My Week as a Volunteer at Clinton Global Initiative Meeting (September 20-22)by
Dr. Esther Ngumbi
Clinton Global Initiative Meeting is one of the meetings where current heads and former heads of state, Nobel Prize laureates, leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media convene.
I was lucky to have been selected as a volunteer for 2011 meeting. On Sunday, all the volunteers convened at Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers for our training. We were welcomed by Clinton Global Initiative Chief Executive Officer, Bob Harrison. Afterwards, Volunteer Team Coordinators, Ruchi Bhargava and Amy Spielholtz welcomed us once again and walked us through what was expected of us as volunteers. We were then split into smaller groups, according to our specific assignments; Press (Press room, Press Credentials, Press Logistics/Escorts) , Marketing (CGI Stories, Photographer Assistants, General Operating Support), Heads of State (Desk Registration, Session Captain, Greeter/Seater, Motorcade Identifier), Whisper Rooms, Kiosks, Event Materials and Signage, Sponsorship, CGI Exchange, Access, Program, and Seating. After our training we picked our credentials and were ready to get to work come Monday. Yay!
On Monday, I was assigned to work at the Kiosks and was tasked with welcoming CGI members coming in to register and pick their credentials. Lucky enough, I was standing next to Heads of State and Government delegation registration desk. Hmm, I thought I would be able to see them as they picked their credentials. To my surprise, I quickly noticed that most Heads of State were sending in their personal assistants with an exception of a few like the former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo who just walked in. I was also able to catch a glimpse of the President of Haiti, one of our Auburn University Alumnae, Valentin Abe, and , Kennedy Odede-a speaker at 2010 Clinton Global University Initiative meeting closing plenary session. I really enjoyed my assignment since it allowed me to smile and greet the Global Elite. It was quite a satisfying experience. Day one was gone and I really looked forward to day 2.
On Tuesday, I was assigned to work in Event Logistics/Headsets. This assignment was awesome since it gave me the opportunity to be in opening plenary session room way before attendees were ushered in. It was nice to see production team set up the room and make sure everything was running.
Perhaps, the best part of this assignment was the fact that I was able to catch a glimpse of several Current and Former Heads of State, and watch live CGI Opening Plenary: Leaders Dialogue on Climate Change. Participants were; President Bill Clinton, Founding Chairman, Clinton Global Initiative, 42nd President of the United States, José Manuel D. Barroso, President of the European Commission, Felipe Calderón, President of the United Mexican States, Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé , Prime Minister of Mali, Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway, Danilo Türk, President of the Republic of Slovenia, Tillman Thomas, Prime Minister of Grenada, and Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_5d9cfa9c-35bd-416c-97f8-426f4d9ef241&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb .
I was also able to watch the plenary session: The World at 7 Billion featuring President Clinton and Nicholas Kristof, Columnist, The New York Times, and author Half the Sky.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_98c4ce49-e615-46a3-9cf9-d8760eaf2953&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb.
I was so overjoyed and felt humbled to be in a room with all the dignitaries. My shift ended at around 1:30 pm and I had to go back to the volunteer room and wait for my next shift, scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm. At the volunteer lounge, we had access to coffee, snacks, and it was nice to hang around good people. The other plenary session was about Mega Cities, Mega Challenges, and once again, I was lucky, and was given the opportunity to attend it by our volunteer coordinators. It was nice to listen to Maria Bartiromo, Anchor, CNBC interview Carlos Slim Helú, Founder, Fundación Carlos Slim, Yang Jeichi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and People’s Republic of China, James N. Mwangi, Managing Director and CEO, Equity Bank Limited, Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor, The State of California, Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner, New York City Department of Transportation, and Luis A. Ubiñas, President, The Ford Foundation.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_0eaa4355-c182-4b35-8595-38b8dfbdb66c&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb
Wow! Day 2 was coming to an end.
On Wednesday, I was assigned to work in Access, tasking me with scanning credentials of CGI members coming in to attend the plenary sessions. Security was very tight on this particular day since the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, would be speaking in one of the plenary sessions
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_396097da-98f3-4b17-a11b-f360767bb0ca&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb (beginning minute 41).
I got the opportunity to witness first hand all the preparations that take place before the President of the Most Powerful country in the World speaks. Sniffing dogs, security all around, secret service everywhere, I was just going Wow! I can’t believe I am part of this meeting. I was getting emotional and teary all the time, but every time I told myself that this was just the beginning. The morning plenary session topic was about Conversations on Courage: Humanitarian Leadership in Action. Panelists were; Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary, National League for Democracy, and Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, Chairman, The Elders.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_7bf19e5e-0a75-4365-bf9a-c5df78876b6f&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb.
This was a great plenary session. Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, simply can move the crowd. He is very inspiring, can make the crowd laugh, and cry at the same time. One thing I walked away with from his speech was that “if you stand out, remember not to be proud. You simply stand out because you are standing on other’s peoples shoulders and that several people are also praying for you”. My next assignment was still in Access and this time around I was scanning credentials of CGI members attending a special session on Investing in Girls and Women at Home and Abroad. Panelists were; Farah Mohamed, President, The Belinda Stronach Foundation, Curator, Girls 20 Summit and Lisa Witter, Chief Strategy Officer, Fenton. Once again I had a satisfying experience. My third assignment was still Access. This to me was the highlight of my Access assignment as it was the plenary session that President Barack Obama would speak. This time around, we were very strict and in case, your access was denied we simply were on the instructions not to let you in. I catched a glimpse of several people including Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Chelsea Clinton, and Muhammad Yunus. It was simply awesome, amazing and a very rewarding experience. My fourth and final assignment of the day was CGI exchange. It was a great assignment since it also allowed me to see who was exhibiting at the exchange and take a peek of what was happening. Groups exhibiting were divided in 4 categories; Economic Empowerment, Education, Environment & Energy and Global Health. When the doors eventually opened for CGI members, I was at the door welcoming and greeting members. It was yet another great day. Finally, my day came to an end at around 8: 00 pm. I was tired as hell but happy to have seen it all.
Thursday, was the final day of the meeting. Once again, I was still on Access assignment. My morning was exciting, but my afternoon was more exciting as I was scanning credentials of members coming in to attend the closing plenary session. I got to see so many dignitaries and I was on excitement high all afternoon. The closing plenary session participants were; President Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, and Chelsea Clinton.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_1d15c9fb-c564-4c2e-b659-9dc3cf5c5b1a&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb
It was quite a treat just to catch a glimpse of this powerful family on stage. Afterwards, all volunteers convened for a group picture and once again, I got lucky and was able to sit next to President Clinton. This to me was a great way to end my 4 days of service as a volunteer for 2011 Clinton Global Initiative Annual meeting.
To sum it all, I really enjoyed everything. We, the volunteers were given free breakfasts, lunches and dinner. Additionally, it was great to see Kenya, very well represented in the meeting. Thank you Clinton Global Initiative for granting me this opportunity. I would encourage anyone to volunteer their time and service for this initiative. You would have a time of your life.
Dr. Esther Ngumbi
Clinton Global Initiative Meeting is one of the meetings where current heads and former heads of state, Nobel Prize laureates, leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media convene.
I was lucky to have been selected as a volunteer for 2011 meeting. On Sunday, all the volunteers convened at Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers for our training. We were welcomed by Clinton Global Initiative Chief Executive Officer, Bob Harrison. Afterwards, Volunteer Team Coordinators, Ruchi Bhargava and Amy Spielholtz welcomed us once again and walked us through what was expected of us as volunteers. We were then split into smaller groups, according to our specific assignments; Press (Press room, Press Credentials, Press Logistics/Escorts) , Marketing (CGI Stories, Photographer Assistants, General Operating Support), Heads of State (Desk Registration, Session Captain, Greeter/Seater, Motorcade Identifier), Whisper Rooms, Kiosks, Event Materials and Signage, Sponsorship, CGI Exchange, Access, Program, and Seating. After our training we picked our credentials and were ready to get to work come Monday. Yay!
On Monday, I was assigned to work at the Kiosks and was tasked with welcoming CGI members coming in to register and pick their credentials. Lucky enough, I was standing next to Heads of State and Government delegation registration desk. Hmm, I thought I would be able to see them as they picked their credentials. To my surprise, I quickly noticed that most Heads of State were sending in their personal assistants with an exception of a few like the former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo who just walked in. I was also able to catch a glimpse of the President of Haiti, one of our Auburn University Alumnae, Valentin Abe, and , Kennedy Odede-a speaker at 2010 Clinton Global University Initiative meeting closing plenary session. I really enjoyed my assignment since it allowed me to smile and greet the Global Elite. It was quite a satisfying experience. Day one was gone and I really looked forward to day 2.
On Tuesday, I was assigned to work in Event Logistics/Headsets. This assignment was awesome since it gave me the opportunity to be in opening plenary session room way before attendees were ushered in. It was nice to see production team set up the room and make sure everything was running.
Perhaps, the best part of this assignment was the fact that I was able to catch a glimpse of several Current and Former Heads of State, and watch live CGI Opening Plenary: Leaders Dialogue on Climate Change. Participants were; President Bill Clinton, Founding Chairman, Clinton Global Initiative, 42nd President of the United States, José Manuel D. Barroso, President of the European Commission, Felipe Calderón, President of the United Mexican States, Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé , Prime Minister of Mali, Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Norway, Danilo Türk, President of the Republic of Slovenia, Tillman Thomas, Prime Minister of Grenada, and Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_5d9cfa9c-35bd-416c-97f8-426f4d9ef241&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb .
I was also able to watch the plenary session: The World at 7 Billion featuring President Clinton and Nicholas Kristof, Columnist, The New York Times, and author Half the Sky.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_98c4ce49-e615-46a3-9cf9-d8760eaf2953&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb.
I was so overjoyed and felt humbled to be in a room with all the dignitaries. My shift ended at around 1:30 pm and I had to go back to the volunteer room and wait for my next shift, scheduled to begin at 3:00 pm. At the volunteer lounge, we had access to coffee, snacks, and it was nice to hang around good people. The other plenary session was about Mega Cities, Mega Challenges, and once again, I was lucky, and was given the opportunity to attend it by our volunteer coordinators. It was nice to listen to Maria Bartiromo, Anchor, CNBC interview Carlos Slim Helú, Founder, Fundación Carlos Slim, Yang Jeichi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and People’s Republic of China, James N. Mwangi, Managing Director and CEO, Equity Bank Limited, Gavin Newsom, Lieutenant Governor, The State of California, Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner, New York City Department of Transportation, and Luis A. Ubiñas, President, The Ford Foundation.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_0eaa4355-c182-4b35-8595-38b8dfbdb66c&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb
Wow! Day 2 was coming to an end.
On Wednesday, I was assigned to work in Access, tasking me with scanning credentials of CGI members coming in to attend the plenary sessions. Security was very tight on this particular day since the 44th President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, would be speaking in one of the plenary sessions
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_396097da-98f3-4b17-a11b-f360767bb0ca&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb (beginning minute 41).
I got the opportunity to witness first hand all the preparations that take place before the President of the Most Powerful country in the World speaks. Sniffing dogs, security all around, secret service everywhere, I was just going Wow! I can’t believe I am part of this meeting. I was getting emotional and teary all the time, but every time I told myself that this was just the beginning. The morning plenary session topic was about Conversations on Courage: Humanitarian Leadership in Action. Panelists were; Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary, National League for Democracy, and Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, Chairman, The Elders.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_7bf19e5e-0a75-4365-bf9a-c5df78876b6f&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb.
This was a great plenary session. Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, simply can move the crowd. He is very inspiring, can make the crowd laugh, and cry at the same time. One thing I walked away with from his speech was that “if you stand out, remember not to be proud. You simply stand out because you are standing on other’s peoples shoulders and that several people are also praying for you”. My next assignment was still in Access and this time around I was scanning credentials of CGI members attending a special session on Investing in Girls and Women at Home and Abroad. Panelists were; Farah Mohamed, President, The Belinda Stronach Foundation, Curator, Girls 20 Summit and Lisa Witter, Chief Strategy Officer, Fenton. Once again I had a satisfying experience. My third assignment was still Access. This to me was the highlight of my Access assignment as it was the plenary session that President Barack Obama would speak. This time around, we were very strict and in case, your access was denied we simply were on the instructions not to let you in. I catched a glimpse of several people including Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Chelsea Clinton, and Muhammad Yunus. It was simply awesome, amazing and a very rewarding experience. My fourth and final assignment of the day was CGI exchange. It was a great assignment since it also allowed me to see who was exhibiting at the exchange and take a peek of what was happening. Groups exhibiting were divided in 4 categories; Economic Empowerment, Education, Environment & Energy and Global Health. When the doors eventually opened for CGI members, I was at the door welcoming and greeting members. It was yet another great day. Finally, my day came to an end at around 8: 00 pm. I was tired as hell but happy to have seen it all.
Thursday, was the final day of the meeting. Once again, I was still on Access assignment. My morning was exciting, but my afternoon was more exciting as I was scanning credentials of members coming in to attend the closing plenary session. I got to see so many dignitaries and I was on excitement high all afternoon. The closing plenary session participants were; President Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, and Chelsea Clinton.
http://www.livestream.com/cgi_plenary/video?clipId=pla_1d15c9fb-c564-4c2e-b659-9dc3cf5c5b1a&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb
It was quite a treat just to catch a glimpse of this powerful family on stage. Afterwards, all volunteers convened for a group picture and once again, I got lucky and was able to sit next to President Clinton. This to me was a great way to end my 4 days of service as a volunteer for 2011 Clinton Global Initiative Annual meeting.
To sum it all, I really enjoyed everything. We, the volunteers were given free breakfasts, lunches and dinner. Additionally, it was great to see Kenya, very well represented in the meeting. Thank you Clinton Global Initiative for granting me this opportunity. I would encourage anyone to volunteer their time and service for this initiative. You would have a time of your life.
