The B.C. Council for International Cooperation’s Working Group to End Global Poverty hosted a distinctive TED-style conference focused on problems related to migration and global poverty on October 13, 2012. The Working Group is an initiative of the BC Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC), and a coalition of international organizations focused on international issues. In order to build on the success of last year’s Food for All Conference on poverty and food security, the conference hosted a total of eight presentations in ten minute bursts of energy this year, along with related workshops and two keynotes that inspired conference participants. It brought new understanding to important issues around migration and poverty in particular, and fostered ideas around ways to solve these issues.
The conference took place in downtown Vancouver on Saturday, October 13, 2012, to mark World Food Day (October 16th) and the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (October 17th). The program began with a keynote speaker, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, who set the tone for the day’s presentations and workshops. This was followed by four short talks in rapid succession, and then related, 60-minute workshops to further discuss issues and brainstorm solutions. The aim of the workshops was to provide participants with the opportunity to engage more deeply about the topics presented, and to explore resolutions to the particular problem at hand, while generating tangible plans moving forward based on workshop themes related to poverty and human migration.
The afternoon keynote speaker, Chanthol Oung (Founder, Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre), addressed a topic that helped to spur the discussions during the second half of the day, and participants once again engaged in discussions in workshops following. The conference closed with a social gathering for participants to celebrate the day’s activities, and to engage in a more casual setting about the insights that arose during the day. The aim was to help participants build longer-term connections that will help to further the innovative thinking beyond the conference.