Newsletter #5

Global Reach OutI n i t i a t i v e

Volume 2, Issue 1Summer Issue

GRO Ken

ya 2010

Delegates

Introduction

Credits

Editor in Chief Katie Cue

News EditorLizzie Sorkin

Layout Editor and Graphic DesignerAlice Lo

Copy EditorAvi Haimowitz

Gloal Reach Out welcomed the hottest summer ever (Summer 2010) in siz­zling style with a brimming­with­life energy and a “youth” high! The sum­mer flashed by in a blur for the GRO staff as they were pouring their soul into the first ever Deaf Youth of Color Camp in Oregon, the 50th Biennial National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Conference in Philadelphia, and the DeafNation World Conference and Expo in Las Vegas.

While the GRO staff was ultra busy being camp directors, camp counselors, conference presenters, keynote speakers, exhibitors, lecturers, and fun peo­ple in the US, GRO was also on another continent for GRO­Kenya’s second delegation! Through hard work, laughter, and inspiration, six American and seven Kenyan delegates successfully carried out a bigger and better Kenyan Youth Leadership Camp (KYLC) for 33 KYLC campers in Nairobi, Kenya. Last year, there were 10 KYLC campers, and we look forward to welcoming more than 35 KYLC campers in July 2011.

*Fanning*...now you know why the summer went by in a flash for us! Come on and read more about our hottest summer in this issue!

Oops! We goofed!

In our last newsletter released July 6, 2010, we incorrectly cred­ited Norma Moran as the author of the What is GDC? article on p. 12. The correct author is none other than GDC Executive Director, Joel Runnels!

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Norma Moran

Contributors

Becca Berman

Arturo Lopez Yanez

Megan Matovich

Jackie Pransky

Caroline K. Koo Mia Sanchez Daniel Saavedra Marlet Mancera

Jeff Barnette Erica Israel Derrick Behm Melissa (MJ) Kielbus

Laurene SimmsLizzie Sorkin

Violet Blake Alim Chandani

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GRO Indi! 2010 Updat"

The National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) was founded bythe Indian state of Kerala in 1997. NISH provides community servic­es, academic classes, and research/

Congratulations, Greg Pollock! by Lizzie Sorkin

A few years ago for the very first time, a deaf person held a Student Government (SG) President position at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). For those of you unaware, my name is Lizzie Sorkin and I was SG Presi­dent on a predominately hearing campus (about 17,000 students). Now, I am proud to announce that there’s another deaf leader! I can’t tell you how much I miss the experience and how excited I am to recognize and support a past GRO delegate and the next person to have the same position: Greg Pollock, currently the RIT SG President for the year 2010­2011!

This summer, after returning to the United States from GRO Kenya, Greg Pol­lock found out he was the next SG President at RIT in Rochester, New York. Earlier this year, he was voted to be the Vice President and during his time in Kenya, he expected nothing else. As a delegate, you really don’t have much

time to check emails because you’re so involved with the delegation and your priority is to get to know other people sharing your experience. While Greg fully expected a busy start of the school year upon his return to the US, he didn’t realize he’d be SG President instead of Vice President! During the summer, the elected President had to re­sign due to personal reasons and this essentially moved Greg into the Presidental position.

Current Gallaudet University President, Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz remarked, ”Hearty congratulations to Greg! I have known him since he was a first year student at RIT/National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and always enjoyed chatting with him whenever we had a chance to get together during his NTID Student Congress (NSC) presi­dency. Greg is an outstanding leader. I wish him much happiness and success in his role as the current SG president. I know he will do fine in whatever he does in his future.”

As Dr. Hurwitz mentioned, Greg was involved with NSC last year and this helped him realize that he wanted more. Greg recognized his own desire and passion to contribute to the campus community. Not only does he participate in RIT/NTID campus activities, but he also contributed as a US delegate for GRO Kenya. If you read the GRO Kenya blogs, you’ll note he did most of the writing! I can tell you that he is an eager and passionate young man, ready to invest in the community.

One of his advisors, Karey Pine, Director of the Center of Campus Life at RIT shared, “Greg has brought a refresh­ing ability to balance his celebration of all that has been done to improve pride, spirit and connection, and still to keep us all joyfully focused on what is still possible! His energetic optimism is being noticed all over campus, and is contagious!”

Another advisor, Dr. Heath Boice­Pardee, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at RIT said, “Greg exudes en­thusiasm and is an excellent role model for students. He is concerned about the RIT community and committed to keeping students active and involved in campus conversations. Greg is approachable and eager to talk with people ­ he’s great a representative for students!”

Greg, from all of us at Global Reach Out and abroad: congratulations and good luck with your presidency!

development programs focusing on the deaf community. On December 6th, our American Delegates will be heading to Trivandrum to work with NISH staff and students on commu­nication and education awareness. While we are in India, be sure to check out our blog for updates!

by Becca Berman

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Reaching Out On a Global Scaleby Lizzie Sorkin

This summer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, over 1,500 peo­ple attended the National As­sociation for the Deaf (NAD) Conference. The NAD Confer­ence offered over 70 booths in the free exhibit hall, and over 70 in­formative workshops, one of which was presented by Global Reach Out (GRO)! GRO’s own Lizzie Sorkin held a workshop that focused on reaching out on a global scale.

When NAD distributed a call to pres­ent workshops, GRO jumped at the opportunity, realizing that there is a strong need to spread awareness about grassroots advocacy. Any form of advocacy, big or small, makes a difference. Individuals must realize their own responsibility as members of a community to enact the changes they wish to see. To take a step for­ward might involve participating in a rally, attending workshops, or taking on leadership positions. As is already known, Global Reach Out Initiative focuses on peer­to­peer experiences between American delegates and delegates from developing coun­tries. GRO encourages deaf youth from nations spanning the globe to address social issues that limit deaf populations’ opportunities to grow. People attending GRO’s workshop at the NAD Conference participated by sharing ideas and experiences as well as watching Lizzie explain the importance of volunteerism across the globe.

The presentation started off with an interactive discussion on the defini­tion of grassroots advocacy.

After the discussion, the audience broke into small groups provided with different scenarios. These sce­narios pushed participants to apply their innate advocacy skills toward solving or approaching various so­cial issues. This activity helped them realize their own potential while si­multaneously learning that other people within their own community can offer a wide range of skills and ideas. Often we do not realize the impact that a peer­to­peer experi­ence can make on an individual.

From there, most of the presenta­tion focused on how small things do count. Examples like the story told within the book Three Cups of Tea, as well as the work of non­profit or­ganizations like Pennies for Peace and Project RED were shared. Three Cups of Tea is an amazing book about Greg Mortenson and his Mis­sion to Promote Peace...One School at a Time. A non­profit organiza­tion, Pennies for Peace, was inspired by Greg Mortenson and his dream. From Pennies for Peace’s website: “Our Pennies for Peace Program

(P4P) educates children about the

world beyond their experience and

how they can make a positive im­

pact on a global scale, one penny

at a time. It teaches children the

rewards of sharing and working

together to bring hope and educa­

tion opportunities to the children in

Pakistan and Afghanistan. A penny

is virtually worthless, but in

impoverished countries a pen­

ny buys a pencil and opens the

door to literacy” (http://www.threecupsoftea.

com/how­ to ­he lp/penn ies ­ fo r ­peace/).

Project RED was something the pre­senter discovered after listening to her graduation speech given by Pres­ident Bill Clinton at the Rochester Institute of Technology commence­ment ceremony. He talked about the word “ubuntu,” which is Swahili and means, “I am because you are.” We should not simply ignore problems that exist out of our normal realm. If they’re hurting in another country, it is our responsibility, as ubuntu claims, to help them. One example is helping to fight against AIDS in Africa. Project RED is an organiza­tion that is designed to help elimi­nate AIDS in Africa through people purchasing (RED) products. “Since its launch in 2006, (RED) has gener­ated over $150 million for the Global Fund and over 5 million people have been impacted by HIV and AIDS programs supported by your (RED) purchases”( h t t p : / / w w w . j o i n r e d . c o m /aboutred).

GRO believes in the domino effect: if one delegate is inspired to work to­wards social change, many more will follow. Inspiration is contagious!

For more information about the NAD conference, go to:http://www.nad.org/category/blog­categories/nad­conference.

Grassroots: the common person.Advocacy: active support of an idea or cause.Grassroots advocacy: active support of an idea or cause for the common person.

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Deaf YouthCamp of Color

Historically, the deaf and hard of hearing youth of Color have in­

frequently attended other existing camps or special events that happen to be conducted by domi­

nant non­color people. These events have not been recog­nized as “people of color”­friendly environments. Designed and organizated by a collaboration of organizations from The National Deaf People of Color Council, which represents various Deaf ethnic

organizations, the two­week­long Deaf Youth of Colour Camp (DYCC) is the first of its kind.

Thirteen deaf and hard of hearing high school students of Color attended the first DYCC during the week of June 27­July 11, 2010. These 13 Emerg­ing Leaders embarked on a new journey, convening to further develop and practice their leadership skills. DYCC provided an enriching array of leadership development activities, and also invited the campers to par­ticipate in the National Deaf People of Color conference. Altogether, it

was an unforgettable experience for student participants.

Feedback from the DYCC participants indicates that DYCC was highly successful. Campers expressed their desire to attend the next event. We are hoping to hold a

smiliar camp in the future!~ Laurene Simms, Director.

It was a rare, two­way learn­ing opportunity for both the staff

of 10 (including the administrative team) and the 13 campers. All of us have probably ex­

perienced, consciously or unconsciously, one form of oppression or another related to: race (internalized at times), disability, language, class, gender, and so forth. Everyone has been impacted to differing degrees.

The teenagers, as well as staff, came together to discuss topics, which at times were controversial, and to perform team­building exercises. At times, we found ourselves reluctant to put all our cards on the table, but we learned how to communicate better and tried to give peer advice. I believe at the end of the journey, we realized that we all have hopes and dreams, just like everyone else. We know we are not alone going through chal­

lenges in our lives as minorities.~ Caroline K. Koo

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Editor’s Note: DYCC was a ground­

breaking concept that saw par­

ticipation from current GRO staff

and alumni Delegates. As such, we

wanted to feature it in this news­

letter for it was a success and an

example of GRO post­delegation

successes.

When I arrived in Oregon, I was nervous because I didn’t

know anyone there and I thought it would be just like a boot camp. But it turned

out that DYCC was not a boot camp. All of the staff there were friendly and thrilled to see us. It made me feel comfortable and safe. I will never forget Laurene’s play that we watched. We were all laughing and crying at the same time. Plus, I remember Laurene telling us a story about how hard she had worked with her life and family. I almost cried and the story inspired me. It made me feel that I will always be there for my family and my friends. I remember that I was nervous to present in front of so many deaf people at the National Deaf People of Color Conference, but then I felt brave because all the campers and the staff gave me support

and told me that I could do it.~ Daniel Saavedra

I’m from Illinois School for

the Deaf, and I am a Chicana (Mexican­American). My experience at

DYCC was so AMAZING! I learned a lot about leadership, citizenship, racism, sexism, and other cultures during workshops. We also participated in fun activities like ice breakers and speed friendships. DYCC students discussed our life experiences. I felt so proud to be part of history at DYCC, because we attended the first established DYCC event. We ate Thai food, which was the most delicious and healthy food I ever had. Honestly, I miss all of DYCC’s fun times. Anyways, my friends, Daniel Saavedra, Khalil Muhummad, and I plan to set up Color clubs in our school. We really need it for students of color. Keep it up, DYCC! I LOVE YOU ALL DYCC campers and the STAFF! I won’t forget this camp!

~ Marlet Mancera

I do believe these 13 deaf high school students

have made a difference for the fu­ture of DYCC. How do I know this for sure? Some of them have shown interest becoming a DYCC camp coach someday. The DYCC team planted the seed, 13 DYCC camp­ers watered the seed, and now DYCC is bloom­ing. Iam grateful for being a GRO alumna because my trips have inspired me to seek more opportunities in my own home country, as well as help spread the “seeds” in our Deaf community.

~ Mia Sanchez

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6

Summerin Togo

I went to Togo, Africa for an internship for my own benefit for 10 weeks over the summer. Who was one of my inspirations? My sister, Rachel Blake. She participated in Global Reach Out India last Decem­ber. She fell in love with India and the program itself, during which she felt she made a difference: helping and empowering deaf Indians along with other volunteers. Her passion has enthused me to go to Africa and make a difference myself.

I was part of an unforgettable or­ganization, Projects Abroad, which helped me out with my placement in Africa. They sent me to help teach at a deaf school in Lome’, Togo, called Ecole Ephaphata Pour Les Sourds Du Togo. I stayed with the principal of the school and his family. My stay in Africa was such a rich experience. I helped one of the teachers take care of the young students, ranging from five to 11 years old, until school was out for the summer. By then, I had a class of my own in which I

My students

My African FamilyMy sister, Rachel

~ by Violet Blake

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My students

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taught some other students on my own, mostly mathematics and the alphabet. It was a challenge at first because Togo is a French­speaking country and I don’t read or write French at all. But over time, we all learned how to overcome the com­munication barrier. I learned their signs, and they learned ASL.

What made everything even more honorable was the fact I was the first deaf volunteer for both Projects Abroad and the school. I was sad to leave because I had truly grown to love Africa like a home. I did not like

the fact I left the kids with poor edu­cation all over again. This is why I hope you will find the heart to help a deaf school, or in my sister’s case ­ a deaf community abroad ­ that is in need of change for the better. My sis­ter and I agree wholeheartedly that it was not only us who made a differ­ence, but it was all of the people we met that changed our lives too.

Nothing is greater than making a dif­ference or empowering others with all your heart. My sister is beyond grateful for GRO India just like I am for Africa. I would like to wrap this

by sharing with pride that my sister is going to work for GRO India this upcoming December! She is going back, and so will I ­ to my African home one day.

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Deaf Expo in Las Vegashttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGzvulSsvHU

Deaf NationWorld ExpoJuly 24 - 25, 2010

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GRO Kenya 2010

“Welcome to Nairobi Airport.” I stared at the sign. Then it hit me like a brick: I am really in Kenya, Africa, of all places! I made it after almost twenty !"#$%&"'&()*!+,&-+&.//&%+.$+01&2!03&-&4$%+&saw Global Reach Out’s website, which my friend showed to me, and I said, “Why not?” I was curious about how GRO empowers deaf people in develop­ing countries such as Kenya and India.

Kenya

by Jackie Pransky

I would eventually know so much more about Global Reach Out. My arrival to Nairobi was just the beginning of three amazing weeks with 13 delegates (six 560$)7.3%&.31&%)8&903:.3%;<&=!0&4$%+&week went by a whirl. After a bone­rattling and body­bouncing ride to the YMCA hotel, Norma and Margaret greeted us, the six American delegates. Norma and Margaret were the coor­dinators of this delegation, and they wasted no time in educating us about Kenyan culture.

=!)%&4$%+&200>&2.%&/"+&.?"#+&60&08@0­$)037)3*&6.3:&A4$%+%BC&!"2&+"&3"+&(""1&my hotel room, how to peel eggs with a spoon, learning Kenyan Sign Lan­guage (KSL) and meeting new people. Kenyans really have a lot to offer deaf people: they have the Kenyan Na­tional Association for the Deaf, Liver­pool Volunteers Counseling and Test­

ing (LVCT), Global Deaf Connection (GDC), and many more deaf organiza­tions! My KSL was improving some, thanks to the different people we met nightly, so I learned some new deaf jokes and slang. Kenyans and Ameri­cans share so much in common regard­ing deaf culture. They have great jokes, and even “Deaf Standard Time” exists in Kenya!

=!0&%200+&031)3*&+"&"#$&4$%+&200>&2.%&visiting Nairobi Game Park! Oh my

goodness, it was SO cool to see animals up close! I just love how ostriches run and their cute googly eyes! I do have advice for y’all who want to visit these animals though: get baboon insurance! Baboons are cute but don’t let them fool you! They stole our lunch!

The next week had me running with Kenyan delegates ­ literally! After meeting six of the Kenyan delegates, we teamed up and did an Amazing Race in Nairobi. Nairobi was a mecca of color­ful skirts, screeching cars, cows, and corn cobs. It vaguely reminded me of Boston except that ladies mostly wear

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skirts and they eat grilled corn instead of hot dogs. Cats replaced the squirrels and pigeons, and they just stared us with their hungry yellow eyes! And the roads scared me! The roads were ruth­less, and I am a city girl from Boston! I saw a butcher house, museums, parks, and lots of tea houses. Kenyans love their chai tea, even at Karen Techni­cal Training Institute for the Deaf (KT­TID), our new home for the next two weeks.

The Kenyans tried Indian food and for %"60&"'&+!06D&)+&2.%&+!0)$&4$%+&+)60,&-3­dian food was too spicy for them. At the end of the Amazing Race, our minivan broke down so we had to push it back to a gas station. It was so funny!

Cows, chickens, and goats at Karen Technical Training Institute for the Deaf bid me good morning everyday at my tent. This place gave me an authen­tic snapshot of Kenyan life. I learned how to go to the bathroom and to shower Kenyan­style using a bucket of hot water and soap! We ate more tra­

ditional Kenyan meals at the school. My favorite was boiled eggs, spinach, chapati (fried bread) and beans. We tried ugali and chicken.

Ugali is a type of a soft white maize ("#$& E7"$360./;& 2!)7!& ?07"60%& .&“doughy­like” lump that you squeeze and use to scoop up chicken or beans. In a cross­cultural exchange, the Ke­nyans tried the Kenyan version of American pizzas. They seemed to like them because the pizza disappeared in an instant! But this is not what I came for. I came to learn and share with Ke­nyan deaf youth! So I was excited when we started to plan our Kenyan Youth Leadership Camp.

I really love to talk and this experience made me learn that I need to listen to other people more. We planned every­thing together, from what time to sleep to the different types of workshops. Af­ter lots of debate, preparation, and chai +0.& 20&20$0& 43.//:& $0.1:& +"& )3F)+0& GG&campers over!

=!0&43./&200>&%+.$+01&"''&2)+!&.&?.3*<&The Kenyan Youth Camp ran smooth­ly in teams. My team was called “One Ball,” which meant that we are together as one, like a soccer team sharing a ball. We competed in a sports tournament. It was cool! Everyone painted their faces in different colors (white for my team). We played soccer, volleyball, .31&6:&'.F"$)+0D&7.@+#$0&+!0&(.*<

Seeing the campers’ eyes light up with 4$0& $0.//:& )3%@)$01& 60<& =!0& 7.6@0$%&were very motivated, funny, and smart! They asked good questions about lead­ership, volunteerism, deaf pride, and goals. They shared with me about their

dreams and inspirations. They have so much to give to the world and Kenya is at a good turning point in history for deaf people. I was lucky to work with great Kenyan delegates! They should be proud of their rich heritage and of the progress that they have made so far! I was lucky to work with great Ke­nyan delegates! I was sad to leave my new friends, and I did not want to go back to America!

Indeed, going to Kenya and volunteer­ing with Global Reach Out was one of the craziest and coolest things I ever did in my life. It made me look at the world with a completely different lens and appreciate more what we have now.

My experience is something that I will never trade. Global Reach Out also gave me a global family that I won’t forget! Don’t miss this great chance to travel and experience new things! Grab the next chance you have and you will get so much more than just pictures!

There is no right or wrong

way of doing things; there

are only different ways

and that is perfectly cool.

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I was very happy for the chance to learn from new experiences through the GRO program that took place at the Karen Technical Training Institute for the Deaf in Nairobi. Some experiences were very funny, while others were serious. The Ke­nyan and American delegates faced many challenges while we were busy preparing for the upcoming Kenyan Youth Leader­ship Camp (KYLC). The KYLC campers learned very much from us.

One of my experiences involved ants! The ants disturbed me by biting me while I was sleping, waking me up. But it’s funny to me now. I enjoyed chatting with American delegates, as they were very friendly. They also made me laugh when they suf­fered from culture shock, like eating ugali and githeri. But it was wonderful to see them learn about our culture! It was so nice to be with them!

GRO Kenya 2010by Natha Bashir

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I was sitting outside watching the Venezuelan sunrise on the de­parture day of the World Federation of the Deaf Youth Section Children Camp when it hit me how the last eight days sped by. It felt like yester­day when all the ten to twelve year old campers from 22 different coun­tries gathered for their first photo together.

The campers were so shy at first and clung onto others from their coun­tries, but faster than you could sign, “Welcome to camp!” everyone was getting to know each other. They all awkwardly learned how to use Inter­national Sign to their benefit. They quickly realized that they were not in Kansas anymore. They were not at home with people that shared fa­miliar languages and cultures. They were in a room filled with so many different perspectives to learn and grow from.

The children were so energetic throughout all eight days (and I mean all eight days!) and shared vast knowledge with each other. There were many hours of workshops giv­

en by people from different parts of the world and the campers eagerly questioned the presenters and out­spokenly shared their opinions. The campers split into four teams for fun games that required a large amount of teamwork.

There were disagreements but most of the time, they did not even need help from the leaders. They handled it like pros by listening and talking it out. These campers gave their all to the camp. There were many op­portunities for the campers to learn about Venezuela, the locale of the 2010 children camp. We had several field trips to visit different histori­cal sites. We had Venezuelan danc­ers show us traditional dances and bass­booming Venezuelan music for the campers to dance to. They gave out Venezuelan ice cream, which was absolutely delicious. The camp also held a cultural night for all camp­ers to display the different features of their countries and culture. Many dressed up in traditional outfits for everyone to see and remark on. The campers also brought sweets, toys, and country symbols as gifts for each other. The cultural night lasted only three hours but it felt like we had just traveled the world.

Everything happened in such as short time period, perhaps too short to truly compare the campers be­fore and after. Still, I know I can say this not only for myself, but also for all other countries’ leaders: we saw something spark inside each of these children. On the day before our de­parture, the campers expressed their dreams, goals, and aspirations and that was when each of them, for a split second, became their future selves. They were not children any­more. They were grown­up, strong­willed people: they were leaders and no one could tell them that they could not accomplish anything.

And that is the true brilliance of this camp. No sunrise could surpass the shine in each of those children.

For more information, visit WFDYS website, www.wfdys.org. The WFD­YS Children Camp occurs every four years. The location of the 2014 Chil­dren Camp will be determinded at the XVI World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf in South Af­rica, July 2011. For information on the World Congress:www.wfd2011.com and the WFD website www.wfdeaf.org.

WFDYS Children Campby Megan Matovich

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Summer Photos

Lizzie Sorkin GRO Marketing Director Seconds away from devouring adelicious In­N­Out meal during Deaf Nation World Expo in Las Vegas 2010.

Silvia Lopez GRO Delegate ­

Guatemala 2010 On top of the world on the Bolnuevo Erosions in Puerto Mazarron,Murcia, Spain.

Kenny DeHaan GRO Delegate ­ India 2007 This is in Fira, Santori, Greece ­ I traveled to England, Portugal, Spain, France, Monaco, Italy,Vatican City, and Greece.

Christopher Samp GRO Delegate ­

Guatemala 2009 Did a summer internship at the Sen­ate for Senator Gillibrand (NY­D) in Washington, DC and had the oppor­tunity to pose from the President’s desk at the White House store.

Greg Beattie GRO Delegate ­ Thailand 2007,

2008 and India 2007 Fireworks in DC on July 4th!

Wyatte Hall GRO Delegate ­ India 2007

Jumping in front of the Pacific forthe first time in beautifulSan Francisco!

Avi Haimowitz GRO Delegate ­ India 2007 Climbing the first of manymountains in my new homestate, Colorado.

Lauren Searls GRO Delegate ­ India 2009 Right before taking the plunge! Bungee jumping off of Macau Tower in China: the highest commercial bungee jump in the world!

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Alice LoGRO Graphic Designer

Montreal ­ Schwartz’s is the BEST for its world famous smoked meat that melts in your mouth when you eat it...it is worth waiting in the long line!

Mia Sanchez (left) GRO Delegate ­ India 2007 and

Thailand 2008 We’re Colorific! Being the first (col­orful and terrific) camp coaches for Deaf Youth Camp of Color in Stay­ton, Oregon.

Tamer Mahmoud GRO Delegation Director

Shakira Concert: $$$ Roadtrip to NYC: $$ Hotel near NYC: $Spending time in Times Square: Priceless!

Sarah HougeGRO Delegate ­ India 2009 Enjoying some R&R on Lle de G’Nor in Senegal during training to be­come a Regional Trainer for the West and Central Africa Region Hu­man Rights Project with the World Federation of the Deaf.

Alim Chandani GRO Founder/

Executive Director Appreciating the small things in life such as smelling a rose at the famous Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon!

Shilpa Hanumantha GRO Board Chair “India is Incredible!” once you’ve experienced South Indian food served on a banana leaf. Mysore, India ­ September 2010.

Smitha Hanumantha GRO Delegate ­ India 2007 Life has been filled with scribbled thoughts, and with a big heart to embrace each and every moment of this unique year. Background picture taken on the Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles CA.

Lindsay Buchko GRO Delegate ­

Guatemala 2009 Spent most of my summer traveling and running in races. Currently in training for the Marine Corps Mara­thon on Oct 31st.

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In August 2010, I had the opportunity to attend the PEN­International Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) at Herstmonceux Castle in England for the second time as one of the presenters. This program, established in 2006, in­vites five different countries (Philippines, China, Russia, USA, and Japan) to each select four university students and their interpreters to convene for eight days to learn and share leadership skills.

Since this is a similar target for our organization, I am very grateful to the PEN­International team for continuing to inspire GRO. Before GRO was born, the idea of a peer­peer delegation was incorporated into a pilot program with PEN­International support in Manila, Philippines during the spring of 2006. Three students from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and myself as an RIT employee went to De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, and together we had the opportunity to give workshops to the Filipino deaf students on life transi­tion skills. The impact we made was beyond our imagination, and it proved to us that a peer­to­peer program was necessary. After we went back to the USA, GRO began to flourish with many young adults wishing to experience working with peers on an international level. GRO is hoping to reconnect with the Phil­ippines in the near future by having a second Delegation there. I am grateful to have PEN­International’s support, and hopefully in the future there will be ways of working together as a team.~ Alim Chandani

On my plane ride back home, I questioned everybody in my group about what “Deaf Can” means. I felt like I had been living in a bubble in America, and the term “Deaf Can” meant that I can use the “deaf excuse” whenever I wanted to. Coming back from the Student Leadership Institute, “Deaf Can” had a whole new meaning to me. The experience shook me to the core.

If there is another international program that arises, or a chance to meet inter­national deaf students, I would sign up for it in a heartbeat. The experiences I just shared were only a small portion of my overall experience. I would like to encourage everybody to seize any opportunity to travel internationally for study abroad or volunteering experiences. These experiences provide some­thing invaluable, and can be life changing. The empowerment that went on between the deaf delegates from all of the countries was priceless.~ Erica Israel

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PEN-International Summer Leadership Institute

PEN-International Summer Leadership Institute Since the Institute was a week­long program, I made use of my free time to meet with each country’s students. It was my opportunity to start somewhere, as a way to simply make friends and learn something new about their life experi­ences. After all, the focus of PEN­International was leadership. One of the main goals of a leader, as I learned, is to discover the fullest potential in other people. I realized that the ability to listen carefully and persist through communication barri­ers, which were commonly encountered throughout the program, was of utmost importance. By the end of the program, I found that my presence created a “ripple effect” among the students, and they too became confident and self­sufficient in­dividuals. It is my hope that they develop the ability to bring what they have learned through many of PEN­International’s outstanding projects to other programs serving deaf and hard­of­hearing students in their home countries.

With my emerging interest in GRO, I have discovered a new self­worth, and that is to help build a global community of Deaf individuals through peer­to­peer interactions. My experience at PEN­International has opened my eyes for more oppor­tunities to not only bring about positive change in the lives of Deaf individuals, but to empower them to become catalysts of change for others. I have learned from PEN­International’s teamwork workshops, resources, exchanges, and advocacy tools, and I hope these make a real difference.~ Jeff Barnette

It is amazing what life can provide when you just spend an extra minute to meet someone new. I had no idea what was going to happen when I went to England for the Summer Leadership Institute. When we first arrived in Lon­don, we waited for another group of people to arrive and then we all boarded a small private bus. It was there that I met Alim Chandani, the founder of Global Reach Out. It was also from there that I started to learn so much more about the organization, and having traveled to Europe several times, I yearned for more. The best thing I learned about GRO was that I would be able to help oth­ers: children and individuals that needed help with advocacy for the deaf. And by helping them, we could learn more about their cultural differences and how they live. Since that bus ride, I have been eager to get involved with GRO, and I look forward to traveling somewhere and making a difference for someone.~ Melissa (MJ) Kielbus

With each journey overseas, I fall more in love with traveling and outreaching to other deaf people. Being a delegate at the PEN International Summer Leadership Institute 2010, I realized that deaf people all over the world are hungry for better leadership and advocacy, hungry for networking and friendship.

With fascinates me the most is that deaf people are alike all around the world. Our differences only reside in our differ­ent situations and opportunities. Every deaf person at the Leadership Institute had a desire to express their thoughts and a passion to make change in their deaf communities ­ regardless of our communist or democratic politics. As we broke down communication barriers, the more I learned how America’s Deaf culture, identity, and advocacy is the most progressed in the world.

Merely training deaf people from other nations for a week how to lead and become better advocates is not all that we, Americans, can do.

Hence, I am grabbing the next opportunity I can to travel overseas.~ Derrick Behm

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TED Islayx TED is a pioneer program that presents ideas through a series of innovative speakers with the goal of inspiring the audience. The videos of these presentations are then shared on the Internet. Past speak­ers have included Steve Jobs, Randy Pausch, and Shukla Bose. TEDx is a special branch that allows indi­vidual organizers to host TED events focusing on special topics. One special TEDx program highlighted people from the deaf community: TEDxIslay. This event was named for an imaginary deaf utopia created in a 1986 novel, Islay by Douglas Bullard, “who envisioned a place of our own: a country that the deaf community calls home” (TEDxIslay.com). However, no person is an island, and TEDxIslay sought to highlight various unique people in the community, and I feel honored to have been one of them. The expe­rience of presenting with TEDxIslay was humbling and I truly felt like I was in the company of pioneers. Presentation topics ranged from art, science, religion, and social change. Keep your eyes peeled for the release of the TEDxIslay conference videos: we will announce this on our website and through Twitter and Facebook.

Editor’s Note:Some may wonder why we are

running an advertisement for anorganization that many believe to be our competitors. The answer is that

we do so in the spirit of collaboration! Discovering Deaf Worlds is a wonder­ful organization that shares the same goal collaboration! Discovering Deaf Worlds is a wonderful organization that shares the same goal as GRO:improving the lives, and that is whywe are happy to share DDW’s next

exciting venture with you!

by Alim Chandani

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www.globalreachout.orgP.O. Box 57269, Washington, D.C., 20037

Global Reach Out Initiative (GRO) is designed to build a global net­work of Deaf youth who unite to improve the quality of life for Deaf members within their home communities. Many developing countries do not enforce human rights for their Deaf citizens; consequentially, their ability to succeed in various spheres of life is limited. GRO is more than just an outreach organization that helps others ­ it seeks to em­power Deaf youth in a mutual way by bringing together American and foreign delegates.

Many organizations currently exist to serve deaf communities interna­tionally, but none exist that utilizes a peer­to­peer model to ensure that empowerment, rather than dependency, is the result of their collabora­tion. The peer delegates combine their experiences as Deaf people and their capacities in leadership to create and present workshops related to specific issues in their Deaf communities. Our goal is to encourage independence in all delegates; we expect them to establish communica­tion networks that exist long after the delegation itself is over.

We believe unity is the first step in resisting oppression. It may be ide­alistic, but many successful policies for social changes were and are often dismissed as impossible. GRO believes that social change in the global Deaf community is possible, and it strives to create a world in which deafness does not foster oppression; instead it creates empower­ment.

GRO provides a solution by establishing cross­cultural relationships that empower deaf youth in the U.S. and developing countries so that both groups feel motivated to accomplish goals that strengthen aware­ness and enforcement of Deaf rights. GRO’s programs are designed to push young memebers of Deaf communities worldwide to recognize their capacities as leaders and to work to obtain educational and social resources for themselves as well as others.

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