Public Engagement at CESO
Welcome. Your first question on landing on this page may be "what is public engagement?" Public Engagement at CESO has three primary objectives:
- Engage CESO Volunteers in building public support for international cooperation.
- Increase the understanding of Canadians about international development issues and Canadian international development policy and programs.
- Promote the role of volunteers in working overseas with partners to achieve sustainable development.
CESO's public engagement strategy is a call to learn, to dialogue and ultimately to act. It is a call to CESO volunteers and to Canadians in general to take on their responsibility as citizens and increase their understanding of issues of development, equity, peace, social justice and environmental sustainability.
If you have been a CESO volunteer, you have already had enriching experiences as an agent of positive global change. By getting involved in CESO’s Public Engagement activities, you can also share your experience with others in Canada. With our unique mission and our volunteers' range of expertise and depth of experience, CESO is set to take on the challenges and opportunities of public engagement. Together, we hope to create and implement an innovative strategy that reflects the experience and sophistication of our volunteer base and that engages the public in an open dialogue and participation in international aid initiatives. Ultimately, with your involvement, a successful public engagement strategy will raise Canadians’ awareness of the poverty and insecurity that afflict too high a percentage of the world’s population and mobilize people to do something locally and/or globally to create, advise on, participate in, and contribute to international aid efforts and initiatives.
Recent years have seen increased public awareness of international development issues through movements such as Make Poverty History. Five years ago, the governments of the world met at the United Nations and made a commitment to achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which have set benchmarks for measuring progress toward the reduction of poverty. At CESO we see the great potential of the MDGs as practical targets to fight poverty globally. As a key component of Public Engagement at CESO, we have become active participants in the Make Poverty History campaign the goal of which is to support the achievement of UN Millennium Development Goals.
Please explore and return in coming days and weeks to the Public Engagement at CESO section of the CESO website to get information about important initiatives, events, and how you can get involved.
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