WARNING: Quasi-free-association-rant-thing ahead!
This past week, Vancouver hosted the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. So, being the keen social worker student and as part of my summer job, I went! I missed most of it and only got to go on Thursday and Friday, but it was still SUCH an awesome experience!!! Roughly 10,000 people attended from over 100 different countries. And, it wasn't like a community developers-city-planners-only kind of thing. There were architects, students, researchers, government officials, social workers (from as far away as Tanzania!), consultants in the private sector, techie-people, engineers...you name it, they were there.
So, after I got my bag x-rayed, passed through the metal detectors and walked past a group of UN security guards, I walked into the foyer-like area and BAM, I was hit with total excitement. Now, I can't network worth shit, but I DID get to meet a man from the south of France, a young woman from Antwerp, men from Brazil, Greece, and Ghana. So, that was fun. :)
I don't care what anybody says about forums and discussions...things do get done! A lot of people think that this forum is mostly about environmental issues and crazy "green" people. Or just about city planning. But it's not. Do you know how many intersecting issues there are that go into urban development? There are so many ideas and comments bouncing around everywhere. Even during the 1 hour intervals between sessions, people are standing around in the corridors meeting and talking and sharing. It's a cool process to observe and take part in. Just sitting there listening and soaking it all in served as a great reminder to step back and take a look at the bigger picture from time to time. If you've grown up in the Lower Mainland and got to attend school, etc.(like I have), you tend to forget how small your world really can be and how sheltered you and your views really are...despite what you may think. It's true, even when you don't think you're being self-absorbed, sometimes...you really are being self-absorbed (guilty! natch...). That's not to say that the littler picture doesn't matter, because it's important, too. But, yours is not the only opinion, nor is it the only opinion that matters. And most of all, it shouldn't always be about you. It's not about doing things to help people and then saying, "look at that! I helped do that! ME! Because of me, these things got done and this person is better off!" Why can't it just be about that person? And why can't people just...do?
I completely digress, but the forum (despite it's agenda of discussing urban development and planning...but again, the intersecting issues thing...) made me think of these things and how I see these attitudes in myself and everyone around me (some more than others).
The forum was fascinating (I think I've said that 10 different ways, now). I went to a couple of sessions that directly related to my work project and I went to some that I was personally interested in. All in all, I got to get a glimpse of all the different issues that are out there in the world...issues that affect the world, issues that affect this country, and issues that ultimately, affect us all as individuals. Who knew?
And another thing: AOP does exist out in the world. It's just that nobody CALLS it AOP. I've heard people say and insist that nobody practices or knows what AOP is except the loony radicals of UVIC, but it's out there. I've heard people say that others scoff at the idea of AOP and sure, that's true, too but not everybody does. More people than I ever thought put AOP into practice just by doing what they do, and naturally acting the way they do. I saw it in action with people from all over the world and from all occupations. So, maybe it's not called AOP except for within certain academic circles, but it exists. I even heard some of the language we've discussed in class being used. THAT made me think, too.
So, now...I've decided. I'm going to work with the UN down the road....WAY down the road. So, that means I can't have a criminal record, and I may have to learn a new language...or two. And we all know how bad at learning languages I am! So, wish me luck...I foresee a bump (or chasm) or two on my road to working with the UN!!
This past week, Vancouver hosted the UN-Habitat World Urban Forum at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. So, being the keen social worker student and as part of my summer job, I went! I missed most of it and only got to go on Thursday and Friday, but it was still SUCH an awesome experience!!! Roughly 10,000 people attended from over 100 different countries. And, it wasn't like a community developers-city-planners-only kind of thing. There were architects, students, researchers, government officials, social workers (from as far away as Tanzania!), consultants in the private sector, techie-people, engineers...you name it, they were there.
So, after I got my bag x-rayed, passed through the metal detectors and walked past a group of UN security guards, I walked into the foyer-like area and BAM, I was hit with total excitement. Now, I can't network worth shit, but I DID get to meet a man from the south of France, a young woman from Antwerp, men from Brazil, Greece, and Ghana. So, that was fun. :)
I don't care what anybody says about forums and discussions...things do get done! A lot of people think that this forum is mostly about environmental issues and crazy "green" people. Or just about city planning. But it's not. Do you know how many intersecting issues there are that go into urban development? There are so many ideas and comments bouncing around everywhere. Even during the 1 hour intervals between sessions, people are standing around in the corridors meeting and talking and sharing. It's a cool process to observe and take part in. Just sitting there listening and soaking it all in served as a great reminder to step back and take a look at the bigger picture from time to time. If you've grown up in the Lower Mainland and got to attend school, etc.(like I have), you tend to forget how small your world really can be and how sheltered you and your views really are...despite what you may think. It's true, even when you don't think you're being self-absorbed, sometimes...you really are being self-absorbed (guilty! natch...). That's not to say that the littler picture doesn't matter, because it's important, too. But, yours is not the only opinion, nor is it the only opinion that matters. And most of all, it shouldn't always be about you. It's not about doing things to help people and then saying, "look at that! I helped do that! ME! Because of me, these things got done and this person is better off!" Why can't it just be about that person? And why can't people just...do?
I completely digress, but the forum (despite it's agenda of discussing urban development and planning...but again, the intersecting issues thing...) made me think of these things and how I see these attitudes in myself and everyone around me (some more than others).
The forum was fascinating (I think I've said that 10 different ways, now). I went to a couple of sessions that directly related to my work project and I went to some that I was personally interested in. All in all, I got to get a glimpse of all the different issues that are out there in the world...issues that affect the world, issues that affect this country, and issues that ultimately, affect us all as individuals. Who knew?
And another thing: AOP does exist out in the world. It's just that nobody CALLS it AOP. I've heard people say and insist that nobody practices or knows what AOP is except the loony radicals of UVIC, but it's out there. I've heard people say that others scoff at the idea of AOP and sure, that's true, too but not everybody does. More people than I ever thought put AOP into practice just by doing what they do, and naturally acting the way they do. I saw it in action with people from all over the world and from all occupations. So, maybe it's not called AOP except for within certain academic circles, but it exists. I even heard some of the language we've discussed in class being used. THAT made me think, too.
So, now...I've decided. I'm going to work with the UN down the road....WAY down the road. So, that means I can't have a criminal record, and I may have to learn a new language...or two. And we all know how bad at learning languages I am! So, wish me luck...I foresee a bump (or chasm) or two on my road to working with the UN!!
posted by Finnigan at 10:10 p.m.
1 Comments:
uh-oh...g'luck with the criminal record part ;) hahahaha. j/k
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