Whereas yesterday I attended events firmly entrenched in my areas of
interest – namely, human rights and mental health – today I sought out events
on unfamiliar topics, attending sessions on Palestine, maternal health, challenges
for women in the Arab world, and youth activism.
One of the most interesting experiences at CSW has been the question
and answer sessions that happen after every talk. I’ve found that almost every
question that’s been posed to presenters has had some kind of ulterior motive –
mostly to further an agenda or promote an organization. At a talk on mental
health I attended on Monday, I was surprised to hear a young woman ask a
clearly rehearsed question about the effects of abortion on mental health –
despite the fact that the panel had nothing to do with abortion. It’s as if she
picked a random panel with the phrase “mental health” and sat through a
presentation she probably didn't care about simply for the opportunity to ask a
question whose answer she seemed already to have decided.
After an exciting day of panel discussions, the other fellows and I
rehearsed our presentations with Beth. They went really well – we’ve all got
our delivery down pat, and we’re more than ready for our presentations
tomorrow.
Until then!
Josh
I heard "through the grapevine" that your presentation was fantastic. Congratulations! Be proud!
ReplyDeleteEven at CSW it seems that there are "purely political agendas". Too bad....it wastes time that could be spent on working toward solutions. Enjoy the rest of the week--it is half gone already! Take advantage of the remaining learning opportunities. Enjoy!