Theme & Speakers
The 2021 Summer Symposium:
Our Stories Can Change The World - July 11-16th via Zoom
The 2021 Summer Symposium:
Our Stories Can Change The World - July 11-16th via Zoom
Each year, the Symposium's students rave about the personal stories that are shared by the program's speakers--no matter what topic is presented. This year's theme builds upon this excitement by having several local, national, and international human rights leaders share the narratives of what inspired them. It is hoped that those changemakers will in turn inspire the Symposium's students to tell their own stories; with no story unimportant, no experience not meaningful, and no step too small. Last year, over seventy students attended the Symposium from over eight countries. Register today to learn how your story can make a difference!
Sunday, July 11th: 6:45-8:00PM
Monday, July 12th - Friday, July 16th, 2021:
Morning Speaker: 9:45-11:00 AM
Lunch Session: 12:00-1:00 PM
Group Skill Building: 2:30-3:30 PM
Speakers and Presenters:
Jordan Hattar in Zaatari Refugee Camp
Sunday, July 11th, 2020: Humanizing the Syrian Conflict
Jordan Hattar learned of the refugees’ desperate need for better housing. In order to help meet the need for adequate shelter, Jordan teamed up with Olivia Wong, a fellow CGIU commitment maker, to fundraise and deliver two prefabricated housing units, called caravans, to the Zaatari Refugee Camp in the summer of 2013. Student groups in New York heard about Olivia and Jordan’s work, and raised enough money to purchase two caravans, which Jordan purchased in November of 2014.Since the delivery of the caravans, Jordan graduated from CSU Long Beach and received a Master's degree in International Relations & Politics from the University of Cambridge in 2016. Upon receiving his degree, Jordan began an internship in the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama's Reach Higher initiative. Most recently, Jordan has concentrated on directing Help4Refugees and has followed in the footsteps of his mentor, Carl Wilkens, speaking full-time in schools and universities around the world.
Jordan Hattar learned of the refugees’ desperate need for better housing. In order to help meet the need for adequate shelter, Jordan teamed up with Olivia Wong, a fellow CGIU commitment maker, to fundraise and deliver two prefabricated housing units, called caravans, to the Zaatari Refugee Camp in the summer of 2013. Student groups in New York heard about Olivia and Jordan’s work, and raised enough money to purchase two caravans, which Jordan purchased in November of 2014.Since the delivery of the caravans, Jordan graduated from CSU Long Beach and received a Master's degree in International Relations & Politics from the University of Cambridge in 2016. Upon receiving his degree, Jordan began an internship in the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama's Reach Higher initiative. Most recently, Jordan has concentrated on directing Help4Refugees and has followed in the footsteps of his mentor, Carl Wilkens, speaking full-time in schools and universities around the world.
Wendy Weisbrot
Tuesday, July 13th, 2020: Holocaust Remembrance
Wendy Weisbrot (MS, Elementary Education and Literacy) is a second- generation Holocaust survivor. Her father, Joe Diamond (1929-2017), was a local Holocaust Survivor who shared his story with students at several Summer Symposiums and was an active speaker in the Buffalo community. She has now taken the torch and has been sharing her dad’s story and legacy with students and adults. Recently, she retired from the Williamsville School District where she was a teacher for 30 years. Human rights, civic literacy, and empathy/equity were always core components in her classroom. Wendy is a Board Member of the Academy of Human Rights, Education Chair of the Holocaust Resource Center, and Co-Chair of our local Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration
Wendy Weisbrot (MS, Elementary Education and Literacy) is a second- generation Holocaust survivor. Her father, Joe Diamond (1929-2017), was a local Holocaust Survivor who shared his story with students at several Summer Symposiums and was an active speaker in the Buffalo community. She has now taken the torch and has been sharing her dad’s story and legacy with students and adults. Recently, she retired from the Williamsville School District where she was a teacher for 30 years. Human rights, civic literacy, and empathy/equity were always core components in her classroom. Wendy is a Board Member of the Academy of Human Rights, Education Chair of the Holocaust Resource Center, and Co-Chair of our local Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration
Poet Jared Benjamin
Wednesday, July 14th, 2020: Making Change Through Poetry
J.B. Stone is a neurodivergent/autistic slam poet, writer, and reviewer from Brooklyn, now residing in Buffalo, NY. He is the author of A Place Between Expired Dreams And Renewed Nightmares (Ghost City Press 2018) and INHUMAN ELEGIES (Ghost City Press 2020). He is the Editor-In-Chief/Reviews Editor at Variety Pack. His work has appeared in Chicago Review of Books, Flash Fiction Magazine, Rejection Letters, Crack the Spine, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, Peach Mag, Frontier Poetry, Atticus Review, and elsewhere. He tweets @JB_StoneTruth. Jared has spoken at the Symposium for the last three years, and has inspired many students to express themselves through poetry.
J.B. Stone is a neurodivergent/autistic slam poet, writer, and reviewer from Brooklyn, now residing in Buffalo, NY. He is the author of A Place Between Expired Dreams And Renewed Nightmares (Ghost City Press 2018) and INHUMAN ELEGIES (Ghost City Press 2020). He is the Editor-In-Chief/Reviews Editor at Variety Pack. His work has appeared in Chicago Review of Books, Flash Fiction Magazine, Rejection Letters, Crack the Spine, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, Peach Mag, Frontier Poetry, Atticus Review, and elsewhere. He tweets @JB_StoneTruth. Jared has spoken at the Symposium for the last three years, and has inspired many students to express themselves through poetry.
Artist Nada Odeh
Wednesday, July 14th, 2021: Human Rights Through Art
Nada Odeh is a Syrian artist, activist, humanitarian and a modern-day poet. She was both born and raised in Damascus, immigrating to the United States in 2013 due to the conflict and revolution in her native country. After receiving her M.A. in Museum Studies from Syracuse University, Nada lives and works in Syracuse, New York. The key themes on which her artwork is focused are the Syrian refugees and people. Her art and activism helped many organizations live the art experience to the ultimate levels. A frequent Symposium presenter, her online workshop will provide its participants with the tools and inspiration to make their voice heard--regardless of whether they have ever painted before.
Nada Odeh is a Syrian artist, activist, humanitarian and a modern-day poet. She was both born and raised in Damascus, immigrating to the United States in 2013 due to the conflict and revolution in her native country. After receiving her M.A. in Museum Studies from Syracuse University, Nada lives and works in Syracuse, New York. The key themes on which her artwork is focused are the Syrian refugees and people. Her art and activism helped many organizations live the art experience to the ultimate levels. A frequent Symposium presenter, her online workshop will provide its participants with the tools and inspiration to make their voice heard--regardless of whether they have ever painted before.
Ms. Lisa Heth
Thursday, July 15th, 2020: Project SAFE
Ms. Lisa Heth has worked in the field of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse for over 30 years. She has been a strong advocate for women and children on the crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations in South Dakota and is the executive director for Wiconi Wawokiya, Inc which operates a domestic shelter in Fort Thompson on the Crow Creek reservation. In 2015 Pathfinder Center, a place a refuge for victims of human trafficking Taskforce which involve four reservations. She received the prestigious 2015 OVC National Crime Victims' Service Award, Tribal Law and Policy Institute, Bonnie Heavy Runner Victim Advocacy Award in 2012 along with many other awards and Achievements. She will be joined by Kasey Cadwell, the shelter coordinator and prevention specialist at Project SAFE. She has been with Project SAFE going on 11 years. She works alongside advocates providing emergency services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and elder abuse. She also does prevention work in the community and local schools.
Ms. Lisa Heth has worked in the field of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse for over 30 years. She has been a strong advocate for women and children on the crow Creek and Lower Brule reservations in South Dakota and is the executive director for Wiconi Wawokiya, Inc which operates a domestic shelter in Fort Thompson on the Crow Creek reservation. In 2015 Pathfinder Center, a place a refuge for victims of human trafficking Taskforce which involve four reservations. She received the prestigious 2015 OVC National Crime Victims' Service Award, Tribal Law and Policy Institute, Bonnie Heavy Runner Victim Advocacy Award in 2012 along with many other awards and Achievements. She will be joined by Kasey Cadwell, the shelter coordinator and prevention specialist at Project SAFE. She has been with Project SAFE going on 11 years. She works alongside advocates providing emergency services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and elder abuse. She also does prevention work in the community and local schools.
Talia L
Thursday, July 15th, 2020: Understanding White Supremacy
Talia L. The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and author of Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy, Lavin will discuss her in-depth research of online hate and white supremacy and how educators can inspire and equip their students to combat it in their community.
Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy is the story of how Lavin dove into a byzantine online culture of hate and learned the intricacies of how white supremacy proliferates online. She reveals the extremists hiding in plain sight online: white nationalists, white supremacists, National Socialists, and Proud Boys by combining compelling stories with in-depth, gut-wrenching research. She turns the lens of anti-Semitism, racism, and white power back on itself in an attempt to dismantle and decimate the online hate movement from within.
Talia L. The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and author of Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy, Lavin will discuss her in-depth research of online hate and white supremacy and how educators can inspire and equip their students to combat it in their community.
Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy is the story of how Lavin dove into a byzantine online culture of hate and learned the intricacies of how white supremacy proliferates online. She reveals the extremists hiding in plain sight online: white nationalists, white supremacists, National Socialists, and Proud Boys by combining compelling stories with in-depth, gut-wrenching research. She turns the lens of anti-Semitism, racism, and white power back on itself in an attempt to dismantle and decimate the online hate movement from within.