By Michael Meurer, May 9, 2019
After more than two months of planning with Professor Obdulio Ávila Mayo, PhD, in the Facultad de Derechos at Mexico’s national university in México City, we mounted a two hour political roundtable May 2, 2019, on leadership, public service and civic innovation.
Because of recent surgery, I was not able to attend, but my associates Roberto and Rodrigo worked admirably with Prof. Obdulio to create a highly impactful event that many of the students found to be transformative.
This generation of students is too often presented with dystopian visions of the future that they are led to believe are beyond their control. We focused instead on real world examples of the kind of civic innovation and political self-knowledge they can use to tackle even humanity’s most daunting challenges.
My brief introductory note to the students is copied below in both English and Spanish.
INGLÉS
Thank you all for attending the event today.
I worked for more than 2 months with Professor Obdulio Ávila Mayo, PhD, to define the themes of the event, but unfortunately I can not be here today.
Our goal is to expand your political vision and to show you models that are generating real change throughout the world. During my travels worldwide since 2016 researching civic and political innovation, I have consistently found such innovation among the people in the 14 countries and 22 cities through which I have traveled, including México. Especially México.
Your generation has been told that the future will be so horrible that the possibilities for meaningful social change are few or impossible. This is false.
There are solutions to every challenge that humanity confronts today. These solutions are not always easy to implement, but they exist.
I believe that you are the future. I think you deserve to know about as many different potential solutions and as many different political models as possible.
The event today is an introduction to a world full of political, social, financial and environmental innovation. The alternative models that we present today are part of your raw material to begin building a better world for all of us.
The future is in your hands, and for us it is an honor to share this celebration of citizen’s innovation from countries and cities across the world.
Fraternal greetings to all of you.
ESPAÑOL
Gracias a todos por asistiendo el evento hoy.
Trabajé por más que 2 meses con tu Profesor Obdulio Ávila Mayo, PhD, para definir los temas del evento pero lamentablamente no puedo ser aquí hoy.
Nuestra meta para hoy es ampliar su visión política y mostrar modelos que están generando cambio real a través el mundo. Durante mis viaje mundial desde 2016 buscando por innovación civica y política yo encontrabala entre la gente consistentemente por 14 paises y 22 ciudades incluyendo México, especialmente México.
Su generación ha sido dicho que el futuro será tan horrible que las posibilidades de cambio social están pocas o imposibles. Esto es falso.
Hay soluciones a cada desafío que humanidad está enfrentando hoy. Estas soluciones no están faciles implementar pero las existen.
Creo que ustedes son el futuro. Creo que ustedes merecen saber sobre tantas soluciones y tantos diferentes modelos políticos como es posible.
El evento hoy es una introducción para un mundo lleno de innovación política, social, financiera y ambiental. Los modelos alternativa que presentamos hoy son parte de su materia prima para construir un nuevo mundo.
El futuro es en sus manos y para nosotros es un honrar compartir esta celebración de la innocación de la gente en cada pais, cada estado y cada ciudad.
Saludos fraternales para todos.