Page 6 - ChildArt_2021.Q1_Global Creative Leaders

6 CHILDART GLOBAL CREATIVE LEADERS
The life of Dr. Ron D’Vari, CEO of NewOak Capital
in New York City, provides a great example of the
creative journey of a math-obsessed kid in Tehran,
Iran. After earning a PhD in engineering at UCLA
and becoming an innovation scholar, he reenrolled at
UCLA for an MBA to become a financial engineer who
is helping ignite challenging growth-oriented ventures
to accelerate reality of global ESG enterprises that
focus on environment protection, social benefits, and
good governance (pages 26-27). A forever optimist,
Ron looks at the bright side, even of the COVID-19
pandemic, recognizing that as a result, “kids will have
the ability to look at the virtual world that is coming,
but now in a much faster way.” Hence, COVID-19 may
have prepared you for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
driven by artificial intelligence and robotics.
Mohsin Hamid’s books have been translated into
forty languages, appear on bestseller lists, and have
been made into cinematic works of art (pages 28-
29). He connects art with public policy to address
complicated social issues of the day. In developing
the characters he writes about, he explores various
viewpoints. “Empathy is the beautiful capacity that
humans have to imaginatively leap across barriers.
We can make these leaps. Empathy is the superpower
of humans. Will you use it to be a villain or a hero?
This question requires each of us to develop our own
moral compass.”
If you need a story about the American Dream, look
no further than Dr. Carmen Rojas, president and
CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation with nearly
$800 million in assets (page 30-33). She has achieved
what was unimaginable for a daughter of immigrants
from Venezuela and Nicaragua. “I just really refused
to be the last generation of people in this country
that got to benefit from a robust social safety net,
a moment in time when our political leaders were
willing to regulate corporations and services for the
public good.” Working for inclusivity is what brings
her the joy to sing while she works. “What we’re
seeing in our work day-to-day is that young people
are not only engaging more, but they are framing
the conversations that we are having as a nation
right now. I think it’s a critical moment for all of us to
sit back and listen. There’s a real appetite for young
people to shape the future, which is theirs now. I am
committed to a generational shift.”
Zhang Yue founded a company that rose to become
a global corporation that mirrors China’s historic
growth over the past three decades, but with a major
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difference—he’s a champion of the environment support, and champion the cause of individuals
(pages 34-37). He avers that four changes are who are working to promote peace and justice, and
essential. “First, people should change their attitudes eliminate material and spiritual poverty throughout
and conception about material wealth. We should the world (pages 42-43). Each year the foundation
know that enough is enough, and the pursuit of more presents the Right Livelihood Award to four Laureates
and more is wrong. Second, we must pursue spiritual from around the world. These Laureates have
development to limit our desire for materials. Third, employed empathy, courage, and creativity to find
all of our children should develop empathy. Lastly, solutions to the most challenging problems we face
education must include environmental knowledge. today. Ole believes that young people have the moral
How much carbon dioxide is emitted every year? compass to identify changes that need to be made
What’s the population growth each year? We should and offers the encouragement to “Raise your voice
let our children know about the fertilizers, antibiotics, and make your first experience as an activist.”
and pesticides, along with their impact on health and
even genetic development.” The leaders we present to you come from across
Dr. Paul Niehaus is not just a well-known economics the globe. We find common threads woven through
the tapestry of their life experiences. These include
professor at the University of California San Diego, using creativity and empathy to reach for the
he is also cofounder of GiveDirectly, a platform for seemingly unreachable, to make connections, to
direct cash transfers via smartphones to extremely value individuals, and to foster optimism. When this is
poor families in East Africa (pages 38-39). He believes achieved, true leaders emerge. The International Child
that creativity involves making novel and unique Art Foundation is pleased to present these leaders
connections. “You can give your brain opportunities to you as we work toward positive social change
to make those connections. That means filling your based on the belief that creativity and empathy are
brain with all sorts of interesting information so that requisite for a more just, prosperous, and nonviolent
you can be thoughtful about what you’re reading and world. ICAF’s aim is that children become “creative-
who you talk to and where you go. Don’t worry if you empaths” who can work together for sustainable
read a book and don’t immediately have a great idea, prosperity and lasting peace. The innate creativity
or you meet someone and don’t know where to take and intrinsic empathy of today’s children are certainly
that relationship. It’s data. You’re putting it into your the hallmarks of tomorrow’s leaders.
brain and letting it percolate. Give your brain time to
look at things and come up with connections. Come
back to it every once in a while. Get enough sleep.
Your brain is better when you’re rested, and your brain
does a lot of its work while you’re asleep. That’s the
process. Trust the process.”
For Dr. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological
Seminary, creativity and spirituality go hand in hand
(pages 40-41). She believes that being creative-
empaths comes naturally to children and recommends
nourishing the natural spirituality by allowing children
to think “wild” things about the universe. The joy of
being a child is found in pushing the boundaries
of what is known and stretching into that creative
space where new ideas emerge. For her, empathy is
essential as well. “A very important part of empathy is
helping students learn to put themselves in the shoes
of someone very different from themselves, and to
understand what the world may mean to someone
whose beliefs are very different from their own.”
Finally, Ole von Uexküll, Executive Director of The
Right Livelihood Foundation, works to recognize,
https://icaf.org