Let’s Dance! Impressions from Day 1 of the Global Consultation

Gary Ovington, Senior Emergency Specialist, Education at the Asia-Pacific Shared Services Centre (APSSC), UNICEF, Thailand speaks of his experiences today in Istanbul

The long-awaited 3rd INEE Global Consultation kicked off this morning in Istanbul with a fascinating mix of in vivo and video presentations. At risk of losing friends, though not face, I would like to single out two presentations from the welcome and opening plenary that particularly touched my heart. They touched my heart, I suspect, partly because they were spoken from the heart (as indeed were a number of presentations), but also because they were born of personal suffering.

The first, from the seemingly ageless and peerless Desmond Tutu, whose measured and eloquent speech drew particular attention to conflict in the contemporary world and how it was preventing 40 million children from attending school. Two messages that struck a deep chord for me were: invest in people, invest in children; and we need to teach children to love and not to hate. Such simple messages, too oft forgotten.

The second was from Khin Htway who delivered an impassioned and heartfelt plea from the perspective of a young woman denied her dreams and her basic rights to tertiary education. Truly, a remarkable effort from a young woman who learnt English only five years ago and a wonderful example to us all.

I felt that almost all the speakers gave a personal touch and for me this set a tone which I hope we can follow throughout the next three days. Too often we attend professional gatherings that leave a slightly clinical taste in my mouth. It’s good to be reminded that within those gruesome statistics are faces, feelings, live flesh and blood beings whose lives have often been an endless saga of suffering and despair. Let’s not forget: education in emergencies is much more than a matter of academic interest.

The second plenary brought together the vastly different yet equally pleasing styles of Peter Buckland, Marla Petal and Allison Anderson. Peter brought us humour (and a bit of literary flair with his architectural metaphors), Marla brought us passion from the critical field of disaster prevention (Marla tells us that risk reduction is out; let’s raise the bar) and finally Allison, our INEE leader, helped us remember why we are now 3,400 members, how much we have grown.

I must confess that after the plenaries I was a little disappointed with the two learning sessions I attended. Not because there was a shortage of good information and good speakers, but because I felt the smaller numbers in these sessions allowed for interaction on a scale not possible in the larger plenaries, they allowed for a little innovation in methodology. Yet I was treated to a series of traditional speeches, mostly with powerpoints (a very overrated technology!) followed by questions and answers, comments and observations. My heart craved for a little genuine adult learning methodology. Come on team, let’s dance together!