Dear GCI Community,
We regret to announce that the GCI Fellowship/Summit and the GCI Seminar have been cancelled for 2020. We were recently notified by the University of St Andrews - where we planned to hold the GCI Summit and Seminar - that all events on campus commencing before July 31 have been cancelled. For this reason and because of the continuing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 (the coronavirus), GCI has made the difficult decision to discontinue our programming in 2020, rather than find an alternate venue.
The health and wellbeing of all GCI program participants, faculty and staff, as well as the greater GCI Community, have driven and continue to drive our decisions during this global health crisis. We hope that each of you remains strong and resolute in your belief in the importance of a community of global citizens who aspire to be agents of positive change.
Sincerely,
The GCI Team
A MESSAGE FROM GCI PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, YUMI KUWANA:
I hope that you and your families are safe and secure during this unprecedented time of navigating this global pandemic. All of us feel the pain and grieve as this virus "tsunami" has swept many lives away from us. We are in this together as a collective force, with each and every one of us doing our part in whatever way we can, with whatever we have. This reminds us of how deeply interconnected we are as a global community that transcends social, economic and political boundaries and connects us as humans.
GCI's mission is to carve out the space and place to connect youth from all sectors of society and all walks of life and provide them with the tools, resources and mindsets to empower them as agents of positive change and support them on their journeys as global citizens. These goals are now more important than ever.
Like all organizations, GCI is adjusting to a new reality and making difficult choices - most notably the cancellation of our programming this summer, which provides an unparalleled opportunity for human connectivity in addition to a critical source of revenue for GCI. The GCI Team and I are as disappointed as the 28 outstanding secondary school students from 19 countries who were accepted into the Fellowship 2020. We are working hard to pivot and provide support to our next generation in innovative ways, including through virtual Harkness®* Sessions on relevant topics for our Ambassadors (alumni) and by elevating the power of the GCI Ambassador network through our Ambassador Advisory Council.
Our work at GCI matters and we will get through these challenging times together, while embracing the human to human connectivity that we so yearn for as we build ethical global leaders for a brighter future.
Please take extra good care and be well.
My very best,
Yumi Kuwana
President and Founder
Global Citizens Initiative
*Harkness® is a registered trademark of Phillips Exeter Academy
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