“Social media has given us other ways to participate and contribute to causes without having to be on street at protest,” stated Chelsea Clinton during her keynote address at this year’s South by South West Interactive (SXSWi) conference in Austin, Texas.
Care and aid, Clinton claimed, has been democratised (a theme that flowed through many SXSW presentations) and whilst it used to be government-dominated, now, individuals can get involved. She sited statistics about the growth and rapid adoption of technology in developing countries and the impact this has had to give millions access to services and to information previously unavailable to them. On innovation and finding solutions to world problems, Clinton remarked that there’s a lot of pressure to be first, especially in America, but that it’s important to celebrate those that are second and third into a field or movement, whether it be in health or a new software. Sometimes, she explained “it’s less around who is first, and more about the impact the work has.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPgl-XeCsPk When asked what frustrates her most about the rate of change and the implementation of solutions to world problems she stated: ‘What frustrates me the most is when we know how to solve things and don’t solve them.’ Clinton challenged the 3,500+ audience to take action: “What will you do with your power and position to make a positive difference?” The audience also got an insight into Chelsea’s upbringing, and unsurprisingly the conversations around the dinner table with her parents was not lame. Chelsea Clinton grew up debating parents at the home dinner table. One parent would debate, one would moderate.
“Girls should have opinions. My parents expected me to have views and opinions from a very early age.” Clinton endorsed Sheryl Sandberg’s “Ban Bossy” campaign to empower girls as well as the Clinton Foundation’s No Ceilings project, an effort to help chart the path forward to cellerate full participation for women and girls in the 21st Century.
In their work to fight childhood obesity, Clinton foundation has fond themselves partnering with organisations that may be considered to be working against the very purpose of the cause a soft drink companies? Chelsea’s reasoning is good advice for anyone looking to collaborate: “Look for your natural partners even if they’re not your ideal partners.” Learn more at: Ban Bossy No Ceilings Project To learn more and contribute to Chelsea Clinton’s work surrounding access to clean water, visit the Clinton Foundation website.
