With the Social Good Summit in full swing last week I was in awe of all the people that made their way through the registration table. I was even more surprised to hear many of those same registrants ask for me by name.
In the weeks leading up to the Social Good Summit we realized that it would be a missed opportunity if we didn’t engage the wealth of university students in the area. By the time the Social Good Summit kicked off, I had emailed and called all of the accepted fellows more than I would like to admit. They already knew my name, my address, and probably even my social security number.
By giving students a chance to attend the Social Good Summit we enabled this sociall minded community of students interested in solving some of the world’s biggest problems. They were all eager and excited to take part in this record-breaking event and equally excited to meet the UN Foundation team and other students interested in global issues.
So, this year, the UN Foundation started the Digitally Connected Student Fellowship at the Social Good Summit to engage and inspire university students from New York City to participate in this year’s Social Good Summit. Over 40 students studying communications, international development, and even nursing came to the Social Good Summit ready to report out to their peers using their blogs, Twitter accounts, and Tumblr pages.
My experience at the Social Good Summit was defined by a follow-up email I received from on student last Monday night — “It was great to be surrounded by people who are committed to serving their communities and underserved countries through the use of technology. Attending the summit has inspired me to make a change in my own community.” This reminds me that the Social Good Summit’s impact is not only felt globally but also on a local scale in our own communities.