Vort Port International at CGI U 2012

Members of Vort Port International (VPI)’s Bamboo Bikes and Biodigester teams attended the Clinton Global Initiative University Conference 2012, held at the George Washington University in Washington, DC from March 30-April 1, 2012. The Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) is a platform launched by President Clinton to engage the next generation of leaders in solving some of the most pressing international issues of our time. Each year, CGI U hosts a meeting where students, nonprofit organizations and topic experts discuss their commitments to make a difference in the areas of: Education, Environment & Climate Change, Peace & Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health.

Song Nguyen and Adam Coile of the Bamboo Bikes Project, and Rahul Mitra of the Biodigester Project had the opportunity to attend plenary sessions featuring President Clinton, Madeline Albright, Usher, Jon Stewart and many other influential individuals. Moreover, CGI U offered them a space to network with 1,200 motivated students/young professionals, all working to make a positive impact in the world.  As a prerequisite to attend the CGI U meeting, Song, Adam and Rahul had to develop their own Commitments to Action: a specific plan of action that addresses a pressing development issue. CGI U then provides guidance to these projects through mentoring and promotes networking with others working on similar challenges or in the same area of the world.

During the event, Song and Adam presented VPI’s projects at the CGI U Exchange, a forum for students and youth organizations to showcase their commitments. This allowed them to promote VPI’s current Bamboo Bikes, Biodigester and Solar Lamps project, while exploring partnerships and networking with other CGI U attendees. Also during the event, Rahul had the distinct opportunity of attending a luncheon with President Clinton, where he answered questions specific to the projects represented at CGI U.

CGI U is an annual event that takes place at different university campuses each year.  Vort Port International members plan to attend subsequent CGI events in the coming years. You can find out more about CGI U here at their website: http://www.cgiu.org