To start the report on this presentation with the vote of thanks is an unusual approach. However, Rex in his thanks stated that the Club’s delegates to the World Affairs Seminar had never disappointed, never failed to impress and left members delighted at the capability and maturity of young people today. Katie Clements and Ellie Drake were no exception to this rule.
And they had succeeded in the face of the difficulties posed by Covid 19 and the cancellation of the ‘live’ seminar, which was replaced by a ‘virtual’ seminar conducted over Zoom. This was done in US time at the site of the live seminars, Wisconsin, USA, which meant that Katie and Ellie had to attend sessions in the middle of the night BST.
The subject of the seminar was Hunger in World of Plenty. Both had joined the seminar assuming that the problem was distribution, with too much food in the affluent countries and a shortage in the third world. This proved to be wrong. There are large pockets of food deprivation even in countries as wealthy as the USA, where there are numerous townships with no grocery stores or fresh food shops. With no car, little money and poor public transport the poor suffer. Meanwhile in the UK there is a widespread use of food banks.
Food distribution is a problem, but a greater problem is people having an adequate income to pay for food, and to be able to innovate and take risks. The benefits and drawbacks of a Universal Basic Income were much discussed at the seminar. Both Ellie and Katie reported that their views had changed and their understanding had increased as a result of the points raised. It was not so much fellow UK and US delegates who had left an impression on them, but those from very different societies, e.g. Nepal, who expressed views from a very different perspective.
They were left with a good understanding of such matters as the need for: flexible food banks to suit local needs; an inclusive education; a major change in public attitudes; and of the importance of political lobbying to achieve these goals.
At the end of their excellent presentation both delegates thanked the Club for giving them the opportunity to attend the seminar, albeit virtually. They felt that they had learned a great deal and benefitted from it. Both thought that what they had learned had contributed to their choices of what to do at university.
The meeting was joined by District Governor Chris Firth and Hans Bergman from the Rotary Club of Amsterdam Nord, both of whom were welcomed by President Bruce.