Past Education Programs
2011 Programs
- Why Human Rights Matter in Global Grantmaking (Nov. 10). Nearly 60
people gathered for a discussion about human rights as a development strategy.
Angelina Snodgrass Godoy, director of the University of Washington Center for Human Rights,
shared why human rights are so important and discussed her experiences in Guatemala where
community water supplies are being threatened by large agro-business. Iain Levine, program director
at Human Rights Watch, drew upon his experience in humanitarian crises, protection of
civilians in conflict and children’s rights to illustrate how human rights are the foundation
for empowerment and lasting change.
- Building Local Capacity Through Partnerships (Oct
10). We hosted LINGOS’ executive director, Eric Berg, and two of the
organization’s board members, Oley Dibba Wadda and Yolette Etienne.
LINGOS stands for Learning in NGOs; currently the organization provides
knowledge and training resources to more than 70 international,
humanitarian, conservation and social justice member organizations, and
aspires to eventually provide a free learning platform for all. Oley is
executive director of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE)
and shared challenges and opportunities for improving girls’ education
in Africa. “This is about people’s lives, not politics.” Yolette is the
Haiti country director for Oxfam. She said, “Empowerment is key,” and
talked about the need to really listen to people on the ground and build
capacity from the grassroots.
- “Walk Out Walk On” Book Discussion (Sept 11).
Members gathered on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 to reflect on Pangea's
beginnings ten years ago and to discuss the book, “Walk Out Walk On” by
Meg Wheatley and Barbara Frieze. This book takes the reader on a
learning journey to meet leaders around the world who have walked on to
create change leading to healthy resilient communities. We all found the
book to be provocative. It caused us to step back and think about how
Pangea can best do its work in the world.
- New Directions in Microfinance (Jun 7). More than 50 people participated in this evening discussion about the realm of financial services for the poor—beyond microlending. We had an excellent panel, including Evelyn Stark, Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Cole Hoover, Director of Programs at Lumana and Beth Castleberry, Chief Development Officer at Global Partnerships. We delved into questions of where’s the highest impact for helping the world’s poor lift themselves out of poverty, what do we need to know as donors and grantors, what are potential pitfalls in microfinance and what’s cutting edge that might change the microfinance landscape in developing countries.
- Pangea Liaison Workshop (May 31). What’s unique about Pangea is our hands-on philanthropy. We have liaisons that are the primary point of contact with our grant partners. This workshop was designed to help liaisons in their role. We covered the functions and responsibilities of liaisons throughout the grant cycle from the application process to monitoring and evaluation, as well as aspects of cross-cultural communication and relationship building.
- “Getting Better” Book Discussion (May 22). We had a lively discussion about development aid, evaluation and metrics following reading the book by economist Charles Kenny called Getting Better: Why Global Development is Succeeding—And How We Can Improve the World Even More.
- Pangea Returns to Southeast Asia (Apr 5). Pangea members shared insights, stories and photos from their recent trip to Cambodia and Thailand. They talked about some of the biggest issues facing these two poor countries, one recovering from decades of conflict and the other still oppressed by an autocratic regime. The evening provided an opportunity to learn more our grant partners, the communities they serve, and the impact of Pangea’s grant dollars at work.
- Pacific Northwest Global Donors Conference (Apr 1-2). “Giving for Sustainable Change” was the theme for the second annual conference of which Pangea was a co-sponsor and partner. Twenty-one Pangea members attended, along with 130 more conference participants, to learn about international grantmaking issues and best practices as well as to connect others interested and involved in global philanthropy.
- Book Discussion (January 27). Fourteen Pangea members met for dinner and a discussion of books about two women
activists, Rigoberta Menchu of Guatemala, and Aung San Suu Kyi of
Myanmar. Both women won the Nobel Peace Prize.
2010 Programs
- Beyond Projects: Creating Capacity through Community
Collaboration (Oct 25). Our annual "friend-raising" event
featured a panel discussion by two Pangea grantees: Seri Thongmak, from
Pattanarak Foundation (Thailand) and Raphael Okumu (TEARS Group Kenya.)
Seri and Raphael discussed how they stretch resources and learn by
cooperating and collaborating with other activists and government
agencies in their communities.
Read more.
- Advocacy: A Catalyst for Social Change (May 10). About 40 people engaged in Pangea's panel discussion exploring “the art of building power.” LeAnne Moss, Executive Director of the Women’s Funding Alliance, shared WFA’s social justice philanthropy framework and definitions of social change. Katrin Wilde, Director of The Channel Foundation, presented powerful examples of women’s coalitions in Mongolia and Nicragua that are using public education, training and media campaigns to shift opinions, behaviors and policies. And Cameron Herrington, Seattle Coordinator of CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador) talked about grassroots advocacy campaigns in El Salvador to mobilize against water privatization and block environmentally damaging mining from foreign companies. It was a thought-provoking evening! Check out this resource for more info, Advocacy Funding: The Philanthropy of Changing Minds,.
- Crossing Midnight (April 8) A film screening of the new documentary by BeCause Foundation about the plight of Burmese refugees on both sides of the Thai-Burma border, and a courageous group of health care workers that serve them. Saw Steven Dun, a Burmese man who now lives in Seattle, provided some historical context and insights into the challenges for refugees both in Burma and those who have been resettled in the U.S. Kristen Beifus of BeCause Foundation then moderated a Q&A session.
- Pacific Northwest Global Donors Conference (March 19/20) Pangea was one of the sponsors of this first-ever conference for individuals and small foundations interested in global philanthropy.
- Supporting Leadership Development - Is It Effective? (February 1) A presentation
on two programs that strengthen skills of leaders from grassroots organizations. Speakers:
- Britt Yamamoto (executive director of iLeap: The Center for Critical Service (sponsored by Antioch University), will describe the iLeap fellowship program and the impact it has had on the work of participating fellows from the Global South. ILeap brings leaders from civil society organizations to Seattle for a three-month intensive program that mixes academics with practical work with NGOs.
- Jim McGinley, local representative of Ashoka, explained Ashoka’s model for identifying and supporting social entrepreneurs.
- Book Discussion (January 9) Small groups met in members'
homes to discuss three books on women's challenges and opportunities: Half
the Sky, The Blue Sweater, and From Outrage to Courage.
2009 Programs
- Supporting Women as Change Agents (October 12) Shalini
Nataraj of the Global Fund for Women discussed her experiences working
with women's groups around the world.
- Change That Lasts: What Does Sustainability Mean? (May 11) Sustainable
programs must be environmentally sound, economically viable without longterm
external funding, and socially acceptable. Speakers Dr. Joel Ngugi (UW
law professor), Amy Solomon (Bullitt Foundation), and Charlie Cuniff
(Environmental Coalition of South Seattle) discussed the interrelated
elements of sustainability.
- Travel With a Purpose (March 23) Pangea's Asia pod
presented a program on site visits - their importance to Pangea, and
how they change the members who make them. It included a slide show from
their recent trip to Cambodia and Nepal.
- Fixing the Broken Global Food System (Feb 26) Debbie
Barker (Navdanya International) and Dr. Rajiv Shah (Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, now head of USAID) presented radically different views
of how to solve the current food crisis and minimize hunger in the world.
2008 Programs
- Facing Climate Change in the Developing World: How Can We Help?
(Sept 24) Speakers from the University of Washington Department
of Atmospheric Science, Climate Solutions, and Oxfam helped us gain
a better understanding of how the threat of climate change might alter
our grantmaking strategies.
- Development in Times of Civil Unrest (May 19) Speakers
Peter Kithene and Daniel Moss spoke of their experiences with development
work during Kenya's recent post-election violence (Peter) and El Salvador's
civil war (Daniel.)
- Human Trafficking, Migration
and Globalization in Southeast Asia (March 10) Therese
Caouette, who teaches at Seattle University and the University of
Washington, introduced us to the complex issues of human trafficking
and cross-border issues of human rights in Southeast Asia.
2007 Programs
- Creating an African Green Revolution (Nov 12) Joshua
Machinga of Common Ground Program (Kenya) and Dr. Don Doering of the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation discussed different perspectives on
how to promote food security in sub-Saharan Africa.
- The Changing Face of Nepal (Sept 24) Rita Thapa, founder
and CEO of Nagarik Aawaz (Nepal) and Pam Elardo, founder of Living Earth
Institute, discussed the historical and political background of today's
Nepal and the challenges of carrying out development work in the midst
of conflict.
- Land Ownership for the Poor: A Cornerstone of Economic Development
(May 21) Lincoln Miller (COO Rural Development Institute)
and Greg Rake (President of Agros International) talked about how their
organizations have used land ownership as a strategy for development
in Central America and Asia.
- African Children in Crisis (March 19) Rhoi Wangila,
Executive Director of the Ark Foundation of Africa introduced us to the
dire challenges faced by AIDS orphans, other vulnerable children, and
their caregivers/grandmothers in the wake of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
2006 Programs
- The Challenge of International Giving (Oct 3) Karen
Ashmore, Executive Director of The Lambi Fund of Haiti, talked about
the difficulties of funding programs in politically unstable and/or dangerous
places. The Lambi Fund supports economic justice, democracy, and sustainable
development through partnerships with peasant organizations in rural
areas.
- Empowering Women and Youth in the Fight Against AIDS in Africa
(June 5) Sisonke Msimang (Open Society Initiative, South Africa)
and Loyce Mbewa (Rabuor Village Project) gave us a firsthand account
of grassroots efforts underway in Kenya and Southern Africa.
- Politics, Policy and Prevention in the
Battle Against AIDS in Africa (April 17) Three speakers
discussed the positive impact and unintended consequences that Bush-era
U.S. government policy had on AIDS programs in Africa.
2005 Programs
- How Communities Deal with HIV/AIDS (May 9) Two speakers
talked about programs in Eastern Africa that help communities cope with
the impact of HIV infection and the high death rate, especially the burden
of caring for the sick and for the orphaned children, and about some
programs that have been successful.
- The State of Public K-12 Education in Eastern Africa (April
4) A panel of five educators with experience living and teaching
in eastern Africa reviewed the current status and issues of African
public education.
- Aid, Trade, and the Mighty Dollar (Feb 7) A discussion
of how US economic and social policies affect our ability to achieve
sustainable economic development in underdeveloped countries.
2004 Programs
- Introduction to Africa An overview of sub-Saharan
Africa—its demographics, socioeconomic status, political history, and
the enormous problems facing it.
- Democracy and Human Rights in Palestine The challenges
facing Palestine today, including providing essential services, building
a democratic society and working for a just peace with Israel. Comment
[CCD3]: Links to L4 – AIDS Policy
- Economic development Two sessions on small-scale income-generating
projects, including micro credit lending.
2003 Programs
- Global water issues Two sessions on global fresh water
issues such as water security, waterrelated disease, conflicts over water,
privatization, and environmental impacts.
- Introduction to grantmaking John Harvey, executive
director of Grantmakers Without Borders introduced us to the nuts and
bolts of international grantmaking.