Time to Step Up
Online Democracy Summit Planning This Week
Trump’s decision to attack Iran without Congressional approval has me even more worried than usual.
I’m thinking particularly about a good friend of my son who recently joined the Marines. Richard has always been an extraordinarly smart, independent individual; my guess is that he was looking for some direction in his life. He and Henry were juniors in high school when the pandemic hit, and it feels like it’s taking some time for kids of this era to find their way. An underlying thought also is that it’s downright scary to be a parent of a young man should the United States get further embroiled in a war.
I am also thinking of Jasmine (not her real name), a family friend and former student of my mother’s, who came to the US from Iran as a 13-year-old to attend this Catholic boarding school in the 1970s. Due to the Iranian Revolution, there were several years were she could not return home and a close friend of my mother’s stepped in as a surrogate parent. Beth still serves in this role to this day; Jasmine might as well be her own offspring. Jasmine has been living in the US ever since, has raised a family, and works as an oncology nurse. She still has a brother and sister living in Tehran, although they apparently have left the city, seeking refuge in a family home near the Persian Gulf.
I will be praying that Richard and Jasmine’s family stay out of harm’s way.
I also will be keeping my eye out for helpful resources for understanding the geopolitics involved. Here are a few resources for learning and teaching about the current situation.
From the Council on Foreign Relations:
Other resources:
High NRiched - a crowd-sourced platform with educational materials on nuclear issues
Consider also diving further into the Substack platform to see non-traditional journalism happen before your eyes. Many journalists are turning to this platform as a way to express themselves authentically without corporate media overreach. You will also find politicians and policymakers as well as writers and other creative artists.
After years of writing on Medium, I’m finding Substack to be a more robust and interactive platform. It has a feature similar to Twitter called Notes and you can also podcast right on this platform and host live video conversations. It is also a platform that promotes professional generosity in that people are encouraged to share and recommend other creators and related to this, you can snip a quote and generate a graphic to share that quote.
Here are a few of my recommendations of accounts and subscriptions to follow if you are looking to get started on Substack. Keep in mind that you can follow people which means you’ll see their notes in your feed and you can subscribe to whatever newsletter they produce, if any.
For resistance-related news
- - this org is spearheading many of the protests that have been taking place
- - Andy Borowitz’s witty satire has found a home in Substack after the New Yorker unceremoniously canceled his column due to “financial difficulties”
- - another collaborative group of journalists and pundits; it’s great to see how luminaries with different perspectives and backgrounds have joined together
- - MSNBC contributor Joyce Vance is one of my go to’s for anything requiring legal analysis. Also, is another must-follow legal eagle.
- - a conglomerate of various journalists and pundits sharing their views and insights
- - Karen is hosting a soldout Resistance Summer School course and there’s a waiting list for her fall version. See this post for a reference to how courses like this are a new model for adult learning.
- - former Congressman Adam Kinzinger shares his perspectives as a vet and lawmaker
- - it’s been lovely to see this former CNN anchor blossom as an independent journalist; he work seems more authentic with the the artifice of cable news.
- - historian Heather Cox Richardson publishes this quintessential newsletter documenting the state of democracy
- - Michael McFaul is currently a professor at Stanford and is the former Ambassador to Russia from the Obama administration
- - love this post from filmmaker Ava DuVernay about protesting in LA
- - Anne writes for the Atlantic and is an expert in eastern European issues
- - former ABC newsman Terry Moran has found freedom in his new Substrack
- - Among various distinctions, Robert is the former Clinton administration Secretary of Labor and currently is a professor at UC Berkeley.
- - noted Lab School alum W. Kamau Bell writes terrific pieces like this one on PBS. He’s a prolific creator and wears many hats.
- - Amy Siskind’s detailed documentation of everything that has happened under Trump
For general inspiration:
- - find terrific ideas for using AI chatbots with students
- - two art teachers share thoughts on creativity
- - artist Patti Smith is a must-follow on social media including Substack and and on Instagram
- - from noted former Apple guru Guy Kawasaki
- - Shannon mixes political commentary with conversations with inspirational people
- - this is a UK-based education community and podcast that is hosting an intriguing curriculum conference soon
- - my go-to newsletter for discovering terrific productivity tools
If you have other suggestions of favorite Substacks, share them in the comments!
As global citizens, we have a choice here. We can turn off our televisions, stop reading the news, and avoid all the complicated and frankly, horrible and frightening, issues that our planet is facing. Or, we can take action, stay engaged, fight for a better world, and not give up. We all have a role to play here and our voices matter. The aforementioned post by Ava DuVernay get to the heart of what I am trying to say here in a much more artful way.
For those unfamiliar with my work, I am an educational technology expert, global education advocate, innovation consultant and hold an agency license for RingCentral Events which has allowed me to produce dozens online learning events for adults.
I’m hosting planning meetings this week for anyone interested helping to produce a news global conference on supporting democracies. I envision an online event where cross-sector individuals and organizations share tools, strategies, educational materials, and more for helping others take action. My hope is that this event will help others to explore the possibilities for getting involved and choosing a path of action. Consider joining our planning committee!
Take our event planning survey here
Register here for our morning meeting on June 25th
Register here for our afternoon meeting on June 25th
Hope you’ll join us and share this information with your networks!