participant, and it was the software business that was leading our diplomacy at that moment.

The actual moment when we became a reality for the public was [on] the 26th November 2008 [after the] attacks on Mumbai. No one knew who these attackers were, and the need for a think tank in Mumbai, which could study international affairs both economically and security-wise, was felt. Our funding came in right after this.

SG: What, in your opinion, are some of the success stories Gateway House can recount?

MK: There are several: 1. We are now nine years old, and still, the only major non-Delhi think tank in India, one which is independent, private and membership based. Our model is unique, and I don’t think easily replicable.

2. Our arrival has changed the dynamics in the think tank world, injecting a dose of cordiality into what is a fiercely competitive think tank landscape in India.

3. Because we are in Mumbai, our study area is geoeconomics and international finance, multilateral engagements – studies that have not been a focus in India. We parley that into global geoeconomic conferences and a deep study into the G20 financial agenda. We study with maritime affairs, given Mumbai’s coastal position, and data security, so important for India’s IT and other businesses.

4. We are the only think tank in India that creates visual research – maps and infographics, usually the preserve of consultants. It has given us the edge in our industry, and globally.  

5. We are perhaps the only think tank in the world founded by two women – one diplomat, one business journalist. We don’t play this up or parley it well enough in today’s politically correct world because we ourselves don’t feel any different from other entrepreneurs. But the input we receive from others is that the workplace is more congenial and that the special talents of individuals are nurtured and enabled to blossom.

SG: What are some of the challenges you've faced since establishing Gateway House? With hindsight, are there things that you would have done differently?

MK: Primarily, being founded by two women means that male-led institutional bastions do not treat women-led institutions with the same seriousness that they do the men’s club. We live with it, but we hope that soon it will change in India. I don’t think we would do anything differently.

There isn’t much recognition of the work and necessity of a think tank in Mumbai, for Mumbai. But as India is rapidly globalizing, we find that the knowledge of world affairs is gaining currency – and that’s where we come in.

SG: There are evidently a wide number of foreign policy issues to tackle. What's one area where more focus is required?

MK: A greater study of finance, of economics, of business, of media, of maritime affairs, of the blue economy, of technology. And less of a western lens in viewing the world. We need to build a body of literature and analysis, case studies, on India and its foreign policy.

SG: You've had an illustrious career. You've had an extensive career in journalism and gained significant experience in politics. In your current role, do you feel as if those experiences help you and provide you with an advantage in your work?

MK: No question that it does. A reporter is a researcher, a questioner, a tracker, following a quest that is persevering and who never gives up until the truth is found. A think tank does that and more – it develops an analysis of the same, and makes recommendations on policy-making.

Also writing is essential to communication. It is a skill, an art, a passion for me. Our website and papers do well because we do not write in dry, academic, jargon; we write in simple, clear language, so that ordinary people, young people – and in India, less literate people – can understand even the nuances of foreign policy.

SG: You attended a program of Salzburg Global Seminar called Mass Media in the Age of Globalization. What can you remember about this program? Did it have an impact on you in any shape?

MK: This was very long ago, but I do remember that it brought together groups of people from different parts of the world and from different areas of expertise and experience, all of whom were put together to bring forth a common solution. That has stayed with me as the defining characteristic of Salzburg. It taught me a lot.