So I have been travelling a bit and had limited internet access but for good reason! I would like to share with all my readers my experience of SHAPE Latin America which took place in Panama hosted by the World Economic Forum Global Shapers of the Panama Hub at the amazing City of Knowledge.I represented the Georgetown Guyana Hub along with 5 other members of my hub for 6 spectacular days.
The Panama Shapers kicked off shape by organizing a trip to San Blas sponsored by Coca Cola and we spent the day on the idyllic hook island which belongs to one of the seven Amerindian communities of panama who still inhabit the island. Other highlights include panel discussions and a special lunch with Coca Cola executives, sessions with members of IE Business school,City of Knowledge and breakout sessions on various topics. I chose the one focused on politics in Latin America with a former president of Panama which was nothing short of awesome!.
The experience was unforgettable!. I now have friends from every part of central and Latin America as well as the Caribbean! It was so exciting to find out what every hub and individual is working on .Finding common threads and unexpected ones! .We ventured out into the city parks to ask people what development means to them which was great because we got people from all walks of life to talk about their experiences of the development they have seen in panama and Latin America .
We had a session with Gayle Allard playing "the Monsoon " which is an agricultural game to understand farming families living in poverty and the challenges they face with fluctuating markets,labor costs ,weather conditions,crop failure and other variables to get a better understanding of their grassroots reality on a daily basis. The game proved eye opening to many as they struggled to live above the poverty line,became malnourished and even sold/married their daughters off to make ends meet in the game.My team kept our finances in check and made the best of the land we started off with in the game!
We had a session of communal drumming and took in some culture at an intimate cocktail art gallery and also toured the famous plazas of panama city and the Panama canal which revealed the city's varied and colorful history. We also had lunch with the current foreign minister of Panama where he talked to the global shapers about Panama's development in Latin America among other things.
A lot of shapers had been to other shape events hosted by other hubs but this was my first shape event and I am blown away by the potential for collaboration on innovative projects not only hub projects but personal causes ,friendship and discovery that I have experienced in Panama with people from such diverse backgrounds .I was also so happy to represent Guyana and meet other Caribbean shapers from Trinidad,Barbados,Bahamas,Dominican Republic and Haiti.
I have broadened my perspective ,made amazing new friends and learnt so much! Check out this slide show of some of the amazing moments of SHAPE Panama !
Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com
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