 to a very fast episode of Perspectives in Global Justice, Think Tech Hawaii. I'm your new host, Beatrice Cantelmo. Global Justice has become one of the most pressing issues of our time. More than ever, we have a growing demand to live in a world where democracy, dignity, respect, equity, and peace, and safety are the norm and not the exception. Global Justice requires universal respect for basic human rights, which belongs to each one of us. These basic human rights are used to guide policy making in the areas such as humanitarian intervention and global poverty, for example. We must work together to ensure that political institutions continue to protect the basic rights of all people. As a social justice advocate and activist, I am humbled to facilitate dialogues featuring important global justice topics that transcend local boundaries, such as aging, atomic energy, children, climate change, decolonisation, democracy, hunger, human rights, international law of justice, peace and security, world population, immigrants and refugees, water, and women. Perspectives in Global Justice, Think Tech Hawaii framework will examine the barriers that stand between us and global justice issues, as well as alternatives to co-create a future where the promotion of sustainable development, humanitarian efforts, human rights, and peace and equity, the promotion of economic and social progress, attainable practices for all communities around the globe. Today, we have a very special guest, Robert Dampio. Dana is a Canadian national. He's a geoscientist and an engineer fellow of the University of Alberta, Canada. He's also an alumni of East West Centre of the University of Hawaii, Manoa, the Peace Education and Education for Sustainable Development Specialist in Hawaii. He also serves the United Nations Association Hawaii Chapter as an intern. I cannot think of a better way to initiate our dialogue on global justice than to converse with Robert about the United Nations vision and mission and the United Nations Association Activities in the US and in the State of Hawaii, including the link between United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the State of Hawaii Alloha Challenge. Well, welcome aboard. Wow, this is a real honor and pictures. Thank you for having me. Oh, they're all nice of mine. So, Robert, what's happening in your world these days? You do so many things and you wear so many hats in our community and globally. I guess I will start also by asking a little bit about yourself as you are Canadian national. And how did you end up here in Hawaii? And why? Well, I could take you back to 1988. So if we want to go back 30 years, this was sort of the seed that was planted for my pilgrimage here. I call it a pilgrimage because that's definitely what it's turned out to be. Actually, how I was introduced to this journey was I was a policy developer at the Alberta government. Do you know where Alberta is in Canada? Yes, I will describe it to the public that perhaps my need a little help for that. Well, we're noted for oil. We're noted for wheat. We're noted for cold climates. And we're sort of like the Texas of Canada. Righty. So my role as a policy developer, I was integrated into creating regulations for mining activities. And with my background in geology, it became clear after about two or three years that my background in geology was not a very good match with policy development for mining regulations. So what it did is started me on a journey to become a lifelong learner, as you might expect. So I actually took education leave to bring up my efficiency in my career. And I went and did my masters at the University of Alberta in Earth Sciences. And what that did is it triggered me into looking at, well, actually, that's when I came familiar with the sustainability movement that was kicked off in 1992 at the Earth Summit. And that's where sort of sustainable development became an international term. And so it was through the United Nations that triggered this off on an international scale. So in that, I was able to actually integrate some of these into my policy development proposals that I sent to my management. And after I graduated, I handed my management my thesis and says, look, we can actually integrate sustainable development policies into our mining regulations and it will be very, very easy to do. How was that received? Well, it was with a lot of gratitude, but it was shelved. So there wasn't really too much integration of those ideas into it. So for me, I was at an age of retirement that I could actually just go back to school. And because it really triggered a really learning sensation for me. So I looked around and I checked out many universities and lo and behold, there was almost a calling, as you might say, to the University of Hawaii. So I started out in the University of Hawaii in urban and regional planning in that department for three years I was there. And then somehow there wasn't a real fit I could see. And what I thought was the actual agent for sustainability, the change agent would be our youth. And what would have the best approach would actually be getting into the education aspect of it. So in 2005 to 2014, the United Nations started a decade of education for sustainable development. And so with me and the university here, that became my focus. So I switched to the Department of Education and I did my master's degree in that. And that led me to actually working with the University Laboratory School and sort of motivating students to look at their school and turn it into a dream green school. Oh, that's a love, really. I want to talk more about that with you in a little bit. But for our public who may or may not know about the United Nations, can you give a little blurb? Just talk about what the United Nations is. Just go a little bit of division and mission. And also can we make a link between the differences between United Nations and also United Nations Association? We have an association here in Hawaii which you are an internal of. And so we have checked as many states in the country. And so I'd love to elaborate a little bit on that with you. Oh, great, yes. Well, United Nations, I think for both Canada and the US, we don't have a real appreciation for what the United Nations does. And I didn't really either. And when I came here to actually study sustainability, I looked around for organizations that I could probably join up with that maybe that would be a focus for them. And that's when I came across this grassroots association, well, grassroots organization called the United Nations Association Hawaii Chapter. So I emailed them and asked them when are you meeting next. And that was the history that connected me to there. So I've been a member since 2007, 2008, somewhere in there. So you have a larger history in there. And it's just been a blessing because of the people that have come through this association. And it is a grassroots that supports and educates people about what the United Nations is doing. And so Water is the United Nations Association that I checked up to this day. So what are your main priorities and how often do you meet and who are your members? What are your aspirations for Hawaii in terms of outreach and dreams of connecting people? It's the lovely book that the United Nations Association of Hawaii Chapter does here. Well, how it really sort of stimulated me was the fact that I could go into this organization and sort of focus on what is passion, I'm passionate about, and that was a sustainability goal. But everybody else has different focuses that comes to the table. And as part of the membership is about 30 strong of regular members. And then we have a large, probably about 40 youth. And by the way, it's free for youth to join. Oh, that's wonderful to hear. And so how often do you meet and what kind of committees do you have? I know the Sustainable Development Goals are your alma mater in fashion. So that's your full pledge there. And also with the background administration part of making the Chapter function. But what are the other areas that we're walking with as priorities here in Hawaii? Well, again, it goes into human rights is a real large focus. And we have a number of members that are focused on the human rights aspect of it. What we do is we try to engage in different activities around the island and that we can sort of educate people about what the United Nations are doing. So we set up like Children and Youth Day. We had a booth there. So we worked with the kids and sort of introduced them to what the United Nations is doing around the world. And we also are linked with this. This is a big project right now is the World Youth Congress, which is coming up this June. So tell me a little bit about the World Youth Congress. I know it's been hosted here before. So if you could cover a little bit of the first time it came to Hawaii and a little bit of now, that would be wonderful. Because then we can talk a little bit more also about the Sustainable Goal development practices that the Congress have picked and also the Hawaiian values and also link that with the Aloha United Nations Challenge. OK. So the first Congress, Youth Congress, was held here in Honolulu in 1999. And that kickstarted an organization in England, took it over, and they started taking it around the world. So the next place it went was Morocco and then Turkey and Scotland, Canada, and then Brazil. So it's coming back here full circle. It's sort of been around the world. And now this is historical. It's coming back here. And the kickoff is going to be actually as the kickoff will be the return of the Hukalea. Oh. Well, let's do a little pause very shortly. So we can actually take a little break. And then we'll actually start again talking about the return of the Hukalea and our World Youth Congress starting also here. So how long are the students going to be here in Hawaii? It's a nine day event. Yes. OK. Yes. And it's just so exciting. There's going to be about 250 youth. And where do they come from? All over the world. There's about 100 countries being represented. They were their age. 15 to 25. OK. All right. So we're going to take a break now. And we'll be back very shortly. Hello. I'm Dean Nelson, host of Planet of the Courageous. From a Tibetan point of view, we chose to be on this planet because we enrolled in a sort of graduate school for courage. Just that we may have chosen this adventure is a leap of logic. The question is, how do we spend and make sense of this precious human life? We are, as a species, extraordinarily successful, dominating the planet and now with planetary size problems that our existence itself has created. It takes courage to face not only the uncertainty of life, but also the challenge of sustaining this gift of life for future generation. Join us every Monday at 3 PM on Think Tech Hawaii. Aloha. Hi. I'm Cheryl Crozier-Garcia, the host of Working Together on Think Tech Hawaii. Join us every other Tuesday from 4 PM to 4 30 when we discuss the impact of change on employees, employers, and the economy. Well, welcome back to Perspectives in Global Justice. And I'm your new host Beatrice Cantelmo. And we have Robert Dunn-Peel with us. We'll give continuity to the second part of the show. So we were just talking about World Youth Congress 2017. So they're coming here, the students, about 250 students from all over the globe, ages 15 to 25. Tell me a little bit about what is the mission of this Congress? And what are we expecting the students to be exposed to and to take and to learn? It's very exciting. But I wanted to share that information with our public so that they get excited, too. I'd like to emphasize actually the meaning of Hawaii to the world, because it's sort of the belly button. It's in the middle of the Pacific, but it is a bridge between the East and the West. It's very, very, the Hawaiian culture actually understands the preciousness of the aina, the land, and the ocean. And in our Western culture, we tend to take advantage of those aspects without thinking of the causes. And this was the thing that I came to understand in my research as a geologist, as a geoscientist, we have to turn things around with regards to how we interact with the Earth. So these are things that the Hawaiian culture is actually very strong with. If you know your Hawaiian history, they were very well connected to the land. And the spirit of aloha, that's actually one of the titles. One of our mantras of the association is uniting the world with aloha. So we're trying to string in this Hawaiian cultural aspect. And that's what we'd like to infuse with these youth that come in from international areas is to sort of expose them to the cultural aspect of the Hawaiian, you know, and sort of, yeah. And tie that to the United Nations sustainability goal practices. And so there are 17 goals. And we're not going to go over them. But can you cover a little bit about what did the students who planned Congress hope to expose the Congress participants to in the ninth dice that are going to be here? OK. Well, this brings up the point of how this is different. This particular Congress is different than other sort of youth gatherings and conferences. This is a youth-led Congress. So this is organized by our youth here. And it puts a different dimension on it. And that's one of the things that I understood. And I think the Hawaiian culture understands is the resources of our youth to actually be part of that conversation. What we tend in our circles to get our youth to educate themselves first, and then they can participate. But I think, as a father, I learned a lot from my kids. And I think that's the dialogue that we're attempting to bring this environment by the Congress to allow youth to actually explore their self and to integrate that into the Hawaiian culture and sort of make comparisons and probably come up with new ideas, innovations. Yes. And actually, I had the pleasure of being at the Planning Summit in 2015 before the Congress even had everything finalized as far as the theme. And I was quite impressed with the eagerness and the willingness that the students had to look at the materials that were in front of them and to really link that with Hawaiian cultural values, our sustainable practices, which we should be known for all over the globe. Because here we are with a new trend of sustainable practices. And for thousands of years, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have mastered that, not just in terms of the land and the sea, but also how to treat it shoulder and the connection with the earth and with divinity. So I thought it was really beautiful to see their own process. They were learning, but they were also connecting the dots and they were also teaching us adults that were just on the back there to watch all and mesmerized their ability. And so I think we need to give more credit to our youth and to our children now, absolutely. And rethink learning and teaching practices as well. So the students are going to be here, 200 in several countries, 250 participants. Why are they going to be staying? And what are they going to do in nine days? Well, that's still under progress of putting it together. I mean, it's kicked off by the Hukalea, which is going around the world and taking in data of who's doing what in sustainable mechanisms. So I mean, this is a flagship. The Hukalea is a historical event. And it's taken four years to get around it. And we actually got to Canada, too, which was so surprising. And Brazil, actually, yeah. So it's an incredible feat that I think is real prize to be associated with the Polynesian Void Society. And the one also I should mention, it's Peace Child International Hawaii Chapter. And I mentioned the organization who started this whole Congress up after it was here. That was Peace Child in England. And now there's a chapter here. And there's a possibility that this could be the headquarters for youth to start their own United Nations from a youth perspective. Wow, that's really exciting. I hope it walks out. And so one of the things I've learned about the planning of the World Youth Congress is that the results of what the students learn and the recommendations that they come up with, that that's actually going to be sent to the United Nations. And there are probably going to be recommendations from the youth's perspective on the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Is that correct? Is that the plan? Well, there's the Aloha Challenge, which is kicked off by the state of Hawaii. And they'll be integrating through this program. That's part of what the program and their involvement is going to be facilitating. I believe there's seven different aspects of the Aloha Challenge that fit into those 17 sustainability goals. And I think it's those themes that they're going to be building on and discussing. We're going to have entertainers. There'll be music. There'll be workshops, all sorts of things to engage them and to stimulate their interaction with each other and sort of get to know each other. This is key for them to actually not just sit in or in listening to lectures and things, but actually working. There's a couple of, there's two days that they'll be on projects throughout the island in different organic farms and things like that, like fish pond. How wonderful it is to be able to have an exposure to not only all of this richness of Hawaiian culture and knowledge and workshops, but to be able for them to think about how they're going to translate this experience and this new knowledge into their own lives and into their own countries. I think that one of the most beautiful values of a Congress like this is how much of an impact it can cause in a person's life. And it can be also a catalyst for people to find their own passion. So these are going to be policy makers, our scientists, our teachers, our neighbors. And to be able to have a more broad, global view of sustainable practices, not only with the Aina, but with each other. And it's just really precious. I wish I was like an adolescent again, just to be able to experience this. Well, actually in 2009, when it was in Quebec City in Canada, I attended that as a chaperone. We took a, like every Congress has had a Hawaiian hui, as we call it, a delegation of Hawaiian youth that go to each one of them around the world. And that's kicked off. Each Congress has been kicked off by the Conchdale and the Hawaiian tradition. So it's always kept the Hawaiian aspect of each as it moves around the world. So it is the aloha spreading from Hawaii and covering the world. So it is united. That's really, that's really so special. And well, I don't know how long we have left in the show, but I want to be able to wrap that around, you know, not just in the good tone, but talk a little bit about global justice in the context of all of the political changes that we have in globally, but also here in the United States, you know, where we have a very different approach to social and global justice with our new administration. And there are big talks about cutting funds for United Nations, not only in the United States, but also globally. And I wanted to get a little bit of your perspective on how do you feel about that and how if you could send a message to our politicians and to our administration in a federal level, not so locally, what would that message be so that people would understand the impact of cutting funds would be like for organizations such as United Nations? Well, it would be disastrous, actually. And I think what is happening because of, you know, the political environment in the States, it's triggering more and more people to actually take into action. As we've seen, there's been a number of people taking to the streets. So I think it is engaging people in a new way that will be seen, a lot of movements and with regards to the United Nations. There is the headquarters of the United Nations USA is actually in Washington, DC, and they have a campaign of getting people to actually connect with their representatives and say, hey, you know, we want the UN supported. Yes, and that's very important. So if you can actually call representatives in Washington, DC and make that request from the heart, that would be huge. Just to give a perspective, you know, we have 70 million refugees around the globe and 50% of them are children and the United Nations provides so much humanitarian support in camps and then helping refugees and helping with reproductive health in countries such as Africa. It's such an important vital part of keeping our country and our world in your balance. So, well, that's all we have for now. I'm so grateful that you are here and that we talked about, you know, wonderful things that's about to happen in Hawaii and it's been happening all along. I hope to see you again that this may be the faster of many visits that we have together. And you just have experienced a fast episode of Perspectives in Global Justice and this is your host Beatrice Cantelmo. Watch us every week, every Friday at four o'clock and we hope.